Karachi feared India would retaliate during 26/11: Jundal

Alleged handler in 26/11 says control room had become a fortress while directing the terror attack.

The Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and state agencies in Pakistan had feared that the control room in Karachi would face an attack ‘engineered’ by Indian agencies, Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, the alleged handler in the 26/11 terror attack has allegedly told the Mumbai police.

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Crime branch sources quoted Jundal as saying there was heavy security round-the-clock at the control room.

He said the top bosses of LeT, overseeing the operation, had anticipated that their calls (to the terrorists engaged in the Mumbai attack) would be traced to them. “They feared that Indian intelligence agencies would try and plot to hit the control room as it would have slowed down the ongoing operation in Mumbai,” Jundal allegedly revealed during questioning.

During the 26/11 terror attack, the 10 LeT terrorist who attacked key installations, were in constant touch with their handlers in the Karachi control room.

Sources said the control room was very important, as many of the operational details such as commando operation on Chabad house and the position of the commandos, were passed on from the control room to the terrorists.

Those in the control room had access to Indian TV channels, from where the coverage was monitored by the handlers who passed on details to terrorists on the ground. The control room had officials of the ISI and even LeT chief Hafeez Saeed who were all part of the 26/11 terror attack planning, training and co-ordination, sources privy to Jundal's questioning, said.

Jundal has allegedly admitted to the police that he was part of the control room in Karachi during the entire attack, which left more than 160 dead and around 300 injured. Jundal’s voice was intercepted by the Indian agencies in which he is heard instructing the terrorists present at Chabad house, also known as Nariman House.