Taught 26/11 attackers Hindi

NEW DELHI: Saudi Arabia has helped India with a major breakthrough in the probe into the 26/11 attacks by facilitating the arrest of Syed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal , one of the key plotters of the Mumbai raid.Jundal, who directed Ajmal Kasab and other 26/11 attackers from the Lashkar control room, was picked up by the Saudi police , who put him on a New Delhi-bound flight after alerting the authorities here about their prize catch.The Lashkar terrorist , an Indian national wanted in many terror cases who was arrested on June 21, has since made the stunning claim that LeT chief Hafiz Saeed was present in the control room when the 26/11 masterminds choreographed the Mumbai attacks. He has also said that ISI and Pakistani army officials were involved in planning 26/11 and attended the meetings.After Kasab and David Headley, the arrest of Jundal is seen as the third major success in India’s effort to unravel the 26/ 11 plot.Kasab’s arrest was important since his Pakistani nationality exposed Islamabad’s initial stubborn denial about involvement in the strike, and put paid to the plan to pin the blame on homegrown terrorists; even Hindu radicals.Abu Jundal’s significance lies in the key role he played in preparations and during the 26/11 attack on Mumbai. Being from Beed in Maharashtra, he taught the basics of Hindi usage to the Pakistani Laskhar squad. On the fateful day, he was in the control room firing instructions to killers, and also coached the killers to wrong-foot the Indian investigators and global community by posing as members of a fictional Indian outfit: Deccan Mujahideen.In the tapes of the conversation between the terrorists and those in the control room, one of the handlers is heard saying “Lo Jundal Bhai se baat karo”, in what is seen as reflecting his familiarity with the plotters and executioners. Sources said, he was present when Lashkar commander Zaki-ur Rahman Lakvhvi trained the attackers in a 12-day training camp organized at Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Jundal himself tutored the terrorists for three days on how to get by in Mumbai.His statement to the Delhi Police about Saeed’s presence in the LeT control room directly incriminates the LeT chief who has strenuously denied his complicity in the terror strikes.Sources in the Delhi Police said Jundal, who figures in India’s list of “most wanted” fugitives sheltered in Pakistan, has said that Lakhvi, Azam Cheema, Muzammil and one more handler were also in the control room.Indian authorities expect him to provide more clarity on the participation of two serving officers of Pakistan army — Major Sameer and Major Iqbal. The 26/11 tapes have a reference to one “Major General Saheb”. Indian authorities hope Jundal would help them ascertain the identity of this person and his connection with the ISI.Jundal is a vital part of the conspiracy. Tutored by him, the attackers claimed they were motivated by Indian government’s atrocities against Muslims and the plight of Kashmiri Muslims. The ploy that fitted well with Pakistan’s claim that terrorism in India was an indigenous affair; although the use of typical Hindi expressions like “prashashan” for authorities and recommendations for Sachar Commission immediately led Indian investigators to smell a rat.“He knows a lot. He claims that they prepared for years for the 26/11 attack and every person was assigned a separate task. Being a Maharashtrian, he was given the task to familiarize the killers with local dialect as well as Mumbai’s topography. He instructed the gang on how to ask for directions and what to say if checked and quizzed,” said a senior officer familiar with the details of his interrogation.Jundal was produced before chief metropolitan magistrate Vinod Yadav by a Delhi Police team, led by ACP Ashok Chand and DCP Sanjeev Yadav. The Delhi Police have been given his custody for 15 days after which he may have long sessions with the police from Maharashtra and Gujarat as well as the NIA. He may also be brought face-to-face with Kasab.Indian authorities expect Abu Jundal to provide more clarity on the participation of two Pak army officers — Major Sameer and Major Iqbal— in the 26/11 attack.