Azam Cheema, who headed the Lashkar-e-Tayiba's operations in India (apart from Kashmir) till a few months ago, was not actively involved in the execution of the November 26 Mumbai terror attacks, Intelligence Bureau sources have told rediff.com. Cheema who is also known as Babaji, headed the Dasta Mohammad bin Qasim, the wing that carries out deadly attacks in the country. The IB says that there is already a red corner notice against Cheema.
Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Razaullah Nizamani Khalid alias Abu Saifullah Khalid, who was the brain behind the 2006 attack on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh headquarters, was killed by three unidentified gunmen in Sindh province of Pakistan on Sunday, officials in New Delhi said.
Intercepts picked up by the Intelligence Bureau suggested that 56-year-old Cheema suffers from various ailments and could not take part in planning the murderous crimes. It was stated that he had stepped down from an operational role four months before the attacks.
Although the American move is diplomatic in nature, IB sources said it could step up the pressure on Pakistan to act against Cheema and his agents of terror.
A lot of significance is being attached to US President Barack Obama's visit to Mumbai, but for former Mumbai Police Commissioner M N Singh, the visit is nothing more than a symbolic one.
On the eve of United States President Barack Obama's maiden visit to India, the US Treasury on Thursday targeted the financial and support networks of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed and also took action against Azam Cheema, who helped train operatives for the November 2008 Mumbai attacks and was the "mastermind" behind the July 2006 Mumbai train bombings carried out by LeT.
Special Public Prosecutor Raja Thakare said that he would not pray for death at all.
Chief Pakistan prosecutor in the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008, Chaudhry Azhar says the bail will lead to unusual delays in the case. Shahzad Raza reports from Islamabad.
Pronouncing the verdict, the special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court judge Yatin Shinde sentenced to death Faisal Sheikh, Asif Khan, Kamal Ansari, Ehtesham Sidduqui and Naveed Khan who planted the bombs in various trains.
Nine American and Israeli victims of the 2008 Mumbai attacks have demanded a compensation of $688 million (around Rs 4,233 crore) from the Pakistan-based perpetrators of the terror assault, including Jammat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances