Who was Abdul Rehman Makki, Lashkar terrorist linked to 26/11 who died of heart attack in Pakistan?

Abdul Rehman Makki is dead.

Makki, a terrorist linked to the 26/11 attack on Mumbai which left over 175 dead and 300 injured, was the brother-in-law of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed.

Makki, the deputy Lashkar-e-Taiba chief, died of a heart attack in Lahore.

He had been keeping ill for the past few days.

But who was Makki? What do we know about him?

Let’s take a closer look:

Who was he?

As per Hindustan Times, Makki was born on December 10, 1954.

However, the year 1948 has been recorded for Makki as an alternate birth year.

Makki held a variety of positions within the LeT including the chief of its  foreign relations department, a member of its governing body (Shura).

He also played a role in raising funds for the LeT operations including the 26/11 Mumbai Terror attacks, as per India Today.

He was also the part of the Jamat-ud-Dawa’s central team and its proselytisation unit.

Indian Express described Makki as a ‘virtual shadow’ of Saeed.

As per the newspaper, Makki would often be seen at Saeed’s court hearings wearing a trademark Pashtun cap.

Makki was also a constant presence at the February Kashmir Solidarity Day rallies in Islamabad.

Makki in 2010 threatened India with “rivers of blood” if it refused to hand over Kashmir to Pakistan.

He delivered a similar speech later that year.

Makki, like his brother-in-law, would use the title Hafiz – an honorific for someone who has memorized the Quran.

Makki would also use the title of Naib Emir of JuD.

There was a $2 million bounty on Makki’s head but that did not stop him from roaming freely in Pakistan.

Makki was involved in raising funds, recruiting and radicalizing youth to violence and planning attacks in India, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir.

Makki was involved in some of the prominent attacks on India including the Red Fort on December 22, 2000, the attack on Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp in Rampur on January 1, 2008, the  26/11 Mumbai attack, the attack on CRPF camp in Srinagar in February 2018, the Baramulla attack in May 2018 and the Bandipora attack in August 2018.

The LeT under Makki was also involved in the killing of senior journalist and editor-in-chief of Rising Kashmir newspaper Shujaat Bukhari and his two security guards.

The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs had said that Makki supervised the Improvised Explosive Device Explosion on May 7, 2006 inside Odeon theatre, RTC Cross Road, Chikkadpally Police Station, Hyderabad, causing injuries to four persons.

Makki in 2023 was classified as a global terrorist by the United Nations.

Makki was designated under under paragraphs 2 and 4 of United Nations resolution 2368 (2017) for association with ISIL or Al-Qaida, involving acts such as “participating in the financing, planning, facilitating, preparing, or perpetrating of acts or activities by, in conjunction with, under the name of, on behalf of, or in support of," “recruiting for," or “otherwise supporting acts or activities of” Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT).

“The Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) concerning ISIL (Da’esh), Al-Qaida, and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities approved the addition of the entry specified below to its ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List of individuals and entities subject to the assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo set out in paragraph 1 of Security Council resolution 2610 (2021) and adopted under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,” the UN said, as per India Today.

The designation left Makki’s assets frozen, unable to travel and facing an arms embargo.

Makki 2010 was classified as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US treasury department.

“Treasury also acted against Hafiz Abdul Rahman Makki, head of LeT’s political affairs department, for acting for or on behalf of LET,” the department said at the time as per Indian Express.

It added that Makki raised “approximately $248,000 to an LeT training camp and approximately $165,000 to an LeT-affiliated madrassa.”

As a result of this designation, among other consequences, all property, and interests in property, of Makki that were subject to US jurisdiction were blocked, and US persons were generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with Makki.

How did he die?

According to the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), Makki had been ill for the past few days and was undergoing treatment following high diabetes at a private hospital in Lahore.

“Makki suffered a cardiac arrest early this morning and he breathed his last in the hospital,” a JuD official told PTI.

Makki was arrested on May 15, 2019 by the Pakistan government and was under house arrest in Lahore.

In 2020, a Pakistani court convicted Makki of financing terror and sent him to prison.

Makki had been keeping a low profile in the aftermath of his conviction.

However, as per Indian Express, Makki was later acquitted by the Lahore High Court in November 2021 of terror funding charges.

The Pakistan Mutahida Muslim League (PMML) in a statement said that Makki was an advocate of Pakistan ideology.

Saeed, meanwhile, has been sentenced to prison for over three decades.

He remains at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail.

With inputs from agencies