NEW DELHI (Reuters) — India is seeking the extradition of a top Pakistan militant suspected to have planned the 2008 Mumbai attacks after the United States said last week he was living freely in Pakistan, government officials said on Sunday.

Flag of Lashkar-e-taiba

India and the United States have both indicted Sajid Mir of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (لشکر طیبہ‎, “Army of the Good”) group for the three-day attacks on hotels, a train station and a Jewish centre in which 166 people were killed including six Americans.

While Pakistan took action against the Lashkarfounder Hafiz Saeed last year, it continued to provide safe harbour to other top militant leaders, the U.S. State Department’s 2019 country report on terrorism said. One of them was Sajid, the “project manager” of the Mumbai attack, believed to remain free in Pakistan, the U.S. report said.

An Indian official said the government has repeatedly asked Pakistan to hand over Sajid who is charged with serving as chief planner of the attacks, directing preparations and reconnaissance and was also named as one of the Pakistan-based controllers during the attacks.

The FBI has posted a reward of $5 mln for information leading to the capture of Sajid who is also wanted for a 2008/2009 plot against Denmark’s Jyllands-Posten newspaper to avenge its publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad that enraged many Muslims.

Pakistan has repeatedly denied to be a safe haven for militants and said it has prosecuted the leadership of several proscribed groups.