INDIAN POLICE DETAIL L-E-T ROLE IN AYODHYA ATTACKS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 005522

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR DS/DSS/ITA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/17/2015
TAGS: PTER PREL IN PK
SUBJECT: INDIAN POLICE DETAIL L-E-T ROLE IN AYODHYA ATTACKS

REF: A. NEW DELHI 5447


B. NEW DELHI 5382

Classified By: Charge Bob Blake for Reasons 1.4 (B, D)


1. (C) Summary: Indian police and press sources have broadly
outlined the role of Lashkar-e-Taiba (L-e-T) in the July 5
attack on the disputed Ayodhya temple site in Uttar Pradesh.
Several suspected accomplices have been detained, the alleged
"mastermind" is reported to have returned to Pakistan, and
police continue to search for additional suspects who may
have assisted in planning the attack. Embassy law
enforcement contacts have confirmed details of the media
reporting. The revelation of cross-border terrorist links in
the attack will increase PM Manmohan Singh's motivation to
secure evidence of US support in fighting Pakistan-based
terrorism. End Summary.


2. (U) Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) police
outlined through press conferences and media leaks from July
15-17 the probable events leading to the July 5 storming of
the disputed temple/mosque site in Ayodhya in which the five
attackers were killed. UP police have identified two of the
dead terrorists, and arrested two J&K residents for providing
support to the operation.

Weapons' Path: Kashmir, Haryana, New Delhi, UP
-------------- -


3. (U) Investigators reportedly found a mobile phone
(without its SIM card) with the slain terrorists, and used
the handset serial number to trace the phone to its purchaser
in Srinagar, an alleged L-e-T member named Mohammed Naseem.
Police matched the sale records to the mobile phone account
to trace calls made from the phone to several numbers in J&K
and elsewhere in India and Pakistan. After determining that
the terrorists had called him on the morning of the attack,
police arrested a J&K resident named Asif Iqbal AKA Farooq,
who confessed to accepting 100,000 rupees to transport the
weapons and explosives from Poonch (near the LOC in Kashmir)
to Panipat (Haryana),using the funds to purchase an SUV and
add a hidden compartment. Farooq allegedly delivered the
weapons to New Delhi-based L-e-T members at Panipat, Haryana
on June 4. Police are unsure of how the terrorists hid and
transported the weapons from Panipat to New Delhi and
Akbarpur, near Ayodhya.


4. (U) According to police, the attack planners were local
L-e-T operative Adnan, believed to be still at large in J&K,
and L-e-T area commander Saifullah Qari, who reportedly
returned to his hometown in Sindh (Pakistan) following the
attack after arriving in Poonch (J&K) in 2004. Police
believe that operational planning took place in Poonch.

Attackers Lived in Delhi for a Year
--------------


5. (U) Police said that the attack leader (identified as
Yunus) arrived in New Delhi from J&K in August 2004, and with
a 19-year-old accomplice named Mehmood rented apartments and
conducted reconnaissance of the Ayodhya site. In January
2005, four other attackers joined them at two apartments in
New Delhi. Police believe that the four new arrivals and
Yunus were the assailants in Ayodhya, and are continuing to
search for Mehmood. Media reports stated that at least some
of the attackers were from Sindh, as they spoke Sindhi
according to witnesses in Ayodhya. Police are investigating
claims that they crossed the Pakistani border in Gujarat
state.


6. (U) From June 24-30, five of the six New Delhi-based
group traveled by way of Saharanpur, UP to Akbarpur, UP,
where they resided until the July 5 attack. Police are
unaware of the movements of the sixth man, Mehmood, after
June 24. The attackers conducted surveillance of their
Ayodhya target from July 2-5.

Police Confirmation
--------------


7. (C) The UP Police Deputy Inspector General for
Intelligence confirmed to us that the press reporting was
accurate, and told us that Farooq, the J&K detainee, had
"openly claimed" to be a member of L-e-T. The DIG said that
the focus of the police investigation now is tracking the
movement of the weapons and vehicles to Ayodhya, and
identifying additional residences used by the attackers in
their travels in order to turn up other accomplices.

Comment
--------------


8. (C) Although the GOI was circumspect immediately
following the attack (Ref A),the official confirmation that
this was an L-e-T plot with Pakistani links has increased the
pressure on New Delhi to respond. The PM has already stated
that these types of attacks could disrupt the Indo-Pak
dialogue, and combined with reports of rising infiltration
across the LOC, the good will generated by the
people-to-people measures of the past few months is beginning
to fade (Ref B). Indian commentators have juxtaposed the
July 5 temple attack and the July 7 London bombings, both
with links to Pakistan, to call for the rest of the world to
recognize terrorism in India as part of the global war on
terror. PM Manmohan Singh will likely draw attention to this
connection in his meetings in Washington this week.
BLAKE