South Korean police have arrested a Pakistani man in Seoul’s Itaewon district for association with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the UN-designated terrorist group behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
The suspect, in his 40s, was detained on August 2 under the Act on Counter-Terrorism and the Immigration Act. Authorities allege he joined LeT in Pakistan in 2020, received weapons and infiltration training, and became an official member. He entered South Korea in December 2023 on a business visa obtained by allegedly posing as an entrepreneur.
Police say there is no evidence he planned attacks in South Korea, but his membership violates Article 17 of the Counter-Terrorism Act. He reportedly denies the charges, while investigators probe possible financial links to LeT.
This is the first time Korean police have arrested a member of a UN-designated terrorist organization. LeT, sanctioned in 2005 for ties to Al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden, has carried out multiple deadly attacks, including this year’s strike in Pahalgam, Kashmir, and the 2008 Mumbai 26/11 massacre.
