Hafiz Saeed, accused by the United States and India of masterminding the 2008 attacks on the Indian financial capital Mumbai that killed 166 people, was placed under house arrest by the provincial authorities on Monday, a spokesman for Saeed’s organisation said.
The move comes after years of pressure on Pakistan to put Saeed on trial and could ease recently escalating tensions with neighbour India.
The United States has offered $10 million for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Saeed, who heads Jamaatud Dawa (JuD). US officials say JuD is a front for the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
“A large police team arrived (at JuD headquarters) and told us that Hafiz Saeed would be placed under house arrest,” Nadeem Awan, Secretary of Information for JuD, told Reuters.
Awan said the police told them that they had an arrest warrant for Saeed and five others at JuD headquarters in the eastern city of Lahore. India’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Saeed has repeatedly denied involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks. His continued freedom has been a source of continuing friction between nuclear-armed neighbours Pakistan and India as well as the United States.
