26/11 attacks: US announces $5 million reward for info on perpetrators

Asking Islamabad to act on Lashkar e-Taiba, the United States on the 10th anniversary of 26/11 terror attacks has announced a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of any individual who committed, conspired to commit, aided or abetted in the execution of the 2008 Mumbai attack.

US announced the reward under its Rewards for Justice (RFJ) Program.

10 years ago, on 26th November in 2008, Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Lashkar e-Taiba (LeT) carried out a series of coordinated terror attacks against multiple targets in Mumbai. The attack resulted in the deaths of 166 people, including six Americans.

In a release by the state department, US said it is "committed to working with our international partners to identify and bring to justice those responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attack."

Anyone with information can contact the Rewards for Justice office via the website, e-mail (info@rewardsforjustice.net), call on (800-877-3927 in North America), or mail (Rewards for Justice, Washington, D.C., 20520-0303, USA). Individuals can also contact the Regional Security Officer at the nearest US embassy or consulate.

All information under the reward is kept confidential. The Rewards for Justice program is administered by the US Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service. Since its inception in 1984, the program has paid in excess of $150 million to more than 100 people who provided actionable information that helped bring terrorists to justice or prevented acts of international terrorism worldwide.

Meanwhile, remembering the 26/11 attacks and expressing solidarity with India, US secretary of state Mike Pompeo in a statement on Monday said, "On behalf of the Government of the United States of America and all Americans, I express my solidarity with the people of India and the city of Mumbai on the 10th anniversary of the Mumbai terrorist attack. We stand with the families and friends of the victims, whose loved ones were lost in this act of barbarism, including six American citizens. The barbarity of 26/11 shocked the entire world."

US has been asking Pakistan to do more to rein in terror groups. Pompeo nudged Islamabad to do more and said, "We call upon all countries, particularly Pakistan, to uphold their UN Security Council obligations to implement sanctions against the terrorists responsible for this atrocity, including Lashkar e-Taiba and its affiliates."

Washington's announcement marks the third RFJ reward offer seeking information on the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack.

In April 2012, the Department of State announced reward offers for information that brings to justice LeT founder Hafiz Mohammad Saeed and Hafiz Abdul Rahman Makki, another senior LeT leader. For the last 10 years, US has been putting pressure on Pakistan.

In May 2005, the United Nations (UN) 1267 Sanctions Committee added LeT to the Consolidated UN Security Council Sanctions List.

The development comes days after PM Modi met US vice president Mike Pence on the sidelines of 13th East Asia Summit in Singapore and an expected meet between PM Modi and US president Donald Trump on the sidelines of G20 in Argentina.

Earlier last week, US President Donald Trump also lashed out at Pakistan for providing 'safe haven' to 9/11 mastermind Osama Bin Laden. He justified the aid cut to the country saying they do not do anything.

On Saturday, in a response to WION's questions, Pentagon spokesperson  Lieutenant Colonel Koné Faulkner said, "We continue to press Pakistan to indiscriminately target all terrorist groups, including the Haqqani Network and LET."