Islamabad: One of the most wanted terrorists in India, the mastermind of 26/11 Mumbai attack and several cases of terror crime in the country and Jamat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed was arrested in Pakistan by the counter terrorism unit Wednesday and sent to judicial remand, media reported.
Hafiz Saeed who has several cases pending against him was travelling to Gujranwala from Lahore to appear before an anti-terrorism court to seek pre-arrest bail when he was taken into custody by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD).
A CTD official told media Hafiz Saeed had been presented in an anti-terrorism court and sent to prison. He added the charge-sheet against Saeed will be presented soon. The official further said a case against Saeed had been lodged under the anti-terrorism act, Pakistani media quoted Reuters as saying. “The main charge is that he is gathering funds for banned outfits, which is illegal,” Punjab Chief Minister’s spokesman Shahbaz Gill was quoted as saying.
The CTD has been directed to complete its investigation and submit a charge-sheet to the court in the stipulated time. Top 13 leaders of the banned JuD, including Saeed and Naib Emir Abdul Rehman Makki, were booked July 3 in two dozen cases for terror financing and money laundering under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
The CTD, which registered the cases in five cities of Punjab, declared that the JuD was financing terrorism from the massive funds collected through non-profit organisations and trusts including Al-Anfaal Trust, Dawatul Irshad Trust, Muaz Bin Jabal Trust, etc. These non-profit organisations were banned in April as the CTD during detailed investigations found that they had links with the JuD and its top leadership, accused of financing terrorism by building huge assets/properties from the collected funds in Pakistan.
