Amir Hamza, a founding member of Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), was shot by unidentified gunmen in Lahore. He has been admitted to a hospital and is reported to be in critical condition.
According to a report by NDTV, unknown attackers opened fire on him outside a news channel office in Lahore.
This is the second such incident involving Hamza in less than a year. In May last year, he was shot by unidentified men outside his residence in Lahore. Following that attack, he was taken to a hospital. Later, Pakistani authorities reportedly increased his security, although no official comment was made on the incident.
Who Is Amir Hamza?
Amir Hamza was born on May 10, 1959, in Gujranwala in Pakistan's Punjab province. He is described as a veteran of the Afghan jihad.
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He co-founded Lashkar-e-Taiba along with Hafiz Saeed between 1985 and 1986. The organisation has been designated as a terrorist group by the United States.
Hamza has been linked to multiple terrorist activities, including in India, where he is believed to have been involved in planning the 2005 attack on the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru.
He is regarded as the second most important leader in the organisation after Hafiz Saeed and has held several key roles within the group. His work has included shaping the group's propaganda activities and outreach campaigns.
The United States Department of the Treasury has listed him as a sanctioned terrorist.
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In 2012, the US Treasury Department stated that Hamza was part of Lashkar-e-Taiba's central advisory committee and played a role in managing the group's external relations under the direct supervision of Hafiz Saeed.
As of 2010, he was also associated with an LeT-linked charitable organisation and held a senior role in an LeT university trust overseen by Saeed.
Hamza is described as a senior ideologue within the group and is known for his speeches and writings.
He has been involved in the dissemination of Lashkar-e-Taiba's propaganda material, edited the group's weekly newspaper, and regularly contributed articles.
He also headed Lashkar-e-Taiba's "special campaigns" department, which handled specific outreach and mobilisation efforts.
In mid-2010, Hamza was among three senior Lashkar-e-Taiba members who negotiated for the release of detained members of the organisation.
In 2018, he distanced himself from Lashkar-e-Taiba following international action against the group's financial networks, including Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation. He later formed a separate group, Jaish-e-Manqafa, which has reportedly been involved in limited fundraising and propaganda activities, particularly related to Kashmir.
Despite this separation, the US Treasury continues to designate him as a global terrorist and considers him a key figure in Lashkar-e-Taiba's long-term activities related to recruitment, radicalisation, and fundraising.
Hamza remains under treatment in Lahore following the latest attack, with his condition reported to be critical.
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