26/11 attack: Police to verify role of Abu Jindal

Mumbai police are verifying if self-styled Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) commander Abu Jindal killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir yesterday was involved in the 26/11 terror attack, a top police officer said here today.

Prime accused in 26/11 attack case Ajmal Kasab, who is undergoing trial here, had told a special court in June that Abu Jindal, an Indian, had taught him and the nine other terrorists to speak Hindi at an LeT training camp in Pakistan.

"We are in touch with J&K police... heard that Jindal was killed in the encounter with the security forces. We are awaiting a report from our J&K counterparts. It is not appropriate to say anything before that," Joint Police Commissioner (Crime) Rakesh Maria told PTI.

Mumbai police are trying to verify if the Abu Jindal killed yesterday was the same person who was involved in 26/11 attack conspiracy. An alleged Laskar-e-Toiba commander identified as Abu Jindal alias Mohammad Avais with code name Zuman, was killed in a gunbattle with security forces in Reasi district in Jammu and Kashmir.

Interestingly, Kasab had neither told the police about any Indian giving them training in LeT camp during interrogation nor mentioned it in his statement before a magistrate.

However, during the trial he told the court that Abu Jindal had imparted training to them in learning Hindi and had also seen them off when they left Karachi via sea route for Mumbai to carry out terror attacks.