26/11: Donald Trump says US stands with India, ‘will never let terrorists win’
Kia Scherr, a woman who said her husband and 13-year-old daughter were among those killed in the attack, thanked the president.
United States President Donald Trump on Monday said his country “stands with the people of India in their quest for justice”, referring to the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, which killed 166 people.
“On the ten-year anniversary of the Mumbai terror attack, the US stands with the people of India in their quest for justice,” Trump tweeted. “The attack killed 166 innocents, including six Americans. We will never let terrorists win, or even come close to winning!”
Kia Scherr, a woman who said her husband and 13-year-old daughter were among those killed in the attack, thanked the president. “May this day serve to remind us that love overpowers hate,” she tweeted. “This is the strength no bullet can kill. This is our true power. Thank you.”
Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had announced a reward of up to $5 million (around Rs 35.2 crore) for information leading to the arrest or conviction of any individual involved in planning or abetting the Mumbai terror attacks.
This is the third such reward offer from the US, said the State Department. In April 2012, it had announced rewards for information about Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Mohammad Saeed and senior leader Hafiz Abdul Rahman Makki.
Meanwhile, Nathan Sales, the US State Department’s coordinator for counterterrorism, said at an event at the Indian embassy in Washington DC that Pakistan must bring the perpetrators of the attacks to justice, PTI reported. “We call upon all countries, particularly Pakistan, to do their parts in bringing the perpetrators to justice,” he said. “All countries must uphold their international obligations to take action against this United Nations-sanctioned terrorist group [Lashkar-e-Taiba] and its leaders.”
The United Nations on Monday also echoed the remarks. “As a matter of principle, we always believe that those who are responsible for violence, random violence for acts of terrorism should be brought to justice,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for Secretary General Antonio Guterres, said at his daily press briefing.
Dujarric was responding to a question on the 10th anniversary of the Mumbai terror attacks and the US State Department’s announcement of the reward.
Monica Grayley, spokesperson for President of the General Assembly Maria Fernanda Espinosa, also said that anyone who takes part in terrorist attacks or any acts of violence “should be held accountable and they should be brought to justice”.