The detention of an Islamic charity boss said to be linked to the 2008 Mumbai massacres has prompted protests in Pakistan.

Hafiz Saeed was placed under house arrest in Lahore on Monday after years of living in the open despite having a $10m reward placed on his head by the US in 2012.

Jamaat ud Dawa (JuD), the charity he heads, was designated a "front organisation" for Pakistani militant group Lashkar e Taiba (LeT) by the American government in 2014.

LeT has been blamed for the attack in India that left 166 dead.

Image: Hafiz Saeed has been placed under house arrest in Pakistan

Saeed is believed by the US State Department to be one of its masterminds.


A series of protests was being planned in cities across Pakistan by his supporters and the employees of his charity against his detention.

Pakistan's interior minister Nisar Ali Khan said the government had taken steps to "fulfil our obligations," the Times of India reported.

Mr Khan told reporters: "The organisation (JuD) has been under observation since 2010-11. Since it has also been listed by the UN Security Council (Sanctions Committee), we are bound to take some steps."

Image: People use sheets to escape from the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai during the attack

Saeed said he would challenge the order in court, claiming: "My detention orders are unlawful. These orders have come from Washington."

So far, there has been no response from the US government, or New Delhi, which has also been seeking his arrest.

The Times of India claimed Islamabad has come under increasing pressure since Donald Trump was inaugurated as US President.

Several major international hotels, a popular cafe and a Jewish centre were among the sites hit by 10 gunmen on 26 November, 2008, with more than two dozen foreigners among those who died.

It took authorities three days to regain full control of the city and India believes there is evidence "official agencies" in Pakistan were involved in the plot.

Another alleged mastermind of the Mumbai attacks, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, was released on bail by a Pakistani court last year.