Pakistan court prevents arrest of hardline cleric blamed in Mumbai attacks

Pakistan court prevents arrest of hardline cleric

ISLAMABAD — A defense lawyer says Pakistan’s Supreme Court has ruled that the government cannot detain a hardline cleric India suspects masterminded the deadly 2008 siege of Mumbai.

A. K. Dogar says the court ruled Tuesday that the government had failed to produce any evidence that Hafiz Mohammad Saeed played a role in the attack that killed 166 people.

Saeed is alleged to have established Lashkar-e-Taiba, a banned militant group blamed in the attack. He also leads a charity that the U.N. alleges is a front for the militant organization.

Dogar says the court found that there was no evidence linking Saeed to any terror groups.

Pakistan’s government was appealing lower court decisions that also found a lack of evidence against Saeed and prevented his arrest.