LeT, Qaida's implementing arm?

NEW DELHI: Though the Mumbai attacks trail has so far not proceeded beyond Lashkar-e-Taiba , the possibility of the involvement of al-Qaida in the terror outrage is not being ruled out given targeting of westerners and the lack of any effort to cover up the Pakistani origins of the terrorists.

Al- Qaida was suspected the very day the attacks unfolded given the audacious planning and the terror extravaganza the planners clearly envisaged. The jihadist vision behind the ������ shock and awe��� ��� scheme to terrorise Mumbai seemed to bear the hallmark of an al-Qaida operation. Subsequently, the interrogation of captured terrorist Ajmal has established the role of LeT���s senior commanders and while no evidence of any other group has emerged so far, intelligence sources are not discounting the hand of al-Qaida as the intention of the terrorists was to make a global impact.

While LeT has the strong backing of ISI, it is not clear whether the covert agency would play an active part in an attack that targets US citizens. With its deep links with LeT, the agency might have had more than a whiff of what was being planned, but might have chosen to keep in the background . The plot, it is felt, might well have seen the involvement of al-Qaida .

Intercepts picked up by Research and Analysis Wing before the attacks pointed to a Lashkar strike, even though they were also not as specific as some quarters have claimed. RAW did not make the connection between the September 18 warning of Mumbai hotels being likely targets and the November 19 advisory of a Lashkar ship headed to India. It is not clear whether the September warning was repeated or upgraded at any point.