Confirmed: Dead Pakistani Al-Qaeda Operative Deliberately Targeted Indian Chabad Houses

The letter rogatory sent to Pakistan in connection with the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack has described Ilyas Kashmiri as one of the accused behind the attack who was planning more such attacks on India. Kashmiri was reported to have been killed in a US drone strike in South Waziristan tribal region. Many believed that Kashmiri was going to be the new face of al-Qaeda after Osama’s death.

Kashmiri, according to investigators, was responsible for ordering the attacks on Chabad House in India. He had asked for plans to carry out attacks on Chabad House in various cities of India including Pune, Goa, Pushkar and Jaipur which are frequented by foreign visitors. The LR sent to Pakistan also questions Kashmri’s role in asking Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operative David Coleman Headley to conduct recce of Chabad House for future attacks. However, the attacks could not be carried out due to arrest of Headley.

“We have asked for details of his meetings with Headley. According to evidence, Headley on his instructions visited India in March 2009 for the recce of Chabad House. It was reported that Kashmiri was upset with the developments in Gaza Strip in 2009 and wanted to target Jews in a big way,” said an MHA officials adding that they will ask the Pakistan authorities to confirm the death of Kashmiri.

A red corner notice was issued against Kashmiri and six others by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the Mumbai attack . “In case, his death is confirmed, we will withdraw the red notice against him,” added another official. Kashmiri who was recently indicted by a US district court along with six others has been described as an influential leader of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) who based his operations in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of western Pakistan.