Faheem Ansari
Encyclopedia
Faheem Ansari, also known as Mohammad Faheem Ansari, is an India
n national alleged to be a member of Lashkar-e-Toiba
(LET), an organisation considered terrorist by India and the United States
, among others. He was arrested on 10 February 2008 along with five others, and was charged in connection with the 2008 Mumbai attacks
. After an interrogation in Mumbai
, he accused a female FBI agent of sexual harassment
.
, but he was born and raised in Mumbai
. He is married to Yasmin, with whom he has a daughter, Iqra. He jointed the LET in 2003 while working in Dubai
. In 2007, he returned to Mumbai and stayed there for about three months. Though his parents and brothers were residing in the Goregaon
suburb of the city, he made no attempt to contact them during his entire stay. He first stayed at a guest house in Grant Road, but after a few weeks rented a small accommodation. Ansari had initially planned on renting an accommodation in Colaba
, but due to the high rent there, decided to settle at Grant Road.
The Mumbai police
alleged that Ansari did a reconnaissance of several prominent Mumbai landmarks, including the Mumbai Stock Exchange, the Mumbai police headquarters at Crawford Market, the Maharashtra police headquarters at Colaba, the Mahalakshmi Temple and the Siddhivinayak temple. Ansari went to the Taj Hotel
and Oberoi Trident
as a tourist and shot video footage of the interiors. He also videotaped the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus
and the Nariman House
, and hand-drew the maps of all the 26/11 targets. In December 2007, Ansari travelled to Kathmandu, where he met and handed over the material to his associate, Sabahuddin Shaikh. He then travelled on a Pakistani passport to Karachi
and gave the maps to an LET member named Muzammil.
police arrested Ansari along with five others. These included Pakistani nationals Amar Singh (alias Romej) and Ajay Malhotra (alias Sehwez) and Indian nationals Sohel, Sawauddin (or Sabauddin) Sanju and Baba Jung Bahadur. He was arrested for his involvement with an attack on a Central Reserve Police Force
camp in Rampur
on 31 December 2007, in which 7 paramilitary personnel and 1 civilian were killed. The interrogation revealed that Ansari had performed reconnaissance over twelve places in Mumbai, including government, police, transportation, tourist and financial sites over the course of two months. However, Ansari later alleged that the Mumbai police
conveniently made him a scapegoat and deliberately falsified evidence against him.
and of Ansari, revealed that none of the attackers had been in the city before the attacks, and acted solely on intelligence provided by Ansari. On 11 February 2010, his lawyer Shahid Azmi was murdered in what was suspected by authorities to be a professional contract killing
. On 3 May 2010, Ansari and the co-accused Sabauddin Shaikh were acquitted of any complicity in the attacks. They were shifted from Arthur Road Jail
to Uttar Pradesh to stand trial in connection with the CRPF camp attack at Rampur
in 2007.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n national alleged to be a member of Lashkar-e-Toiba
Lashkar-e-Toiba
Lashkar-e-Taiba – also transliterated as Lashkar-i-Tayyaba, Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Lashkar-i-Taiba, Lashkar Taiba or LeT – is one of the largest and most active militant Islamist terrorist organizations in South Asia, operating mainly from Pakistan.It was founded by Hafiz Muhammad...
(LET), an organisation considered terrorist by India and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, among others. He was arrested on 10 February 2008 along with five others, and was charged in connection with the 2008 Mumbai attacks
2008 Mumbai attacks
The 2008 Mumbai attacks were more than 10 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across Mumbai, India's largest city, by Islamist attackers who came from Pakistan...
. After an interrogation in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, he accused a female FBI agent of sexual harassment
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...
.
Background
Ansari's family was originally from Uttar PradeshUttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
, but he was born and raised in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. He is married to Yasmin, with whom he has a daughter, Iqra. He jointed the LET in 2003 while working in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
. In 2007, he returned to Mumbai and stayed there for about three months. Though his parents and brothers were residing in the Goregaon
Goregaon
Goregaon is the locality situated at the north of Mumbai . It is a railway station on the Mumbai suburban railway on the Western Railway railway line....
suburb of the city, he made no attempt to contact them during his entire stay. He first stayed at a guest house in Grant Road, but after a few weeks rented a small accommodation. Ansari had initially planned on renting an accommodation in Colaba
Colaba
Colaba is a part of the city of Mumbai, India, and also a Lok Sabha constituency. During Portuguese rule in the 16th century, the island was known as Candil...
, but due to the high rent there, decided to settle at Grant Road.
The Mumbai police
Mumbai Police
The Mumbai Police is the police force of the city of Mumbai, India. It has the primary responsibilities of law enforcement and investigation within the limits of Mumbai. The department's motto is ""...
alleged that Ansari did a reconnaissance of several prominent Mumbai landmarks, including the Mumbai Stock Exchange, the Mumbai police headquarters at Crawford Market, the Maharashtra police headquarters at Colaba, the Mahalakshmi Temple and the Siddhivinayak temple. Ansari went to the Taj Hotel
Taj Mahal Palace & Tower
The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower is a five-star hotel located in the Colaba region of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, next to the Gateway of India. Part of the Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces, this building is considered the flagship property of the group and contains 565 rooms...
and Oberoi Trident
Oberoi Trident
The Oberoi and Trident are two brands of five star hotels operated and sometimes owned by the Oberoi Hotels & Resorts located in several cities in India and across the world...
as a tourist and shot video footage of the interiors. He also videotaped the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus , is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and historic railway station in Mumbai which serves as the headquarters of the Central Railways. Situated in the Bori Bunder area of Mumbai, it was built as a new railway station on the location of the Bori Bunder Station in 1887...
and the Nariman House
Nariman House
The Nariman House , renamed as Chabad House , is a five-story landmark in the Colaba area in southern Mumbai, India. The building was home to a Chabad house, a Jewish outreach center run by Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg, and they have owned the Building since around 2006. The center had an...
, and hand-drew the maps of all the 26/11 targets. In December 2007, Ansari travelled to Kathmandu, where he met and handed over the material to his associate, Sabahuddin Shaikh. He then travelled on a Pakistani passport to Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
and gave the maps to an LET member named Muzammil.
Arrest
On 10 February 2008, Uttar PradeshUttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
police arrested Ansari along with five others. These included Pakistani nationals Amar Singh (alias Romej) and Ajay Malhotra (alias Sehwez) and Indian nationals Sohel, Sawauddin (or Sabauddin) Sanju and Baba Jung Bahadur. He was arrested for his involvement with an attack on a Central Reserve Police Force
Central Reserve Police Force
The Central Reserve Police Force also known as CRPF is the largest of India's Central Armed Police Forces. It functions under the aegis of Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India. The CRPF's primary role lies in assisting the State/Union Territories in police operations to maintain...
camp in Rampur
Rampur, Uttar Pradesh
Rampur is a city and a municipality located in Rampur District in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Rampur district is located at Longitude 78-0-54 to 69-0-28 East and Latitude 28-25 to 29-10 North and spans an area of 2,367 km².It also gave its name to a former princely state of British...
on 31 December 2007, in which 7 paramilitary personnel and 1 civilian were killed. The interrogation revealed that Ansari had performed reconnaissance over twelve places in Mumbai, including government, police, transportation, tourist and financial sites over the course of two months. However, Ansari later alleged that the Mumbai police
Mumbai Police
The Mumbai Police is the police force of the city of Mumbai, India. It has the primary responsibilities of law enforcement and investigation within the limits of Mumbai. The department's motto is ""...
conveniently made him a scapegoat and deliberately falsified evidence against him.
Alleged role in the Mumbai attacks
On 31 December 2008, Ansari, along with Sabauddin Shaikh, was formally accused of aiding the November 2008 attackers in Mumbai. The interrogation of Ajmal KasabAjmal Kasab
Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab is a Pakistani Islamic terrorist who was involved in the 2008 Mumbai attacks in India. Kasab is the only attacker captured alive by police and is currently in Indian custody. The Government of Pakistan initially denied that Kasab was from Pakistan, but in January 2009,...
and of Ansari, revealed that none of the attackers had been in the city before the attacks, and acted solely on intelligence provided by Ansari. On 11 February 2010, his lawyer Shahid Azmi was murdered in what was suspected by authorities to be a professional contract killing
Contract killing
Contract killing is a form of murder, in which one party hires another party to kill a target individual or group of people. It involves an illegal agreement between two parties in which one party agrees to kill the target in exchange for consideration, monetary, or otherwise. The hiring party may...
. On 3 May 2010, Ansari and the co-accused Sabauddin Shaikh were acquitted of any complicity in the attacks. They were shifted from Arthur Road Jail
Arthur Road Jail
Arthur Road Jail , built in 1926, is Mumbai's largest and oldest prison. It houses most of the city's prisoners. It is located near Sat Rasta , between Mahalaxmi and Chinchpokli railway stations in the southern part the city. It was upgraded in 1994 to become a Central Prison and its official name...
to Uttar Pradesh to stand trial in connection with the CRPF camp attack at Rampur
Rampur, Uttar Pradesh
Rampur is a city and a municipality located in Rampur District in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Rampur district is located at Longitude 78-0-54 to 69-0-28 East and Latitude 28-25 to 29-10 North and spans an area of 2,367 km².It also gave its name to a former princely state of British...
in 2007.