Nov. 24 (UPI) — The State Department called on Pakistan to arrest a cleric accused of masterminding a 2008 terrorist attack in India after his release from detention Friday.
Hafiz Saeed was released from 11 months of house arrest in Lahore on Friday, following a court order. A judicial panel ruled that evidence against him was insufficient and that he should not be confined for 90 more days. Saeed allegedly devised the plot in which coordinated gunfire and bombing attacks in Mumbai killed at least 166 people, including American citizens, in 2008.
The U.S. State Department is “deeply concerned” over Saeed’s release, State Department spokeswoman Heather Neuart said in a statement on Friday, citing the Mumbai attacks.
“The Pakistani government should make sure that he is arrested and charged for his crimes,” the statement added.
We are deeply concerned that #Lashkar-e-Tayyiba leader Hafiz Saeed has been released from house arrest. LeT is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization responsible for the November 2008 Mumbai attack in which 166 people, including American citizens, were killed.
The United Nations designated Saeed a terrorist, as leader of the Lashkar-e-Tayyiba organization of Islamic insurgents. The United States has offered a $10 million reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction.
Jamaat-ud-Dawa, an Islamic charity run by Saeed, said his release was evidence of his innocence. The United States and the United Nations have called the charity an illegal front for terrorism.
