An investigation by the BBC has found that the mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, Hafiz Saeed, had visited Scotland to urge Muslims to become jihadis years before 9/11 attacks.
The BBC Radio 4 documentary, The Dawn of British Jihad, discovered that Hafiz Saeed also visited British mosques during his trip to the UK in 1995.
Saeed, also wanted by India for his role in Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people, had allegedly said that ‘Muslims had the spirit of jihad they had ruled the whole world but today they were being humiliated.’
According to the documentary, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday night, also said that Saeed’s trip to Galsgow was mentioned in a magazine published by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) – a Pakistani-Kashmiri Jihadi group headed by him.
The articles, written in Urdu and uncovered by the BBC investigation, were written by the Iman of a mosque in Oldham who accompanied Saeed, the investigation revealed.
Aside from visiting Glasgow, Saeed also visited Birmingham and Leicester, two prominent cities in England with large Muslim population. While in Birmingham, Saeed allegedly urged his audience “Let’s all rise up for jihad” while denouncing “Hindu dogs”.
In Leicester, he spoke at a conference attended by 4,000 young people. Britain’s Home Office had declared LeT as a terrorist organisation.