Pakistan to Release Mastermind Behind 2008 Mumbai Attacks on Bail

A Pakistani judge has ruled that a key member of the group behind the bloody and vicious 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, can be released on bail, despite the fact that Lakhvi is widely believed to have been the driving force behind the assault.

The New York Times reports that Lakhvi was first granted bail on Dec. 18, but the Pakistani government ordered he be held longer after protests from India and the United States. Lakhvi's lawyer successfully challenged the legality of that order in a higher court. The court agreed with Lakhvi's lawyer and said that he could be released after posting $10,000 bail.

Although Lakhvi had the right to post bail, he had not done so as of Monday evening.

He is a member of Lashkar-e-Taiba, one of the many terrorist groups operating in Pakistan, often with the knowledge and support of Pakistan's intelligence apparatus.

The release of Lakhvi is a major black eye for Pakistan, which had promised a renewed and more resolute determination to defeat the many terror groups in the country after a recent attack on a school for the children of military members left nearly 150 dead. The vast majority of the casualties in that attack were teens and young children.

The Times of India reports that India was so upset about the release that they summoned the Pakistani ambassador to reiterate that they expect Lakhvi to face justice for his role in the attack.

The 2008 Mumbai attacks was a series of shootings and bombings that took place throughout the city and left 166 people dead. Among the targets of the attacks were a cafe, a hospital, a movie theater, a hotel, and Jewish community center.