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Journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad Tortured and Killed

Bump and Update: Journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad has been found dead near Pakistan. His body showed signs of torture. R.I.P. Mr. Shazad.

Time Magazine asks: Was the ISI involved?

Original Post 5/30: Pakistani Journalist Feared Kidnapped by ISI

Syed Saleem Shahzad, Asia Times Online's Pakistan Bureau Chief, and author of the newly released book, Inside al-Qaeda and the Taliban: Beyond Bin Laden and 9/11, has been missing since yesterday when he left his home to do a TV appearance and never got there. The Hindu Newspaper has more. [More...]

Human Rights Watch fears he has been kidnapped by Pakistan's ISI. He left a letter with them in case of his disappearance. HRW has maintained for a long time that the Pakistani military and intelligence agencies are the principal human rights abusers in Pakistan.

In his last article a few days ago, Shahzad wrote that the attack on Pakistan navy's Mehran air base in Karachi was not the work of the Taliban, which claimed credit, but al Qaida, and specifically the 313 Brigade, led by Ilyas Kashmiri. Kashmiri is a non-appearing defendant in the ongoing Chicago terror trial of Tahawwur Rana. David Headley has said that Kashmiri was involved in the Mumbai attacks and took over the project to attack the Danish news agency after the ISI and Major Iqbal backed out. [More...]

Shahzad wrote that al Qaida's motive for the attack was partly the killing of Osama bin Laden, but more importantly, a response to internal crackdowns on al-Qaeda affiliates in the Pakistani navy. Part 2 of the article, which has not yet been published, was going to address recruitment and training of militants.

Headley testified this week that during preparation for the Mumbai attacks, a Pakistani Navy man was present during discussions with his ISI handler, Major Iqbal about landing sites and the arrival of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists by sea. More on that here. Headley told Indian investigators the same thing in 2010, as did convicted Mumbai attacker Ajmal Kasab. Headley said the Navy Man was Abdur Rahman, who is also indicted in the Chicago terror case.

Most updates are on Twitter, HRW's Ali Dayan Hasan, and #FreeSaleemShahad.

< The DEA's Global Holy War | Tahawwur Rana Terror Trial Resumes, David Headley Still on Stand >
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    Poor man (5.00 / 1) (#3)
    by Militarytracy on Tue May 31, 2011 at 09:14:12 AM EST
    My condolences to his family and his friends.  I had been waiting to buy his book because the ship date is a ways out there and it is a little pricey right now.  I will order it today though.  He literally paid with his life giving people an upclose account of a problem that affects the globe.

    You may want to correct the newspaper name ... (none / 0) (#1)
    by Erehwon on Mon May 30, 2011 at 07:39:07 PM EST
    Jeralyn,

    It's not the The Hindu Times, but just The Hindu.

    The Times of India is a different newspaper. ...

    done, thanks for (none / 0) (#2)
    by Jeralyn on Mon May 30, 2011 at 08:38:34 PM EST
    the correction

    Parent