A terrorist leader with a $10million U.S. bounty on his head has offered aid to Americans hit by Superstorm Sandy. Hafiz Saeed said his organization Jamaat-ud-Dawa was prepared to send volunteers, medicine and food to those on the East Coast who were struggling to cope in the aftermath of Monday night's ferocious storm. Saeed said in a written statement on Tuesday that it is a religious duty under Islam to help Americans affected by the storm, even if the U.S. has put a bounty on his head.
"We are ready to send food items, medicines and doctors to the U.S. for the people affected by the storm," said Saeed. "America [may] fix bounties on our heads but as followers of the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him), we feel it is our Islamic duty to help Americans trapped in a catastrophe."
Saeed noted that the charity he heads had provided aid in Sri Lanka and Indonesia after the 2004 tsunami.
Following the militant's offer, the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad posted on their Twitter feed:
'We respect the Islamic tradition of help to the needy, we can't take Hafiz Saeed's offer seriously. 'Saaed is wanted for suspected involvement in the Mumbai attacks, which killed 166. JuD is a UN&US-designated terrorist org.'
The U.S. offered $10million earlier this year for information leading to the terrorist's arrest or conviction. He is in the top five most wanted on the U.S. terror list.
He had initially been advised to go underground by associates following the U.S. bounty but later decided against it and maintains a high public profile. He founded Lashkar-e-Taiba, a militant group blamed for the Mumbai attacks in 2008 where more than 160 people were killed. Jamaat-ud-Dawa is believed to be a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba, which was banned by the Pakistani government.