Pakistan arrests the alleged mastermind of Mumbai terror attacks

Pakistan officials have arrested an Islamic cleric and American-wanted terror suspect implicated in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, days ahead of Prime Minister Imran Khan's trip to Washington.

Hafiz Saeed was taken into custody in Punjab province while traveling from the eastern city of Lahore to the city of Gujranwala, according to counterterrorism official Mohammad Shafiq.

Mr Saeed founded Pakistan's Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) group, which has been banned since 2002. It was blamed for the Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people, though never held to account.

Last year, on the tenth anniversary of the attacks, the US offered a $US5 million ($7.1 million) reward for information about the Mumbai attacks.

The US has also offered a $US10 million reward for Mr Saeed's arrest, and Washington recently stepped up pressure on Islamabad to crack down on terror groups.

In response, Pakistan launched over a dozen cases against Mr Saeed and several of his associates, which accused them of funding militant groups through charities.

After his arrest, Mr Saeed was taken before a judge and ordered to be held in jail until the next hearing on Tuesday, Mr Shafiq said.

Mr Saeed's spokesperson, Nadim Awan, denounced the arrest and said the cleric had dissociated himself from LeT in 2001 and has had no links with the organisation since then.

But a spokesman for Punjab Governor Shahbaz Gill said Mr Saeed's main charge was that "he is gathering funds for banned outfits, which is illegal".

His charity organisations, Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Falah-e-Insaniat, are alleged fronts for LeT. Mr Awan said they would challenge Mr Saeed's arrest before a higher court.