THIRUVANANTHAPURAM (India), June 27: India’s home minister on Wednesday said a key suspect in the 2008 Mumbai attacks had provided information confirming Pakistani “state support” for the deadly assault.

Abu Hamza, also known as Sayed Zabiuddin, an Indian-born member of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, was detained at Delhi international airport on June 21 when he arrived from the Middle East.

Indian police say he was one of the handlers based in Karachi, who issued orders by telephone to 10 gunmen as they stormed two luxury hotels, a Jewish centre, a restaurant and a train station in Mumbai.

The November 2008 attacks, which India has blamed on Lashkar-e-Taiba, left 166 people dead and more than 300 wounded.

Home Minister P. Chidambaram, speaking to reporters in the southern state of Kerala, alleged that police interrogation of Hamza had confirmed Indian accusations that Pakistani state actors were also involved.

“The argument that non-state actors were behind the massacre is no longer valid. He has confirmed that he was in the control room (and) this has confirmed our suspicion that there was some organised effort,” Chidambaram said.

“When I say, state actors, at the moment, I am not pointing my finger at any particular agency. But clearly there was state support or state actors’ support for the 26/11 massacre,” the home minister said.

Pakistan has asked India to share information on Hamza and has urged New Delhi to refrain from blaming Islamabad.

“India should supply details about Abu Hamza, enabling us to take action,” Pakistan’s Adviser on Interior Affairs, Rehman Malik, told a news conference in Islamabad.

Pakistan could respond only after India shared information and “we see Abu Hamza’s statement,” Malik said.

“Let us end the blame game... We have to fight terrorism together,” he added.

Pakistan, which has firmly denied allegations that state actors were involved, has indicted seven people for their alleged role in the attacks. Their trial began in 2009.—Reuters