Hafiz Saeed
Hafiz Muhammad Saeed (Urdu: حافظ محمد سعید, born 5 June 1950) is a Pakistani Islamist who co-founded Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a Pakistan-based Islamist terrorist-militant organization that is designated as a terrorist group by the United Nations Security Council, India, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Australia, and Russia. He is listed on India's NIA Most Wanted. In April 2012, the United States placed a bounty of US$10 million on Saeed for his role in the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 civilians. While India officially supported the American move, there were protests against it in Pakistan.
Hafiz Saeed | |
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حافظ سعید | |
Saeed in 2019 | |
| Born | Hafiz Muhammad Saeed 5 June 1950 Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan |
| Nationality | Pakistani |
| Alma mater | Post Graduation from University of the Punjab, Further studies from King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
| Known for | Co-founding Lashkar-e-Taiba, 2008 Mumbai attacks in The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai, India |
| Political party | Milli Muslim League |
| Board member of |
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| Criminal status | Incarcerated |
| Children | 6 |
| Relatives | Abdul Rehman Makki (brother-in-law) |
| Motive | To bring Islamic rule in Pakistan |
| Criminal charge | Terrorism, terror financing |
| Penalty | Death |
Wanted by | National Investigation Agency of India |
Date apprehended | 17 July 2019 |
| Imprisoned at | Central Jail Lahore, Pakistan |
After the 2008 Mumbai attacks, he was designated by the Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee of the Security Council. He is also listed on the United States Department of the Treasury's Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
India has demanded that Saeed be handed over into Indian custody by Pakistan; however, there is no extradition agreement between the two countries. Saeed has denied ever being a leader of LeT and has said all allegations that he planned attacks in India are baseless.
In July 2019, three months before the scheduled reviewal of Pakistan's action plan by the Financial Action Task Force, Saeed was arrested by Pakistani authorities and sentenced to an 11-year prison sentence. In early April 2022, he was sentenced an additional 31 years for terror financing.