Pakistan court convicts 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed in terror financing case

Pakistan's Anti-Terrorism Court on Wednesday convicted UN-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed in two terror-financing cases. The court sentenced Saeed for five-years and three-months while a fine of Rs 150,000 was also imposed on Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief in each case.

Saeed is the mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and was arrested 16 times in the past and released every time. 

The court had earlier reserved its verdict in the two cases on February 6.

In July last year, the top 13 members of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) were allegedly financing terrorism from the massive funds collected through non-profit organisations and trusts including Al-Anfaal Trust, Dawatul Irshad Trust, Muaz Bin Jabal Trust including Saeed who was booked in nearly two dozen cases for terror financing and money laundering under Pakistan's Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997.

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Subsequently, Saeed was arrested by the Punjab counter-terrorism department on charges of terror financing while he was travelling from Lahore to Gujranwala.

A total of 23 FIRs were filed against 13 individuals belonging to the JuD, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Falah-i-Insaniyat foundation. Eleven of these 23 FIRs directly named Hafiz Saeed as the culprit.

In August last year, charge sheet in the cases were filed while the anti-terror court in Lahore commenced the hearing on November 30 last year.

(With inputs from agencies)