Washington/IBNS: The United States has welcomed the conviction of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed in terror financing cases.
"Today’s conviction of Hafiz Saeed and his associate is an important step forward – both toward holding LeT accountable for its crimes, and for #Pakistan in meeting its international commitments to combat terrorist financing," the US Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA) tweeted.
Today’s conviction of Hafiz Saeed and his associate is an important step forward – both toward holding LeT accountable for its crimes, and for #Pakistan in meeting its international commitments to combat terrorist financing.
— State_SCA (@State_SCA) February 12, 2020
In a crucial development, a Lahore court on Wednesday convicted Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed, who was arrested last year, in two terror financing cases, media reports said
This is the first time when the 2008 Mumbai attack mastermind has been convicted in a terror case.
He was slapped with a prison sentence of five and a half years and a fine of Rs15,000 in each case. The sentences of both cases will run concurrently. The court also granted him the benefit of Section 382-B of the Code of Criminal Procedure (reduction of period of sentence of imprisonment), reported Dawn News.
He was convicted under the Anti-Terrorism Act Section 11-F(2) — pertaining to membership, support and meetings relating to a proscribed organisation — and 11-N (punishment under Sections 11-H [fund-raising] to 11-K [money laundering]), reported the Pakistan-based newspaper.
The Lahore court also directed authorities to keep Saeed under custody until further orders.
The verdict was announced by ATC judge Arshad Hussain Bhatta.
Saeed is wanted in India for several terror attack cases
The US government had earlier placed a 10 million bounty on his head.
He is considered as a mastermind behind the 26/11 Mumbai attack.
The 2008 Mumbai attacks were twelve coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across Mumbai by members of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
The attacks, which drew widespread global condemnation, began on Wednesday, Nov 26, 2008 and lasted until Saturday, Nov 29, 2008, killing 164 people and wounding at least 308.
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