The Pakistani Army ran training camps for a Muslim extremist group, at least until recently, with the acceptance of the US Central Intelligence Agency, according to France’s foremost anti-terrorist expert.
Jean-Louis Bruguière, who retired in 2007 after 15 years as chief investigating judge for counter-terrorism, reached this conclusion after interrogating a French militant who had been trained by terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and arrested in Australia in 2003.
In a book in his counter-terrorism years, The Times quotes Bruguière, as saying that the LeT, which was set up to fight India over disputed Kashmir territory, had become part of the international Islamic network of al Qaeda.
Willy Brigitte, the suspect, told Bruguière, that Pakistani military were running the LeT training camp where he spent two-and-a-half months in 2001-'02.
Along with two Britons and two Americans, Brigitte was driven in a 4x4 through army roadblocks to the high-altitude camp where Pakistani regular army officers were training more than 2,000 men, he said.
