16 years after 26/11 Mumbai attacks, where are the perpetrators?

Sixteen years ago, on this day (November 26), a group of 10 terrorists, belonging to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), entered the city of Mumbai and carried out the most dastardly of attacks across the city, killing 166 people and injuring 300 over the course of four days.

The attacks shook not only Mumbai but also India and the world. It prompted global condemnation and led to significant changes in India’s counter-terrorism measures.

On the 16th anniversary, leaders from across the country paid homage to those who died. President Droupadi Murmu wrote on X, “On the anniversary of cowardly terror attacks in Mumbai on 26th November 2008, I join the entire nation in paying homage to the bravehearts who lost their lives and expressing solidarity with their families. A grateful nation salutes its valiant security personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting our people. It is also the day to reiterate that India remains firmly committed to defeating terrorism in all its forms.”

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, “On the anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, the nation remembers who lost their lives that fateful day. We pay homage to the security personnel who fought with utmost courage and made supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. We remember, and we will never forget those wounds.”

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For many the wounds of the 26/11 attacks remain unhealed as many of the perpetrators continue to evade justice, with some being “protected and unpunished” in Pakistan. Let’s take a closer look at where are the planners and culprits behind the 26/11 attacks.

Ajmal Kasab

The image of Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab clutching a gun at Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) remains etched in every Mumbaikar’s mind — it became a symbol of the November 2008 attacks that horrified the world.

He was the only gunman among the 10 attackers who was caught alive by the security personnel. It was months after his arrest that it emerged that Kasab hailed from Pakistan and received training from the LeT at one of their many training camps.

His trial began in March 2009 wherein he was charged with 86 offences, including murder and waging war on India. Almost a year later, in May 2019, he was sentenced to death by a special court.

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Kasab appealed against the sentence, and the High Court in Mumbai began hearing the case in October 2010. The Mumbai High Court rejected his appeal in February 2011 following which he took it up with the Supreme Court.

On August 29, 2012, the Supreme Court rejected his appeal and upheld his death penalty. He then appealed unsuccessfully to the president for clemency. He was hanged in prison in the city of Pune on November 21, 2012.

Abu Jundal

For the 10 terrorists to enter Mumbai from Pakistan and unleash chaos and mayhem in the streets of ‘Maximum city’, they needed help and support which they received from Syed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, a suspected LeT operative who allegedly coordinated the 26/11 terror attacks from Karachi.

According to investigators, Ansari was one of at least four handlers who operated out of a control room set up in Karachi from November 24 until November 28, 2008. The handlers sent instructions to the terrorists via internet phone calls and monitored the media coverage of the attacks.

Four years after the 26/11 attacks, Ansari was arrested in Delhi following which Kasab identified him as one of his handlers.

Jundal remains imprisoned in Mumbai’s Arthur Road jail but his trial remains stalled.

David Coleman Headley

Investigations into the 26/11 attacks revealed that a Pakistani-American known by the name David Coleman Headley had allegedly provided vital inputs for the terrorists and made a co-accused in the case.

According to the National Investigation Agency, Headley conducted a recce of target locations in Mumbai, gave locations to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives, helped plan and execute the Mumbai attacks with the help of Lashkar operatives, and conducted surveillance of the Taj Mahal Hotel, Oberoi Hotel, and other targeted locations.

In 2013, a US court judge sentenced him to 35 years in prison for a dozen federal terrorism crimes relating to his role in planning the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, and a subsequent proposed attack on a newspaper office in Denmark.

However, India’s request for his extradition from the US has been rejected on numerous occasions. This is because the US believes it would lead to double jeopardy — being punished for the same crime twice.

Tahawwur Rana

A friend of Headley, Tahawwur Rana, a Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman, has also played a key role in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Investigators accuse Rana of providing the blueprint that helped the LeT carry out the Mumbai attacks. He has been charged with criminal conspiracy, waging or attempting to wage war against the Government of India, murder, and forgery for the purpose of cheating, and other crimes under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code.

Rana is also wanted for his role in plotting attacks on the National Defence College and Chabad House, the Jewish outreach centre in Mumbai. He had also reportedly helped plan an attack on a Danish newspaper, in which Headley was involved.

Rana had also reportedly provided money to Headley when he was carrying out the recce in Mumbai, giving him $500 (around Rs 22,500) in September 2006, Rs 67,605 in October 2006, Rs 17,636 in November and $1,000 (Rs 45,000) in December 2006.

In 2020, Rana was arrested by the US after India made an extradition request for him. In late September, a court in California ruled that Rana could be extradited to India, a decision he has now appealed to the US Supreme Court.

Rana in the US Supreme Court plea argues he was acquitted in a federal court in Chicago on charges related to the same incident and claims his extradition would violate the principle of double jeopardy. His petition also warns of a potential death sentence if tried and convicted in India.

Hafiz Saeed

The co-founder of the LeT, Hafiz Saeed has been accused by India and the United States of being the mastermind behind the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. He, however, has denied this allegation. Since the attacks, India has been asking Pakistan to hand Saeed over to face trial in the case.

In 2019, Saeed was detained by Pakistan on charges of terror financing with the United Nations in January issuing a statement that he was serving a 78-year-imprisonment sentence as a result of a conviction in seven terror financing cases.

Last December, India also made a formal request to Pakistan to extradite Saeed with External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi telling reporters, “We have conveyed a request along with relevant supporting documents to the government of Pakistan.”

Pakistan is yet to respond to India’s request.

Sajid Mir

Sajid Mir , a senior LeT commander, is also wanted in India for his involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Mir, according to authorities, helped direct preparations and reconnaissance for the attacks. He was one of the Pakistan-based controllers of the terrorists who were in Mumbai. He is also believed to have sent Headley to Mumbai to observe the targets before the attacks. Later, Headley also named him as his handler.

In June 2022, Mir was jailed for over 15 years in a terror-financing case by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan.

He made headlines in December 2023 when it was reported that he was poisoned and is on ventilator support. However, some believe that Pakistan’s military-intelligence might have released this piece of information to avoid international pressure to take tough action against him.

With inputs from agencies