Lahore attack: LeT’s bid to release Lakhvi

Pakistani investigators have found evidence suggesting that Tuesday’s terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore was actually a hijack bid by the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) to secure the release of its leaders arrested in the wake of last November’s Mumbai carnage.

While investigating agencies have picked up several suspects for questioning, they are yet to trace the 12 attackers who fled after the audacious attack. The agencies have also released sketches of a few suspects.

Rahman Malik, the prime minister’s adviser on the interior, said two persons were arrested in Lahore and investigators were tracking phone calls made by the gunmen.

Sources in the country’s security set-up, however, said initial investigations suggested that the attackers wanted to hijack the bus carrying the Lankans and demand the release of LeT’s chief operations commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.

Sources also said that the terrorists targetted the bus only after failing to seize it.
A court in Rawalpindi on Wednesday extended the custody of Lakhvi and three other LeT men —- Zarar Shah, Abu Alqa, and Hamad Ameen Sadiq —- by another 14 days. All four were arrested for allegedly masterminding the Mumbai strikes.

Pakistani investigating agencies have found evidence suggesting that Laskar-e-Taiba terrorists wanted to hijack the bus carrying Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore on Tuesday to secure the release of their operations commander Zakhi-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, who was arrested for allegedly masterminding the 26/11 strikes in Mumbai.

Sources in Pakistan’s security establishment pointed to the fact that the bus carrying the Lankans was only sprayed with bullets after the assailants failed in their original plan to seize the vehicle, which sped through the ambush thanks to the presence of mind of the driver.

Rahman Malik, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s adviser on interior, added weight to the theory by saying the preparations made by the attackers indicated that they wanted to hijack the bus. He, however, didn’t speculate on their identity.

Even American counter-terrorism officials were quoted by The New York Times as saying that the Taliban and the Lashkar were possible suspects. The Times quoted an unidentified South Asia specialist as raising the possibility that the LTTE in Sri Lanka might have asked the LeT to attack the visiting cricketers after being routed by the Lankan army in its northern bastion in the island nation. —-With agencies