Amid persisting mystery about killings of Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives, a cascading buzz about the well-being of global terrorist and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Sajid Mir, one of the key planners of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, appears to have further deepened the uncertainty in Pakistan’s jihadi circles. Mir, who has been held in Kot Lakhpat jail since his sentencing by an anti-terrorism court in June last year, was unexpectedly admitted to the hospital. Reports suggest that he was poisoned and is currently on ventilator support. However, there are suspicions that these reports may be a ploy by Pakistan’s military-intelligence complex to avoid taking action against Mir. It is also speculated that staging his death could be a strategy to prevent his extradition to the US, as Mir is wanted by the US government and has a five million dollar bounty on his head. Mir, who was the LeT’s foreign recruiter and the main handler for American terrorist David Coleman Headley alias Dawood Gilani, had changed his appearance through plastic surgery after the Mumbai attacks. The FBI has mentioned that Mir and his associates were in telephonic contact with the 26/11 attackers during the attack. Mir’s advice led to Headley changing his name to facilitate his activities on behalf of Lashkar. Mir also advised Headley to open an immigration office in Mumbai as a cover for his surveillance activities.
Key 26/11 plotter Sajid Mir in Pakistan hospital after poisoning
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