Mumbai gunman tells of 'martyrdom' deal

The sole surviving gunman from Mumbai’s terror attacks has told interrogators the people who recruited him promised to pay his family £850 in compensation for this “martyrdom”. He also reportedly revealed that the attacks which killed at least 170 people were masterminded by two known militant leaders based in Pakistan.

The 21-year-old gunman, identified as either Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab or Mohammad Ajmal Amir Iman, was apparently told his family in Pakistan would receive the cash after his death. If true, it confirms that the 10 militants involved in the operation knew it was a suicide mission.

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The latest claims, made by Indian police to the Associated Press, came as airports in India were put on high alert after officials said they had received new warnings of fresh possible attacks from the air. The alert told of possible airborne strikes on three airports – Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai – but security was stepped up across the country. No details about the threat were released. “This is a warning which we have received. We are prepared as usual,” said the country’s air force chief, Fali Homi Major.

Heavily armed guards from India’s Rapid Deployment Force manned roadblocks outside airports, as others patrolled terminal buildings among passengers. Several extra layers of security were set up and some passengers had bags scanned for explosives.

Despite the careful measures, Delhi’s international airport was the scene of a security scare after the sound of gunfire prompted police to storm the bulding. Early reports suggested six gunmen were killed by security forces, but police later said no one was injured and denied it was a terrorist incident.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani President, Asif Ali Zardari, vowed yesterday that his government would “not only assist in the investigation but also take strong action against any Pakistani elements found involved in the attack”. Meeting the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, in Islamabad, Mr Zardari said his country was “determined to ensure that its territory is not used for any act of terrorism”.

Ms Rice’s visit to Islamabad – lasting just hours – came after her meetings with senior Indian officials in Delhi the day before. She stressed the need for Pakistan to act with “resolve and urgency” in identifying who might be responsible for the attacks. Though India has passed a list of 20 fugitives to Pakistan that it says are hiding in the country, and demanded that they are handed over, officials said their response to the Mumbai attacks will depend on Pakistan’s actions in the coming days.

After meeting Mr Zardari, Ms Rice said she was satisfied with the conversation they had. The Pakistani leader apparently reminded her that his wife, Benazir Bhutto, was killed in an attack by militants less than a year ago. Before she left the country, Ms Rice said she had “found a Pakistani government that is focused on the threat and understands its responsibilities to respond to terrorism and extremism”.

The key issue, however, is what genuine action Mr Zardari is able to take, even if he is prepared to. The Pakistani public has reacted angrily to what it sees as unproven claims that the nation was involved in the attacks. Certainly, handing over the fugitives for trial in India would be unthinkable, and with a major counter-insurgency operation in the north of the country, the weak government may not wish to open another front by confronting militant groups such as Lashkar-e-Toiba. Central to this calculation will be the attitude of the Pakistani military and the ISI intelligence agency, parts of which are accused of having links to the group.

Ayesha Siddiqui, an Islamabad-based military analyst, said Mr Zardari may look to use the international pressure and evidence from the US as an excuse for acting in some way against the militants. “If the US comes in guns-blazing in a diplomatic sense, then he may try and piggy-back on that,” she said.

Meanwhile, Indian investigators are trying to piece together everything they can discover about the attack and its planning, based largely on interrogation of the surviving gunman. Evidence suggests two senior members of Lashkar-e-Toiba, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and Yusuf Muzammil, organised the plot. Lakhvi is said to be the group’s operations chief and Muzammil its operations chief in Kashmir.