Mumbai Attack Mastermind Lakhvi Seen Attending Dance Classes and Gym in Pakistan
Mumbai/Islamabad, 16th November 2024: Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi, the operations commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba and the mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, was recently spotted moving freely in Pakistan. Videos surfaced on social media showing him attending dance classes and participating in gym sessions. While the video’s exact date and location remain unclear, reports suggest that Lakhvi had altered his appearance.
In contrast to his appearance during his judicial trials in Islamabad, where he was seen with a long beard, the viral video showed him clean-shaven and showcasing his exercise routine. Lakhvi was sentenced to five years in prison for terror financing by a Pakistani court in 2021. He has been accused by both India and the US of orchestrating the Mumbai attacks, which resulted in the deaths of over 160 people.
Although Pakistan initially denied Lakhvi’s involvement in the attack, it was only after facing economic pressure and being placed on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list that the country incarcerated him. However, he has since been seen several times moving freely on the streets of Pakistan.
India has repeatedly called for Lakhvi’s extradition, but Pakistan has consistently rejected these requests, insisting that any suspects related to the Mumbai attacks will be tried under Pakistani law. US media reports have also noted that Lakhvi hailed from the same area as Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist from the 2008 attack.
Reports indicate that Pakistani authorities have been hesitant to accept intercepts of Lakhvi’s conversations with gunmen inside Mumbai’s Taj Hotel during the siege, provided by US and UK intelligence agencies. Pakistani officials have claimed that Kasab’s confession and other evidence obtained by Indian authorities were inadmissible in court, alleging they were coerced. A rift has been reported between Islamabad and the Pakistani embassy in Washington over the authenticity of these intercepts.
It remains unclear whether the US intercepted these conversations independently or received them from India. In 2009, Indian officials indicated that Lakhvi and LeT operative Yusuf Muzammil had masterminded the attacks, and both Indian and US officials have expressed dissatisfaction with Pakistan’s failure to take significant action against other militant groups involved in attacks on Indian soil.
