A Pakistani court has sentenced Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, a senior leader of the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, to five years in prison for terrorist financing.
Lakhvi is accused by India and the US of orchestrating the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, in which at least 160 people were killed.
He was sentenced on Friday to three simultaneous sentences of five years.
The court found Lakhvi guilty of collecting and distributing money for terrorist attacks by Lashkar-e-Taiba.
He was arrested on Saturday in Punjab province in Pakistan, where he ran a medical pharmacy, which according to the state’s counter-terrorism team used to raise funds.
The US welcomed Lakhvi’s arrest this past weekend and called it ‘an important step in holding him accountable for his role in supporting and financing terrorism’.
“We will closely monitor his prosecution and sentencing and insist he be held accountable for his involvement in the Mumbai attacks,” the US State Department said on Twitter.
Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba – “Soldiers of the Pure” – became prominent two decades ago after carrying out armed attacks in India-run Kashmir and India.
India claims that in December 2001, the group was involved in an armed raid on the Indian parliament, which brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.
Ten gunmen from the group attacked Mumbai in 2008 and assaulted two luxury hotels, a train station, a hospital, a Jewish cultural center and several other targets in Mumbai.
Lakhvi was quickly identified by India as one of the main suspects in the attacks. Indian officials said Lakhvi spoke to the attackers during their trip and may have been in contact during the attacks. They said he was identified by the only surviving gunman, who said Lakhvi had helped ‘indoctrinate all the attackers’.
He was arrested on December 7, 2008 in Pakistan, allegedly in a training camp for Lashkar-e-Taiba and sent to prison in 2009.
Six years later, he made headlines again when a Pakistani terror court that executed him for the Mumbai murder released him on bail, and in April 2015, he was released from prison.
During his more than five years in prison, Lakhvi apparently had special treatment, including uninterrupted access to guests, use of cellphones and internet access, which kept him in touch effectively with the ranking of Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Last year, the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hafiz Saeed, was also sentenced to prison in Pakistan.
Indian officials have accused Pakistan of secretly supporting the militants, suggesting that the statements are linked to pressure on Pakistan from the International Terrorist Financing Watchdog, the FATF.
Pakistan hopes to be removed from the organization’s gray list during a February meeting.