Fahim Ansari is singing, and Pakistan is facing the music.
Arrested in the Rampur Central Reserve Police Force camp attack case, Ansari -- now in the Mumbai Anti-Terrorist Squad's custody --says he was trained in Pakistan and the deadly Mumbai attack was planned by the Lashkar-e-Tayiba.
The ATS, which brought Ansari from Uttar Pradesh on a transit remand, told the police that apart from the Taj and the Trident, they also wanted to target aircraft in India.
Admitting that he had surveyed the Mumbai airport, Ansari said that fidayeens planned storming the airport and target aircrafts.
Ansari said that he met LeT leaders Zaki-Ur-Rehman Laqvi and Yusuf Muzzamil for the first time in March, 2007. A Mumbai resident, Ansari left for Dubai in search of a job.
This is what he said further:
"There I came in contact with an LeT man who convinced me to join the outfit. I readily agreed following which I was taken to Pakistan through Abu Dhabhi. There I was taken to the Baitul Mujahideen camp where I was trained for 8 months. In December, I left for Mumbai to survey important locations. At the Baitul Mujahideen camp, I was shown key locations in Mumbai on Google Earth. I was asked to identify key locations. I identified, the CST, Taj, Trident and Mantralaya."
"Before going to Mumbai to draw sketches of these locations, I was also asked to go to the airport where I studied the feasibility of storming into the runway and attacking aircraft. However, the plan was dropped as I realised that it would not be feasible due to the enhanced security."
"After the survey, I shot videos of those locations and also prepared sketches. I handed these videos and sketches over to Sabahuddin who I met at Nepal. It was he who in turn passed it on to the Lashkar."
The confessions of Ansari will come in handy for the Mumbai police to prove the Pakistan link to this attack