Islamabad: Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz
Mohammad Saeed has became one of only four terrorist leaders
for whom the US has offered a bounty of USD 10 million,
joining the likes of Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Omar.
The only person with a higher bounty on his head than
these four terrorist leaders is al Qaeda chief Ayman
al-Zawahiri, for whom the US has offered a reward of USD 25
million under its Rewards for Justice programme.
Besides 61-year-old Saeed, the other terrorist leaders
who carry a bounty of USD 10 million on their head are
al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Du`a, one-eyed Mullah Omar and
Yasin al-Suri alias Ezedin Abdel Aziz Khalil, a senior
al Qaeda facilitator based in Iran.
The listing for Saeed on the Rewards for Justice website
describes him as a former professor of Arabic and Engineering
who was a founding member of "Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a radical
Deobandi Islamist organisation dedicated to installing
Islamist rule over parts of India and Pakistan, and its
military branch, Lashkar-e-Taiba".
"Saeed is suspected of masterminding numerous terrorist
attacks, including the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which resulted in
the deaths of 166 people, including six American citizens,"
the listing further states.
The website noted that India has issued an Interpol Red
Corner Notice against Saeed for his role in the Mumbai
attacks. Besides, the US Department of the Treasury has
designated Saeed as a "Specially Designated National under
Executive Order 13224".
The Order provides a means to disrupt the financial
support network for terrorists and terrorist groups by
authorising the US government to designate and block the
assets of foreign individuals and entities that commit, or
pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism.
PTI
