Yesterday, the US Treasury added Talha Saeed to its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists. Talha, the son of notorious Lashkar-e-Taiba leader Hafiz Saeed, who was closely allied with Osama bin Laden, has long been linked to terrorist activities in Pakistan, India, and the US. Added along with him to the US’s list of terrorists yesterday were seven other Lashkar-e-Taiba leaders.
In December 2008, the Indian government demanded that Talha be extradited by the Pakistani government, and accused him of managing Lashkar-e-Taiba’s operations at the terror group’s main camp in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Talha was one of six Lashkar-e-Taiba leaders demanded by India from Pakistan in the wake of the Mumbai terror attack. Also included were top leaders of the Jaish-e-Mohammed,
Hizbul Mujahideen, and Harakat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami. Pakistan of course ignored the request. [See LWJ report, India demands Pakistan turn over most wanted, for more details.]
Talha is also linked to Jubair Ahmad, a Pakistani resident of Virginia who was arrested by the FBI in September 2011 and charged with providing material support to a terrorist group. Jubair had trained at Lashkar-e-Taiba camps before moving to the US and obtaining the immigration status of Lawful Permanent Resident. While in the US, Jubair received instructions from Talha to create and upload Lashkar-e-Taiba propaganda videos.
From the LWJ report on Jubair’s arrest, and his involvement with Talha:
Jubair was in the US for two years before the FBI detected that he was participating in terrorist activities. The FBI began investigating him in 2009 “after receiving information that Jubair may be associated with LeT.”
The FBI said he created and uploaded a Lashkar-e-Taiba propaganda video on Sept. 25, 2010. To create the video, Jubair was in direct contact with Talha Saeed, the son of Lashkar-e-Taiba leader Hafiz Saeed.
The propaganda video included images of Lashkar-e-Taiba leader Hafiz Seed preaching and being arrested by Pakistani police, images of Muslims being killed by Pakistani and Middle Eastern troops, prisoners and their jailers at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, Pakistani weapons systems, and video clips of US armored vehicles being blown up in roadside bomb attacks in Iraq. A “prayer” given by Hafiz Saeed that repeatedly invokes jihad and praises the “mujahideen” is played in the background.
Talha gave Zubair editing instructions and guidance on where he could find images and clips of the items he wanted in the video. Talha was also careful not to have Lashkar-e-Taiba explicitly mentioned, or connected with the November 2008 terror assault in Mumbai.
“Talha asked Jubair to include pictures of Hafiz Saeed when Hafiz was being arrested and placed under house arrest,” the FBI said. “As the conversation continued Talha described types of photos to be used in the video.”
“Jubair asked if he should post the Mumbai one and added they want to show their power… Talha told Jubair not to use anything referencing Mumbai but said Jubair could reference Palestine and operating of Mujahideen in Kashmir.”
In October, Talha instructed Jubair to remove all references to Lashkar-e-Taiba. Jubair uploaded the final version of the video to YouTube on Oct. 16, 2010, the affidavit stated.
Although the YouTube account was redacted in the report, The Long War Journal has learned that the account Jubair used is AbuDujjana.
Jubair deleted the video from his YouTube account after receiving a visit from the FBI late last month.
Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
1 Comment
I think adding terrorist son’s who have been involved in terrorism is a good thing, because it sends a message to Pakistan that their behaviour of allowing terrorist groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba free reign is not tolerated.
However I think the only pressure that would force Pakistan to curtail the group, is if the Americans put some kind of sanctions that would hit the ISI badly, that they would be forced to change their ways. Whatever that would be, it should hit them financially.