US asks Pakistan to re-arrest Saeed

Washington, Nov 24 (IANS)   The US on Friday said it was "deeply concerned" over the release from house arrest of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed and asked Pakistan to "arrest and charge" him for his terrorist crimes.

"The US is deeply concerned that Hafiz Saeed has been released from house arrest in Pakistan," State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement. "The Pakistani government should make sure that he is arrested and charged for his crimes."

The Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief, who has a $10 million US bounty on his head, was freed after midnight Thursday after 10 months of house arrest following an order from the Lahore High Court.

Saeed, accused by the US and India of masterminding the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, was placed under house arrest on January this year. After his release, he vowed to continue the "jihad" for Jammu and Kashmir's "independence".

"Just as I am free today, Kashmir will also be free one day," Saeed told his supporters. "It is because of Kashmir that India has been after me."