US Announces Award of Up to $5 Mn for Info on 26/11 Mastermind

Sajid Mir is believed to be the operations manager for the Mumbai attacks.

The burning Taj Mumbai has become an emblem of the 26/11 terror attacks. 

(Photo: The Quint)

The United Stated has announced a reward for up to 5 million dollars in exchange for any information that might lead to the arrest or the conviction of the Lashkar-e-Tayyiba member Sajid Mir for his “leading role” in the attacks in Mumbai in 2008, NDTV reported.

Twelve years after the attacks of 26/11, the US Rewards for Justice Programme has issued a statement saying “Sajid Mir, a senior member of the Pakistan-based foreign terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), is wanted for his involvement in the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India. The Rewards for Justice program is offering a reward of up to USD 5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction in any country of Sajid Mir for his role in these attacks.”

The department also said, "Sajid Mir was LeT's operations manager for the Mumbai attack, playing a leading role in its planning, preparation, and execution.”

26 November 2008 saw one of the most gruesome and deadly terrorist attacks in the country, when 10 terrorists, trained by the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation LeT, attacked several locations in the city of Mumbai, killing 166 people.

Nine of the terrorists were killed, and Ajmal Kasab, who was the only survivor was hanged to death at Yerwada Central Jail in Pune on 11 November 2012.

Mir’s Role in the 26/11 Attacks

The US Justice Department informed that “Mir was indicted in the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division (Chicago, Illinois) on 21 April 2011, and was charged with conspiracy to injure the property of a foreign government; providing material support to terrorists; aiding and abetting the killing of a citizen outside of the US; and the bombing of places of public use.”

The indictment states that he was the one who advised to “kill hostages, set fires, and throw grenades and also sought the release of a hostage in exchange for the release of a captured attacker.”

In 2019, Sajid Mir was added to the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists List.

“According to the US Department of Treasury, as of 2005, Mir directed training for operatives preparing for overseas recruiting, money laundering, and operational planning. The LeT was designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the US Department of State in December 2001” the department added.

Pakistani authorities are yet to take action on the multiple allegations against terrorist organisations in the country, and an ongoing trial at the anti-terrorism court against seven suspects has made little progress in more than a decade.

The Financial Action Task Force has placed Pakistan in its grey list for being inadequate in its action against terrorism, saying that the country “still needs to demonstrate that law enforcement agencies are identifying and investigating the widest range of terrorism financing activity.”