‘Was in touch with Hafiz Saeed’: How LeT's Shabir Ahmed Lone is linked to 8 held for plotting terror attack in India
Times of India
by TOI NEWS DESKFebruary 24, 2026
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Delhi Police have dismantled a terror module linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operating from Bangladesh, arresting eight suspects involved in plotting attacks in India. The module was allegedly run by Shabir Ahmed Lone, a key LeT associate with direct ties to senior commanders, including Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, and Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi, LeT’s operations chief.
Lone, a resident of Ganderbal in Kashmir, has been on security agencies’ radar for nearly two decades. He was previously arrested in 2007 with an AK-47 rifle and grenades, accused of planning a fidayeen (suicide) attack targeting a senior political figure. After spending over a decade in jail, he was released on bail in 2019 and fled to Bangladesh, where he re-established contact with LeT leadership and rebuilt his network.
Investigations reveal that Lone coordinated terrorist activities from Bangladesh using encrypted messaging platforms and intermediaries. He allegedly recruited and radicalized undocumented Bangladeshi migrants in India, forged fake identity documents like Aadhaar cards, and set up logistics bases, including a safehouse near Kolkata. The module is also linked to anti-India posters found in Delhi and Kolkata, which were printed in Kolkata from a PDF sent by Lone from Bangladesh.
The eight suspects arrested were working in the garment sector under false identities. Authorities are probing whether the group was planning attacks on temples or crowded locations in Delhi, including near the Red Fort. Security alerts had warned of potential IED strikes in high-footfall areas, and links to an upcoming November 2025 car blast near the Red Fort that killed 12 people are also under investigation.
Lone’s connections with Hafiz Saeed place him at the upper tier of LeT’s external operations network. His continued involvement in cross-border recruitment and operational planning poses a significant threat to Indian security, highlighting the challenges of combating transnational terrorism. The case underscores the evolving tactics of terror groups, which now rely on encrypted communications and fake identities to carry out their activities.
This development is crucial for readers interested in global security, as it sheds light on the interconnected nature of terrorist networks operating
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Originally published on Times of India on 2/24/2026