KARACHI, Jan 6: Remand of Asif Zaheer, who, according to police had confessed he was involved in the car bomb attack outside Sheraton Hotel on May 8 killing 11 French engineers and injuring several others, was on Monday extended till Jan 13.
Justice Shabbir Ahmed of the Sindh High Court, who is also the administrative judge of the anti-terrorism courts in Karachi, granted extension as the investigators needed more time to complete their job.
He was arrested for allegedly plotting to ram an explosives-packed Volkswagen into a car carrying two US diplomats in December.
Among other things, Asif Zaheer, who is believed to be an activist of the Harkat Jihad-i-Islami, is required to be identified by the witnesses in the case.
Prosecutor Habib Ahmed said that “police need to conduct further inquiries and certain witnesses, who are not available in Karachi, need to identify the accused, that is why they sought a prolonged remand.”
According to police sources, 28-year old Zaheer, who was arrested last month, had confessed that he had planted explosives in the car used in the blast.
Zaheer was also linked to the killing of three Pakistanis in the attack outside Sheraton Hotel.
According to police sources, Zaheer regretted killing of Frenchmen whom he mistook for being Americans.
Trained by the Taliban in Afghanistan, Asif Zaheer believes that he was justified in avenging what he consider “barbaric American attacks in Afghanistan and its present military operation launched following the 9/11 incident.”
According investigators, Zaheer was contacted in May 2002 by Abdul Samad, with whom he had received training in Afghanistan, and asked to wage a suicide operation with explosives provided by Samad. But he refused.
Several days later Zaheer agreed to help Samad. According to police sources, Zaheer, along with two others, manufactured a bomb with ammonium powder. The following day the attack was carried out.
According to investigators, another accomplice, Mustafa, had contacted Zaheer to discuss blowing up the bus carrying the French engineers with a remote-controlled bomb. They believe Mustafa was linked to the Al Qaeda.