Washington, November 11: Ilyas Kashmiri, the one-eyed rabid anti-India leader of a Pakistan-based terror group is suspected by counter-terrorism officials to be fast emerging as a new international jihadist plotter, planning fresh strikes in Europe and America.
Considered the ‘world’s most wanted man’ by counter terrorism organisations across three continents, the 40-year-old Kashmiri, is seen as a terror successor to Osama Bin Laden, CNN reported quoting top US intelligence officials.
The US TV network said the bearded man, who sports aviator style dark glasses is now masterminding Mumbai style attacks in Europe and US, and threat of these attacks has not subsided despite leakages of the plot, CNN reported.
“He (Kashmiri) may be determined to go ahead with the execution of the plots in spite of leaks and heightened vigil,” the network said quoting August Hanning, a former head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service.
Kashmiri brands India as his enemy number one and his group Harkat-ul-Jehad-Islami was suspected to be behind bombing of a popular bakery in Pune in 2009. But he has made it public that he has ambitions beyond south Asia, CNN said.
Born in Mirpur in the PoK, Kashmiri was once considered to be run by the Pakistan’s military intelligence ISI, but is reported to have turned rouge to join and form close relationship with al-Qaeda.
Now American and European security agencies believe that Kashmiri is trying to infiltrate highly trained terrorists into Europe and US to launch coordinated Mumbai style attack in cities Paris, Berlin and London, CNN said.