WASHINGTON: The United States said Wednesday it wanted the founder of group Lashkar-e-Taiba to be prosecuted and jailed after he openly goaded Washington with a press conference in Rawalpindi.
Hafiz Saeed on Wednesday offered the United States to contact him after Washington announced a $10 million for information on him.
"He's free to do that, unfortunately, up to this moment. But we hope to put him behind bars," State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters when asked about Saeed's public appearance.
Toner sought to clarify the US reward for Saeed, saying that Washington was offering money not for his capture but for information that would allow his prosecution in a court in the United States or elsewhere.
"We all know where he is -- you know, every journalist in Pakistan and in the region knows how to find him -- but we're looking for information that can be usable to convict him in a court of law," Toner said.
He denied that the United States was trying to make new demands of authorities in Pakistan, which is completing a review aimed at resetting relations with Washington after months of crisis between the war partners.
"It's not to put pressure on any one government. But we wanted to be able to provide Pakistan with the tools that they need to prosecute this individual," Toner said.
Saeed convened his press conference at a hotel close to the army's headquarters in Rawalpindi and said: "If the United States wants to contact me, I am present, they can contact me.
"I am also ready to face any American court, or wherever there is proof against me," he told reporters.
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