NEW DELHI, Feb 11: The head of India’s elite National Security Guard (NSG) that spearheaded the counter-attack in Mumbai’s terror nightmare seems to have sown confusion here by claiming on Wednesday that Al Qaeda was among the groups involved in the attacks.

“The Mumbai terror attack was an audacious attempt by the Taliban, Al Qaeda and LeT combine to shape policies of three sovereign nations that include the oldest and the largest democracy,” NSG Director General J. K. Dutt told an international seminar organised by the National Bomb Data centre.

“There is growing concern over the convergence of the objectives of terrorist organisations such as Al Qaeda and LeT. The Mumbai terror attack of November 26 last year represents this convergence of interests,” Mr Dutt said.

Press Trust of India said the televised remarks had reportedly not gone well with the Home Ministry officials as “it could be seen as sensationalising the attack by bringing in Al Qaeda’s name”.

“Immediately, the NSG machinery swung into action for an apparent damage control,” PTI said, adding that the director general of the force himself was reported to have called the television reporters present at the seminar being held at Manesar, near the Indian capital, to “issue a clarification”.

In his clarification, he said the comments were made in the context of the global scenario of terrorism.

Mr Dutt will be demitting office at the end of this month. His comments came a day after a video recording showed a top Al Qaeda commander warning India of more Mumbai-style terror attacks if it tried to attack Pakistan.

Mr Dutt, who led the commando operation during Mumbai attacks, said: “With the resurgence of the Taliban the region astride the Durand line — the international border between Pakistan and Afghanistan — appears to be spiralling out of control as the writ of the law in the region is at best tenuous.

“The LeT has morphed from a Kashmir-centric terror group to a transnational terror group that aspires to fight Jihad across the globe.”