Hafiz Saeed, Pakistani Islamist, Offers To Send US Humanitarian Aid For Hurricane Sandy

Hafiz Saeed, the founder of a Pakistani Islamist group that has been blamed for the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks, has offered humanitarian aid to the US in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

Sandy, which was nicknamed Frankenstorm, came ashore on Monday night, flooding parts of New York City, New Jersey coastal towns, and other areas along the eastern seaboard, reports The Hindustan Times.

In the aftermath, the New York City subway system has flooded, and at least 14 people have been killed. Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, who founded the banned military outfit Lahkar-e-Taiba (LeT), is now the head of the charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa.

Sadeed announced that the organization was ready to offer as much aid as necessary to recover from the devastating storm. The Islamist leader stated:

“Jamaat-ud-Dawa is ready to send its volunteers, doctors, food, medicines and other relief items on humanitarian grounds if the US government allows us. America may have any opinion about us, it may fix bounties on our heads but as followers of the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed, we feel it is our Islamic duty to help Americans trapped in a catastrophe.”

The Huffington Post notes that the United States has offered a $10 million bounty for information that leads to Saeed’s arrest or conviction.

Jamaat-ud-Dawa has been seen as a front for the Islamist militant group LeT, which both the US and Delhi have blamed for the attacks on India’s financial capital, which killed 166 people.

Saeed’s charity denies any terror accusations and is known around Pakistan for its relief work, especially in the wake of the Kashmir earthquake in 2005 and flooding in 2010, which were the worst in the country’s history.

Do you think the US should accept Pakistani Islamist Hafiz Saeed’s offer for humanitarian aid in the wake of Hurricane Sandy?