Sajid Mir (LeT Terrorist) 

• Full Name and Aliases: Sajid Mir is also known by numerous aliases, including Ibrahim, Wasi, Khalid, Vashi, Vashibhai, Bhai Ali, Ali Bhai, Moosa Bhai, Wasi Bhai, Wasi Ibrahim, Sajid Majeed, Sajjid Mir, Bhai Moosa, and Ibrahim Shah.
• Place of Origin: He hails from Lahore, Pakistan.
• Involvement with LeT: A senior Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist operative, Sajid Mir has been active with the group approximately since 2001 and led LeT’s external terror operations from 2006 to 2011.
• 2008 Mumbai Terror Attacks:
  • Sajid Mir was the chief planner and one of the Pakistan-based controllers of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
  • He was a key handler of David Coleman Headley, who conducted reconnaissance for the attacks.
• Legal Status and Charges:
  • On 21 April 2011, the FBI indicted Sajid Mir for:
    • Conspiracy to injure property of a foreign government
    • Providing material support to terrorists
    • Killing a citizen outside of the U.S.
    • Bombing of public places
  • He is also listed on the NIA’s Most Wanted list in India for the 26/11 attack.
  • Declared a terrorist under India’s Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967, on 27 October 2020.
  • On 30 August 2012, the U.S. Department of the Treasury designated him as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
• International Bounty:
  • A bounty of up to $5 million has been offered for information on Sajid Mir under the Rewards for Justice Program of the U.S. Department of State.
• Involvement in Denmark Plot:
  • Between 2008 and 2009, he conspired to attack a Danish newspaper and its employees.
• Arrest and Alleged Death:
  • For years, Pakistan denied knowing Sajid Mir’s whereabouts, and even declared him dead in December 2021.
  • Ahead of a crucial FATF evaluation visit, he was “revived” and arrested on 21 April 2022—but not for the Mumbai attacks. He was instead charged with terror financing. 
  • He was sentenced to 15 years in prison on 16 May 2022, after a rapid three-week trial. A sentencing always to be questioned given Pakistan’s dubious past record. 
• Controversy Around Protection and Trial:
  • It is believed that Sajid Mir was protected by the ISI since 2011.
  • Both India and the U.S. have consistently demanded his prosecution for the Mumbai 26/11 attacks, not merely for terror financing.
  • The U.S. State Department’s Country Reports on Terrorism (2019 and 2020) noted that Pakistan did not take action against Mir and JeM’s Masood Azhar, both believed to reside freely in the country.
• Possible Identity Change:
  • There is credible intelligence suggesting Sajid Mir may have undergone plastic surgery to alter his appearance.

(Source: MHA (GOI), US State Department, US-FBI, US-Rewards for Justice, European Foundation for South Asian Studies)