South Korea arrests Lashkar-e-Taiba suspect of Pakistani origin

South Korea has arrested a Pakistani national alleged to be a member of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Police in Seoul arrested the man who was working as a market clerk in the city's Itaewon district early this month. This is the first time a member of a group designated as a terrorist organisation by the UN Security Council has been arrested in South Korea.

The suspect, who is in his 40s, was arrested for violating the Act on Counter-Terrorism for the Protection of Citizens and Public Security as well as the Immigration Act.


An LeT cell in South Korea is a rare occurrence unlike some pockets of SE Asia, experts pointed out. "Investigators found that the suspect joined LeT in Pakistan in 2020, underwent training in the use of weapons and infiltration tactics, and was accepted as an official member of the organisation," as per a report in The Korea Herald.