Senior Pakistani FIA officer appears in court in 2008 Mumbai attack case

ISLAMABAD: A senior Pakistani FIA officer today provided information on two to three LeT terrorists who controlled and monitored the 2008 Mumbai attack from Sindh province before the anti-terrorism court holding the trial of the seven accused in the case.

Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Deputy Director (Karachi) Fakir Hussain, a prosecution witness, recorded his statement before the ATC Islamabad judge at the hearing at Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi.

"The FIA officer told the court about information of two to three accused who were monitoring the operation in Mumbai from here (Sindh)," a court official said after the hearing.

Hussain also provided the detail of the articles he had recovered from two camps of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Mirpurkhas and Thatha.

The defence lawyers also cross-examined the witness. The court adjourned the hearing till next Wednesday.

In the last hearing, a government doctor had recorded his statement in the anti-terrorism court about the blood samples he collected from the relatives of two of the attackers who allegedly took part in the 26/11 carnage.

Mumbai attack mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and six other accused are facing trial for allegedly planning and executing the assault on India's financial hub on November 26, 2008 that killed 166 people.

LeT operations commander Lakhvi, 55, secured bail last December and was subsequently released from Adiala Jail on April 10 after the Lahore High Court set aside a government order to detain him under a public security act.

He is currently out on bail and living at an undisclosed location.