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Suspected masterminds named

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi talks with US Secretary of State of Condoleezza Rice during their meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, not shown, in Islamabad yesterday. PHOTO: EPA

India suspects two senior leaders of a banned Pakistani militant group orchestrated the three-day siege of the country’s financial capital that killed at least 171 people, Indian officials said yesterday, as Indian airports were put on high alert.

Evidence collected in the investigation pointed to Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and Yusuf Muzammil as masterminds behind the bloody rampage in Mumbai, two government officials familiar with the matter said.

Lakhvi and Muzammil are top members of the group Lashkar-e-Taiba — which India blames for the attacks — and are believed to be living in Pakistan, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly about the details.

Lakhvi has been identified as the group’s chief of operations and Muzammil as its operations chief in Kashmir and other parts of India.

The revelations came as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Pakistan yesterday for meetings with civilian and military leaders after visiting Indian leaders in New Delhi.

She aimed to raise pressure on Pakistan’s government to help get to the bottom of the terror attacks, saying that Pakistan must mount a “robust response” to bring the terrorists to justice.

The US wants Pakistan to do more to go after terror cells rooted in Pakistan. US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen was pushing the same message in Pakistan on Wednesday.

Indian airports, meanwhile, were put on high alert after the government received warnings of possible airborne attacks.

“This is based on a warning, which has been received and we are prepared as usual,” India’s air force chief, Fali Homi Major, told the Press Trust of India news agency yesterday.

Government sources said all major airports — including New Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai and Kolkata — were on high alert.

The sources cited intelligence “inputs” that militants may have sneaked into India to try to hijack civilian aircraft.

Last week’s attacks were carried out by 10 suspected Muslim militants against hotels, a restaurant and other sites across Mumbai.

In a stunning new example of the botched security that has sparked public outrage since the assault, police on Wednesday found two bombs at Mumbai’s main train station nearly a week after they were left there by gunmen behind the attacks.

While searching through about 150 pieces of luggage, which police believed were left by the dozens of victims in the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus station, an officer found a suspicious bag and called the bomb squad, Assistant Commissioner of Police Bapu Domre said.

Inside were two 4kg bombs, which were taken away and safely detonated, he said.

After the attacks, police found unexploded bombs at several of the sites, including two luxury hotels and a Jewish center.

It was not immediately clear why the bags at the station had not been examined earlier. The station, which serves hundreds of thousands of commuters, was declared safe and reopened hours after the attack.
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