Thursday, February 19, 2009

Lakhvi, Shah remanded to police custody for 14 days: Report

ISLAMABAD: Top Lashker-e-Taiba operatives including Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and Zarar Shah arrested on Wednesday for their links to the Mumbai attacks
by Pakistani authorities, were on Thursday remanded by an anti-terrorism judge to police custody for 14 days.

With this, the total number of suspects remanded to the custody of law enforcement agencies has gone up to four.

LeT activist Hamad Amin Sadiq, described by Pakistani officials as the "main operator" behind the attacks, was remanded to custody of the Federal Investigation Agency on Monday.

Though interior ministry chief Rehman Malik had announced the detention of the three men — Lakhvi, Zarar Shah alias Abdul Wajid and Abu Al Qama — along with other suspects on February 12, police officials told the judge that they were only arrested yesterday in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.

Police charged the three LeT operatives with conspiracy and facilitating and collaborating in the attacks.

Lakhvi, Zarar Shah and Abu Al Qama were produced before an anti-terrorism court judge who remanded them to police custody for a fortnight, TV channels quoted court and government officials as saying.

Police told the judge that they needed custody of Lakhvi, Shah and Qama in order to recover some explosives from the suspects. The judge granted custody for further interrogation and investigation.

Malik had said last week that two more suspects had been detained by Pakistani authorities though their legal status and whereabouts are currently unknown.

The spokesmen for the interior ministry and other concerned departments have refused to speak on the status of Pakistan's probe into the Mumbai attacks, saying they had been asked by their higher-ups not to comment on the issue.

Meanwhile, attorney general Latif Khosa on Thursday told reporters that Pakistan could seek custody of Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist captured by India for the Mumbai incident, through Interpol only if a court issued an order in this regard.

Khosa said if the Pakistani police and prosecution named Kasab as one of the suspects in their chargesheet, the court could then issue an order for him to be produced before it.

But if the police said Kasab cannot be produced as he is outside Pakistan, the court could then secure his custody through Interpol, he said.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Lakhvi-Shah-remanded-to-police-custody-Report/articleshow/4156139.cms

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