NIA court jails Pak LeT terrorist for 10 yrs for conspiring to attack India

A special NIA court has sentenced a Pakistani LeT terrorist to 10 years' imprisonment for conspiring to carry out terrorist attacks at different places in India, including Delhi

A special NIA court here has sentenced a Pakistani LeT terrorist to 10 years' imprisonment for conspiring to carry out terrorist attacks at different places in India, including Delhi, after crossing over to Jammu and Kashmir following instructions from his handlers across the border, an official said on Wednesday.

Bahadur Ali, the Pakistani Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist, was convicted by the special judge for NIA cases in Patiala House Court on Friday under sections of the IPC, the UA(P) Act, the Arms Act, the Explosives Act, the Explosive Substances Act, the Foreigners Act and the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act.

The court sentenced him to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment and also imposed a fine.

The case, registered in July 2016, pertains to a larger conspiracy hatched by the LeT, a proscribed terrorist organisation based in Pakistan, to commit terror attacks in India, according to the NIA official.

As part of the conspiracy, Ali along with his two associates, Abu Saad and Abu Darda, all trained terrorists of the LeT, had illegally infiltrated into Jammu and Kashmir with the intention to carry out terrorist attacks at different places in India, including Delhi, according to instructions by their LeT handlers based in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), the official said.

Ali was arrested from Kupwara and a large number of arms such as AK-47 rifle, Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL), ammunition, hand grenades, UBGL shells, military map, wireless set, GPS, compass, Indian currency, Fake Indian Currency Notes were seized from him, he said.

During investigation, Ali revealed details about recruitment, various LeT training camps, training to terrorists for handling weapons, explosives and modus operandi for motivating newly-recruited cadres for Jihad and terror acts in India by LeT leaders and also the details of LeT launching pads in PoK, the NIA official said.

The NIA had filed a chargesheet against Ali in January, 2017.

Later, two other Pakistani LeT terrorists, Saad and Darda, were killed in an encounter in February 2017 in Kupwara.

During investigation, two associates/supporters of Ali, Zahoor Ahmad Peer and Nazir Ahmad Peer, both residents of Jammu and Kashmir, were also arrested, the NIA official said, adding that further trial in the case against other chargesheeted accused was underway.