'Instigator' named key LeT player by agencies

In a twist to a terror tale where a country-wide alert was issued with photographs of five alleged LeT activists in May this year, security agencies have found that a man who had alerted the accused to the issue is actually a key player of the terror group. Shishir Gupta reports.

In a twist to a terror tale where a country-wide alert was issued with photographs of five alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) activists in May this year, security agencies have found that a man who had alerted the accused to the issue is actually a key player of the terror group.

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While two of the accused named in the terror alert were cellphone outlet owners in Lahore's Gulberg III Market, another was a security guard.

Officials identified the key LeT member as Hafiz Khubaib ur Rehman, also a cellphone outlet owner in the same mall, and accused him of actively canvassing for LeT as well as the Jamaat-ud-Dawaa (JuD).

Khubaib had led a campaign lampooning the Indian intelligence alert on May 9, parading colleagues Atif Butt and Mehtab Butt as well as security guard Babar Shabbir on Pakistani television.

Khubaib came under the intelligence scanner after The Hindu published an article on May 11, 2012, identifying the Lashkar activist as the key instigator.

"Both Atif and Mehtab said they learnt about the report from Khubaib," the news report said, adding that they appeared on Pakistani television channels within an hour of the five photographs being uploaded on the India Today website at 8.21pm on May 9.

Besides this, Khubaib is said to have posted a banner regarding the Nifaaz-e-Islam Conference (meet for enforcement of Islam) at Fatehgarh on a social networking site.

Reportedly trained in weapon-handling, sources said Khubaib is associated with extremist groups such as LeT and JuD.