Never met Osama, says ‘global terrorist’ Abdul Rehman Makki from jail

TIL Desk/World/Lahore/Pakistan-based deputy leader of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba Abdul Rehman Makki released a video on Thursday from the Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore, denying any links with al-Qaeda or Islamic State. Makki, the brother-in-law of the Mumbai terror attack mastermind and Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) Hafiz Saeed, however, did not mention the 26/11 attack that killed 166 people.

The UN Security Council’s 1267 ISIL (Da’esh) and Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee added 68-year-old Makki to its list of designated terrorists on Monday, subjecting him to an assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo, after years of efforts by India and its allies.

“I believe that the grounds for my listing are based on heresy and disinformation by the Indian government. I never met Osama Bin Laden, Ayman Al-Zawahiri or Abdullah Azam as alleged by some propaganda reports,” Makki said.

He has been in jail since 2019 where he is serving multiple sentences in terror finance cases along with Saeed and some other LeT and JuD senior leaders. He said he considers the views and actions of Al-Qaeda and ISIS totally opposite of what he believes in.