India probes Pakistan links to Mumbai attacks

INDIA - Indian police investigating who was behind the massive militant assault on Mumbai interrogated Sunday the only gunman who survived, as Pakistan insisted it was not involved.

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari urged India not to “over-react” after Indian and US officials suggested the militants, who killed nearly 200 people, could have been from the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The group, which is fighting against Indian control of Kashmir, was behind the deadly 2001 assault on the Indian parliament that pushed New Delhi and Islamabad to the brink of war.

Indian media reported that the badly-injured gunman had identified all the attackers as Pakistan citizens and acknowledged that they were trained by Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Ajmal Amir Kamal, 21, who was caught on a CCTV camera wearing a T-shirt with the logo “Versace,” was reportedly being interrogated in a safe-house in Mumbai.

US counter-terrorism officials told AFP some evidence was emerging that Lashkar-e-Taiba could have been behind the Mumbai attacks, while Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee named “elements in Pakistan” as responsible. Lashkar-e-Taiba has denied any responsibility.

Intelligence chiefs scrambled to explain why they had failed to prevent at least a dozen militants mounting the multiple attacks on the city on Wednesday evening. Security forces only regained control of Mumbai 60 hours later when they succeeded in killing the last three militants holed up with hostages inside the famous Taj Mahal hotel.

The previous day, elite troops had stormed a Mumbai Jewish centre and killed two gunmen — but also found eight dead Israeli hostages.

Another luxury hotel that was attacked, the Oberoi/Trident, was cleared of militants late Friday, with scores of trapped guests rescued and dozens of bodies found.

Mumbai, Sunday, AFP