Hiding in Itaewon Supermarket... Pakistani Terrorist Organization Member Arrested

LeT Member Formed in the 1980s Apprehended and Under Investigation
First Case of Arresting a UN-Designated Terrorist Organization Member in South Korea

A member of a Pakistani terrorist organization who had been hiding in South Korea has been apprehended by the police. This is the first time that an operative of an organization designated as a terrorist group by the United Nations (UN) has been arrested and detained in South Korea.

According to Yonhap News, on August 8, the Security Investigation Division of the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency detained and referred to prosecution a Pakistani national in his 40s, identified as A, on charges of violating the Act on Anti-Terrorism for the Protection of Citizens and Public Security and the Immigration Control Act.

A is accused of joining Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in 2020 in his hometown of Narowal, Pakistan, receiving training at a camp in the use of heavy weapons such as machine guns, mortars, and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), as well as infiltration tactics, and then serving as a full-fledged member of the organization.

LeT is an Islamic extremist group formed in the mid-1980s, reportedly supported by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The group mainly operates in the Indian-administered Kashmir region, a disputed territory between Pakistan and India, and orchestrated the 2008 Mumbai attacks in India, which resulted in the deaths of 166 people.

The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency recently arrested a member of a Pakistani terrorist organization. Photo by Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency

In September 2023, A submitted a false visa application to the Korean consulate in Pakistan, claiming to be visiting for business purposes, and then illegally entered South Korea in December of the same year. He subsequently worked as a supermarket employee in Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, concealing his identity. He had been applying to extend his stay, but had received a recommendation to leave the country from the immigration office in September.

The police launched an investigation after receiving intelligence from the National Intelligence Service, identified A through inquiries, and arrested him in Itaewon on August 2. It is unusual for the authorities to initiate criminal proceedings for mere membership in a terrorist organization under the Anti-Terrorism Act, which has been in effect since 2016.

A is currently denying all charges. The police are investigating whether he had any accomplices in South Korea and are tracking financial accounts to determine if funds were remitted to LeT. It has been confirmed that he had no companions during his illegal entry into the country.

A police official stated, "Ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in Gyeongju in October this year, we will strengthen cooperation with the National Intelligence Service to preemptively block terrorist threats."

Meanwhile, reports related to terrorism can be made by dialing 113 without an area code or through the National Police Agency's 'Online 113 Reporting Center.'