LeT wanted 26/11 to look as ‘Hindu terror’

Mumbai, February 18

Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria has claimed that the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) had planned to project the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack as a case of “Hindu terror” and Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Kasab to die as Bengaluru’s Samir Chaudhari.

In his memoir “Let Me Say It Now” released on Monday, Maria mentioned about the investigation helmed by him into the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, which was planned by LeT and Pakistan hand was also unearthed.

According to excerpts from the book, (Pakistan’s) ISI and LeT were striving to eliminate Kasab in the jail as he was the key evidence linking them with the attack and Dawood Ibrahim’s gang was tasked with eliminating him.

Describing LeT plan to project the 26/11 attack as “Hindu Terror”, Maria wrote, “If everything had gone according to plan, Kasab would have died as Chaudhari and the media would have blamed ‘Hindu terrorists’ for the attack.” The terror organisation had also reportedly planted fake ID cards with Indian addresses on the terrorists, he mentioned.

“There would have been screaming headlines in newspapers claiming how Hindu terrorists had attacked Mumbai. TV journalists would have made a beeline for Bengaluru to interview his family and neighbours. Alas, it did not work that way and here he was, Ajmal Amir Kasab of Faridkot in Pakistan,” Maria wrote in the book. He also said martyred Mumbai constable Tukaram Omble’s heroic feat of capturing Kasab alive was key to foiling the plan. According to the book, “Kasab joined LeT ranks to commit robberies and had nothing to do with jihad. Such, however, was the indoctrination, that Kasab was made to believe that Muslims were not allowed to offer namaaz in India.” — PTI