Sitting in a small room in the headquarters of the Delhi Police’s Special cell, arrested LeT terrorist Syed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal has confirmed to the Indian interrogators that Pakistan’s ISI played a major role in preparing for the 26/11 attack on Mumbai.

Ansari, who is being interrogated by a joint team of counter-terrorism officials drawn from the R&AW, the IB and the Delhi Police, reportedly told them that the control room which was monitoring the 26/11 terror attacks was situated in a VIP area in Karachi and that several top ISI commanders were present there during the attacks.

Ansari, one of the handlers of the terrorists who attacked Mumbai, has reportedly revealed to the investigators that Pakistan’s spy agency, the directorate for Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), was fully aware and involved in the planning and execution of the 26/11 terror attacks.

Ansari’s revelations are a valuable addition to the confessions of David Coleman Headley who had disclosed to NIA officials earlier that three Pakistani army officials from the ISI had constantly briefed him before his travels to India.

According to sources, Ansari revealed that the control room was located in a VIP area of Karachi between the main airport, the Malir cantonment and Quaidabad. Ansari also reportedly said that during the three days of the attack, there were five handlers, including himself, inside the control room who were instructing the terrorists in Mumbai. And the ISI officials present there were, in turn, giving orders and instructions to the handlers.

Ansari has revealed that the conspiracy — of the Mumbai attacks — was hatched in 2006 and it was initially planned that members of sleeper modules of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) would be used for the attacks. However, that plan had to be abandoned after the Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad (ATS) busted a SIMI module in the Aurangabad arms haul case and arrested 11 SIMI members in May 2006, an official informed on conditions of anonymity.

Between May 8 and May 12, 2006, the ATS had claimed to have busted a major terror module by arresting 11 alleged SIMI members and recovered 43 kgs of RDX, 50 hand grenades, 16 AK-47s and 3,200 live bullets.

“The plan was revived in 2007 and it was decided to use Pakistani nationals for the attacks and 30-35 youngsters, including Mohd Ajmal Kasab, were recruited and trained by the LeT,” the official said.

After initial screening, ten men were selected for the final mission in September 2007 and given intense training for a year. According to Ansari, he along with 34 others trained the 10 terrorists for over 11 months at terror camps in Muridke, Mansera, Azizabad and Muzaffarabad in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Preliminary interrogations of Ansari revealed that the 10 terrorists were ready for the attack by September 2008. But their first attempt to attack Mumbai in the same month failed because the weather was not favourable for travel by sea. “After the failed attempt, they once again attempted in November and were able to travel to Mumbai by sea,” the officer said.

Responding to questions regarding the arrest of Ansari, a spokesperson of the Pakistan high commission said, “Pakistan has been in the forefront in the campaign against terror. As agreed at the highest level between Pakistan and India, terrorism is a common concern and counter-terrorism cooperation is in the mutual interest of both countries. Pakistan has renewed its offer of cooperation in this domain.”