Dawood Ibrahim and the India Bombings
According to some early reports, Indian officials suspect that Dawood Ibrahim may be the mastermind behind the attack on Mumbai's commuter trains yesterday. This is not the first time that Ibrahim has been connected to a major attack in India. He is wanted for the March 12, 1993 Bombay Exchange bombings, which also killed hundreds.
The story of Ibrahim's terrorist career, which is not well-known here in the U.S., is an interesting one. "The Most Dangerous Man In The World," by Gilbert King provides a decent overview of Ibrahim's operations, or the little that is really known about them anyway. His role as a mafia chieftain and financier of Bollywood films has drawn a lot of attention in India. There have also been a number of reports that Ibrahim is tied to Pakistan's intelligence service, the ISI, or at least some of the bad elements therein (and there are plenty). In a paper from late 2003, B. Raman, who is a former high-up member of India's intelligence service, wrote an interesting account of Ibrahim's activities. According to Raman, some of the Islamist al Qaeda-linked charities that Ibrahim funded were also used to fund jihadists who wanted to attack Americans and civilians in Iraq.
B. Raman explains:
The Treasury Department statement indicated that it suspected the Al Akhtar Trust [note: a supposedly charitable foundation] of funding jihadi terrorist activities not only in Pakistan and Afghanistan, but also in Iraq. Since February last [note: Raman is referring to February of 2003, before the war], I have been drawing attention to reports that the HUM [Harkat-ul-Mujahideen] and the LET [Lashkar-e-Tayyiba] have been sending small numbers of their cadres to Iraq to participate in a jihad against the US troops there and that the LET has been collecting funds in Pakistan for assisting the families of its "martyrs" in Iraq. The statement reveals that the JEM has also been indulging in activities in support of the jihad in Iraq through the Al Akhtar Trust.
This account from NBC News provides some of the details about his ties to various al Qaeda entities, including Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LET), and how Ibrahim's narcotics network is used to support al Qaeda's underworld activities. The NBC News account quotes from the U.S. Treasury fact sheet on Ibrahim (you can find the fact sheet at the bottom of this page):
"Dawood Ibrahim ("IBRAHIM"), the son of a police constable, has reigned as one of the pre-eminent criminals in the Indian underworld for most of the past two decades.
"IBRAHIM'S syndicate is involved in large-scale shipments of narcotics in the U.K. and Western Europe.
"The syndicate's smuggling routes from South Asia, the Middle East and Africa are shared with Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network.
"Successful routes established over recent years by IBRAHIM'S syndicate have been subsequently utilized by bin Laden. A financial arrangement was reportedly brokered to facilitate the latter's usage of these routes.
"In the late 1990's, IBRAHIM traveled in Afghanistan under the protection of the Taliban.
"IBRAHIM'S syndicate has consistently aimed to destabilize the Indian government through inciting riots, acts of terrorism, and civil disobedience. He is currently wanted by India for the March 12, 1993 Bombay Exchange bombings, which killed hundreds of Indians and injured over a thousand more.
"Information, from as recent as Fall 2002, indicates that IBRAHIM has financially supported Islamic militant groups working against India, such as Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT).
"For example, this information indicates that IBRAHIM has been helping finance increasing attacks in Gujarat by LeT. Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (Army of the Righteous) is the armed wing of Markaz-ud-Dawa-wal-Irsha (MDI) - a Sunni anti-U.S. missionary organization formed in 1989.
"The United States added LeT to the list of designated terrorists in October 2001. The group was banned by the Pakistani government, and its assets frozen, in January 2002."
The story of Ibrahim's terrorist career, which is not well-known here in the U.S., is an interesting one. "The Most Dangerous Man In The World," by Gilbert King provides a decent overview of Ibrahim's operations, or the little that is really known about them anyway. His role as a mafia chieftain and financier of Bollywood films has drawn a lot of attention in India. There have also been a number of reports that Ibrahim is tied to Pakistan's intelligence service, the ISI, or at least some of the bad elements therein (and there are plenty). In a paper from late 2003, B. Raman, who is a former high-up member of India's intelligence service, wrote an interesting account of Ibrahim's activities. According to Raman, some of the Islamist al Qaeda-linked charities that Ibrahim funded were also used to fund jihadists who wanted to attack Americans and civilians in Iraq.
B. Raman explains:
The Treasury Department statement indicated that it suspected the Al Akhtar Trust [note: a supposedly charitable foundation] of funding jihadi terrorist activities not only in Pakistan and Afghanistan, but also in Iraq. Since February last [note: Raman is referring to February of 2003, before the war], I have been drawing attention to reports that the HUM [Harkat-ul-Mujahideen] and the LET [Lashkar-e-Tayyiba] have been sending small numbers of their cadres to Iraq to participate in a jihad against the US troops there and that the LET has been collecting funds in Pakistan for assisting the families of its "martyrs" in Iraq. The statement reveals that the JEM has also been indulging in activities in support of the jihad in Iraq through the Al Akhtar Trust.
This account from NBC News provides some of the details about his ties to various al Qaeda entities, including Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LET), and how Ibrahim's narcotics network is used to support al Qaeda's underworld activities. The NBC News account quotes from the U.S. Treasury fact sheet on Ibrahim (you can find the fact sheet at the bottom of this page):
"Dawood Ibrahim ("IBRAHIM"), the son of a police constable, has reigned as one of the pre-eminent criminals in the Indian underworld for most of the past two decades.
"IBRAHIM'S syndicate is involved in large-scale shipments of narcotics in the U.K. and Western Europe.
"The syndicate's smuggling routes from South Asia, the Middle East and Africa are shared with Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network.
"Successful routes established over recent years by IBRAHIM'S syndicate have been subsequently utilized by bin Laden. A financial arrangement was reportedly brokered to facilitate the latter's usage of these routes.
"In the late 1990's, IBRAHIM traveled in Afghanistan under the protection of the Taliban.
"IBRAHIM'S syndicate has consistently aimed to destabilize the Indian government through inciting riots, acts of terrorism, and civil disobedience. He is currently wanted by India for the March 12, 1993 Bombay Exchange bombings, which killed hundreds of Indians and injured over a thousand more.
"Information, from as recent as Fall 2002, indicates that IBRAHIM has financially supported Islamic militant groups working against India, such as Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT).
"For example, this information indicates that IBRAHIM has been helping finance increasing attacks in Gujarat by LeT. Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (Army of the Righteous) is the armed wing of Markaz-ud-Dawa-wal-Irsha (MDI) - a Sunni anti-U.S. missionary organization formed in 1989.
"The United States added LeT to the list of designated terrorists in October 2001. The group was banned by the Pakistani government, and its assets frozen, in January 2002."
posted by Thomas Joscelyn at 8:18 AM
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