Sajid Mir (terrorist)

Sajid Mir (Urdu: ساجد میر, born 1976 or 1978)^[1] is a Pakistani national from Lahore and a member of the militant organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba.^[2] Mir was the chief planner of the 2008 Mumbai attacks,^[2][3] and has also managed the tasks of the 'foreign affairs' of Lashkar-e-Taiba's international wing.^[4]

Sajid Mir
ساجد میر
Mir in an undated photograph
Born	1976 or 1978 Lahore, Pakistan
Nationality	Pakistani
Other names	Sajid Majid, Sajid Majid Chaudary, Uncle Bill
Organization	Lashkar-e-Taiba
Known for	2008 Mumbai attacks
Height	5 ft 5 in to 5 ft 6 in (165-168 cm)
Conviction	Terror financing (Anti Terrorism Court of Pakistan)
Criminal penalty	15 years imprisonment
Wanted by	India, FBI

Sajid Mir was initially believed to be a fictitious character, as claimed by Pakistan,^[5][6] but was later revealed by French magistrate Jean-Louis Bruguière's statement to journalist Sebastian Rotella as being a real person.^[7][8] Jean-Louis Bruguiere, during 2009, also stated that Sajid Mir is a regular official in the Pakistan Army.^[9]

After the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Mir was indicted in the United States in 2011. He was sanctioned as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List on 30 August 2012 by the United States Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control.^[10][11] Mir is listed on the United States Department of State's Rewards for Justice Terror List for a reward of up to US$5 million for information which leads to his arrest. He is also listed on the FBI Most Wanted list and NIA Most Wanted list.^[11] China has prevented the United Nations Security Council from designating Mir as a global terrorist under the Al-Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions Committee.^[12]

In 2022, an Anti Terrorism Court of Pakistan convicted him of terror financing and sentenced him to 15 years of imprisonment.

In 2023, a proposal by the United States and India to designate him as a global terrorist was blocked by China.^[13]

Early life

Sajid Mir was born to a middle-class family in Lahore. His father, Abdulmajid Mir, who runs a textile business, went to Lahore during the India-Pakistan partition. Mir is a son-in-law of a retired officer of the Pakistan Army.^[14]

Militancy

Mir was associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed in 1994, and got early access to Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.^[15] With the protection of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), he also planned terror attacks in the United States, France, Australia and Denmark (the latter for the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy).^[16][11]

Terrorism plot in Australia

Sajid Mir plotted a terrorist attack in Australia in 2003. For the attack plan, Mir recruited Willie Brigitte, a French national who converted to Islam and joined Lashkar-e-Taiba. Willie also funded him to travel to Australia in May 2003. Afterwards, in October 2003, Brigitte was arrested by Sydney police and deported to France, where, in 2007, he was convicted and sentenced to nine years of imprisonment for the charge of 'associating with terrorists',^[17][18] and Sajid Mir was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment.^[19] Willie Brigitte, who used to train Lashkar-e-Taiba members, confessed that Sajid Mir was well known by the Pakistan Army and that Mir never had any problems roaming in the Pakistan Army's areas.^[20]

2008 Mumbai attacks

Sajid Mir was the chief plotter of the 2008 Mumbai attacks. To carry out the attack, Mir recruited David Coleman Headley (Daood Sayed Gilani) and assisted Headley in visiting Mumbai prior to the attacks.^[21] After the terror attack, the FBI listed Sajid Mir as a 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. Mir has a bounty of US $5 million, as declared by the FBI.^[1][22] In 2012, 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 ODI Cricket match at Mohali. Ansari further revealed that after visiting several places in India, Sajid Mir prepared Taj Hotel's miniature model to familiarize the attackers with the hotel.^[23] In 2020, India sought the extradition of Sajid Mir, but Pakistan did not respond.^[24]

Arrest and conviction

Pakistan earlier denied Mir's presence in their country, and later claimed he was dead, but in 2022, Pakistan arrested him.^[25][26] An anti-terrorism court in Lahore convicted 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 Mir and sought removal of Pakistan from the 'Grey list' of the FATF.^[27]

In December 2023, it was reported that Mir was poisoned in prison.^[28][29]

In popular culture

Sajid Mir was portrayed by Mir Sarwar in the 2015 Indian film Phantom.^[30][31][32]