A Pakistani court has indicted Islamist militant Hafiz Saeed, the alleged mastermind of deadly 2008 attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai, on terrorism-financing charges, a government prosecutor and a security official said on December 11.
Muhammad Tahir, an official of the Counter-Terrorism Department of the Punjab police, told RFE/RL that Saeed appeared before the court in Lahore, eastern Pakistan, under strict security.
The charges were read as Saeed was present in the court, prosecutor Abdur Rauf Watto said.
Saeed is the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), or the Army of the Pure, a militant group blamed by the United States and India for the Mumbai siege in which 160 people, including Americans, were killed.
Washington has long pressured Pakistan to try Saeed, who is designated a terrorist by the United States and the United Nations.
Saeed's lawyer, Imran Gill, said his client pleaded not guilty.
Pakistan's counterterrorism police arrested Saeed in July, days before a visit to Washington by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The indictment came ahead of a world financial watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meeting early next year to decide whether to blacklist Pakistan for its failure to curb terror financing.
The United States has offered a reward of $10 million for information leading to the conviction of Saeed, who has been repeatedly detained and released over the past 10 years.
Pakistani Militant Accused Of Mumbai Attacks Faces Terror-Financing Charges
Editors' Picks
Afghanistan/Pakistan Trending
1
Four Years On, UN Says Taliban Close To 'Erasing' Afghan Women From Public Life
2After Key Report On Afghanistan, State Department Says Taliban Was Keeping Aid
3Kabul's Quiet Resistance: Young Afghans Navigate Life Under The Taliban
4Bad Move: Taliban's Chess Ban Adds To Crackdown On Sports And Pastimes
5World Food Program Warns Of 'Unprecedented' Hunger Crisis In Afghanistan
6Russia Boosts The Taliban's Quest For Legitimacy. Who Will Be Next?
7China Dangles Belt And Road Investment To Mend Taliban-Pakistan Ties
8UK Data Leak Spurs Costly Afghan Resettlement And Security Fears
9Taliban Restrictions Blamed For Surge In Suicides Among Afghans
10Death Toll Rises As Heavy Rains Devastate Northwestern Pakistan
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.