NIA court issues fresh warrant against Lashkar chief Hafiz Saeed | India News

Jammu: A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Jammu has issued a fresh non-bailable warrant against Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) founder and Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed under Section 75 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).Special judge Prem Sagar passed the order on September 8 following an application by NIA investigating officer deputy superintendent of police Amit Sharma in the NIA v. Mohammad Naqeeb Bhat & Others case. The warrant was subsequently forwarded to the deputy inspector general (DIG), NIA, Jammu, for execution.This is the second non-bailable warrant issued against Saeed by the Jammu court in two months, following an earlier warrant on July 8 related to the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror attack. Saeed, a designated terrorist under Schedule IV of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), was also the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks that killed 166 people.Also Read | 26/11 terror attack: Proclamation to be served on Hafiz Saeed, others via Interpol, say policeWhat is the case about?The present case stems from an incident on March 31, 2026, when Jammu and Kashmir Police intercepted a motorcycle (JK01AH/8264) during routine checking at Gujar Tent Pandach on the outskirts of Srinagar. Officers arrested LeT operative Mohammad Naqeeb Bhat after recovering a Chinese grenade and 15 live cartridges from him.Following Bhat’s failure to justify possessing the arms, FIR No. 24/2026 was registered under Section 23 of the UAPA, Sections 7/25 of the Arms Act, and Section 4 of the Explosive Substances Act at the Zakoora police station.Subsequent investigation established links between arrested operatives, LeT, and its offshoot, The Resistance Front (TRF).Also Read | Trial in absentia for Hafiz Saeed: The law that lets courts try absconding accused, and where it’s already being used'Saeed operating from Pakistan' - What NIA submitted to court The NIA submitted to the court that Saeed is operating from Pakistan, deliberately evading arrest, and actively supplying weapons, funds, and instructions to operatives in the Kashmir Valley.Observing that Saeed’s involvement had surfaced in the investigation and ordinary measures were insufficient to secure his presence, the court granted the agency’s plea.Also Read | What Indian court's warrant against Pak-based Hafiz Saeed means for the Pahalgam terror trialOn August 18, 2026, the same court issued non-bailable warrants in this case against Pakistan-based handler and UAPA-designated terrorist Mohammad Yaqoob (alias Abu Sumama)—a close aide of Saeed—along with two others.