Pakistan: Hafiz Abdul Salam Bhuttavi, a key conspirator of 26/11 Mumbai attacks & Hafiz Saeed's aide, dead

Islamabad, Jan 12: After informing the whereabouts of terrorist Hafiz Saeed, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has officially confirmed the death of Hafiz Abdul Salam Bhuttavi, a founding member of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and the deputy to Hafiz Saeed.

Bhuttavi, an UN-designated terrorist who trained the LeT attackers for the 2008 Mumbai terror attack and acted as the terror outfit's chief on at least two occasions, died due to cardiac arrest in prison in May last year in Pakistan's Punjab province while serving a sentence for terror financing.

LeT's front organizations released a video in May last year, allegedly showing Bhuttavi's funeral held at the terror group's center in Muridke.

#Pakistan: UNSC confirmed the death of Hafiz Abdul Salam Bhuttavi, a founding member of #LashkareTaiba (LeT), and the deputy to #HafizSaeed #HafizAbdulSalamBhuttavi
— News Bharati (@eNewsBharati) January 12, 2024

Meanwhile, Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, is currently in custody in Pakistan, serving a 78-year imprisonment sentence since 12 February 2020, as per the latest update from the UNSC.

Who was Hafiz Abdul Salam Bhuttavi?

Bhuttaviserved as the acting military commander of LeT on multiple occasions when Saeed was detained. Aside from his involvement in the Mumbai attacks, Bhuttavi was responsible for managing LeT's madrassa network and served as a prominent scholar, instructing leaders and members while issuing fatwas authorising operations.

The UNSC had designated Bhuttavi as a terrorist in 2012 for his association with Al-Qaeda and his involvement in "financing, planning, facilitating, preparing, or perpetrating acts or activities" by LeT.