Roles of Saeed, Lakhvi not limited to 26/11: NIA

The National Investigation Agency told a Delhi court on Tuesday that the complicity of Pakistan-based Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed and other five terror suspects was not confined to 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, as they had conspired to plot such attacks in other parts of the country as well.

The statement regarding alleged broader nefarious design of the terror masterminds was made by NIA prosecutor in response to a query as to why the probe agency was seeking issuance of non-bailable warrants when a Mumbai court has already issued NBWs against them in the terror attacks case.

"The present case has to be viewed in a larger perspective as the ambit of probe goes beyond the Mumbai attacks case," NIA's counsel said.

The prosecutor, however, did not elaborate saying it pertained to national security.

He cited a United Nations resolution of 1999 by which the Lashkar-e-Tayiba operations commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and Saeed have been branded as international terrorists.

The NBWs were a "condition precedent" for issuance of Red Corner Notices against them, he said.

District and Sessions Judge S P Garg, who was provided with the case diary containing the statements of David Coleman Headley, recorded by NIA at Illinois in the US, is likely to take a decision on Wednesday on its plea seeking issuance of NBW against Saeed, Lakhvi and four others including two Pakistani army officers.

Earlier, the NIA withdrew its plea for NBW against Headley and Tahawwur Rana, who are now in the custody of the USA, saying it was "untenable" in the changed circumstances.

"We want to withdraw the plea against Headley and Rana as one of them has been duly interrogated by us and they are in custody of the US with whom India has an extradition treaty," the prosecutor had said.