Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna said on Monday that police had arrested Abu Hamza in New Delhi. The arrest was in connection with the 2008 terrorist attacks on the city that claimed 166 lives.

Local media reported subsequently that Hamza was a suspected member of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group, blamed for the attacks that severely dented already touchy relations between India and Pakistan. The reports said he had coached the attackers in speaking Hindi and spoke to the attackers by phone from Pakistan in the planning stages of the attack. Krishna, however, urged patience.

"Let the Delhi police go through the investigation first, and then they will send a report to the government," Krishna said. "And then we will certainly see what appropriate … action can be taken."

Hamza, also known as Sayed Zabiuddin, is an Indian-born member of Lashkar-e-Taiba who has lived in Saudi Arabia for several years. It's not clear how or why he came from Saudi Arabia to India. Citing police sources, Indian media said he was 30 years old and came from the western state of Maharashtra; Mumbai is the state's capital.

Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab, the only gunman captured alive after the attacks, was sentenced to death by the Bombay High Court last year.

The November 2008 Mumbai attacks targeted high-profile sites in India's financial capital, including luxury hotels.

msh/rc (AFP, dpa, Reuters)