Sajid Mir

Sajid Mir Sajid Majid (born 1976) is a Pakistani national from Lahore and a member of the terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba, was the chief planner of the 2008 Mumbai attacks|terrorist attacks in Mumbai, in 2008. Sajid also managed the tasks of the 'foreign affairs' of Lashkar-e-Taiba's international wing.
Sajid Mir was initially believed to be a fictitious character as claimed by Pakistan, but French magistrate Jean-Louis Bruguière's statement to journalist Sebastian Rotella confirmed that Sajid Mir is not a fictitious character. Jean-Louis Bruguiere, in 2009, claimed that Sajid Mir is a regular official in the Pakistan Army.
== Early life ==
Sajid Mir was born to a middle-class family in Lahore. His father Abdul Majid, who runs a textile business, went to Lahore during the Partition of India|India-Pakistan partition. Sajid is a son-in-law of a retired officer of the Pakistan Army.
== Militancy ==
Sajid was associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed in 1994, and got early access to Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi. Sajid Mir, having the protection of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), also planned terror attacks in the United States, France, and Australia.
Sajid recruited David Headley Gilani for the Mumbai 26/11 terror attack and assisted to visit Mumbai prior to the attacks. After the terror attack, the Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI listed Sajid Mir as the most wanted terrorist for aiding and abetting, bombing places of public use, providing material support to terrorists, injuring foreign government property, killing citizens outside the United States, and other terrorist activities. Sajid has a bounty of US $5 million as declared by the FBI. In 2012, Zabiuddin Ansari|Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari revealed in interrogation that Sajid Mir had visited India in 2005 with a fake name and passport under the cricket diplomacy to watch the India-Pakistan One Day International|ODI Cricket match at Mohali. Ansari further revealed that after visiting several places in India, Sajid Mir prepared Taj Mahal Palace Hotel miniature model to train the attackers familiar with the hotel.
Sajid Mir also recruited Willie Brigitte, a French national who was converted to Islam and joined Lashkar-e-Taiba, and funded him to travel to Australia in May 2003. In October, 2003, Brigitte was arrested by Sydney police and deported to France, where in 2007, he was convicted and sentenced to 9 years of imprisonment for the charge of 'associating with terrorists', and Sajid Mir was also sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment. Brigitte, who used to train Lashkar members, confessed that Sajid Mir was well known by the Pakistan Army and Sajid never had any issue roaming in the Pakistan Army's areas.
In 2020, India sought extradition of Sajid Mir, but Pakistan did not respond.
== Arrest and conviction ==
Pakistan earlier denied Sajid's presence in their country, and later claimed Sajid Mir was dead, but in 2022, Pakistan arrested him. An anti-terrorism court in Lahore convicted Sajid Mir and sentenced him to 15 years of imprisonment with a fine of Pakistani Rs 4,20,000 in a terror financing case. Pakistan reported to the global terror financing watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) that they have arrested and convicted Sajid Mir and sought removal of Pakistan from the 'Grey list' of the FATF.
Category:1976 births