<p>Any fresh strike by the group in India or anywhere else would hurt US national security interest and its counter-terrorism interests in the region, Michael Leiter, Director of the National Counter-terrorism Center told lawmakers.<br /><br />Testifying before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said Pak-based LeT has enough capabilities to launch a Mumbai-type terrorist strike in Europe and other parts of the world.<br /><br />"What we have not yet seen is a history of them doing so. We are certainly concerned by some indicators we see of them expanding their horizons beyond the region.<br />Certainly they have the capacity -- it's a large organisation," he said.<br /><br />The US intelligence chief comments came as Pakistan's Inter Services as a powerful lawmaker took the Pak's ISI to task for not handing over to India, those responsible for the Mumbai terrorist attacks.<br /><br />India has identified LeT operations commander Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi along with others as the plotters of the Mumbai terror attacks in which 166 people were gunned down.<br />Dianne Feinstein, Chairman of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, said, "It appears the ISI walks both sides of the street. The failure of the country to turn over two leading -- one operator, one leader -- from the Mumbai attack to India; the reluctance to go into North Waziristan; the development of a safe harbor; the concentration of a number of terrorist groups in that safe harbor."<br /><br />In his deposition Leiter said, "What they did in India could theoretically be launched elsewhere. But we have not yet seen those steps occur. I think the additional point that I would stress is they can still be a very destabilising factor in the region."<br /><br />"So even without striking in the US or Europe, a further attack by Lashkar-e-Taiba in India would very much hurt our national security and our counterterrorism interests in Pakistan," Leiter said in response to a question from US lawmakers.</p>
<p>Any fresh strike by the group in India or anywhere else would hurt US national security interest and its counter-terrorism interests in the region, Michael Leiter, Director of the National Counter-terrorism Center told lawmakers.<br /><br />Testifying before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said Pak-based LeT has enough capabilities to launch a Mumbai-type terrorist strike in Europe and other parts of the world.<br /><br />"What we have not yet seen is a history of them doing so. We are certainly concerned by some indicators we see of them expanding their horizons beyond the region.<br />Certainly they have the capacity -- it's a large organisation," he said.<br /><br />The US intelligence chief comments came as Pakistan's Inter Services as a powerful lawmaker took the Pak's ISI to task for not handing over to India, those responsible for the Mumbai terrorist attacks.<br /><br />India has identified LeT operations commander Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi along with others as the plotters of the Mumbai terror attacks in which 166 people were gunned down.<br />Dianne Feinstein, Chairman of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, said, "It appears the ISI walks both sides of the street. The failure of the country to turn over two leading -- one operator, one leader -- from the Mumbai attack to India; the reluctance to go into North Waziristan; the development of a safe harbor; the concentration of a number of terrorist groups in that safe harbor."<br /><br />In his deposition Leiter said, "What they did in India could theoretically be launched elsewhere. But we have not yet seen those steps occur. I think the additional point that I would stress is they can still be a very destabilising factor in the region."<br /><br />"So even without striking in the US or Europe, a further attack by Lashkar-e-Taiba in India would very much hurt our national security and our counterterrorism interests in Pakistan," Leiter said in response to a question from US lawmakers.</p>