Disclosing startling details regarding the 26/11 attacks and his role in it, American terrorist of Pakistani origin, David Headley spilled a lot of beans involving the LeT and the Pakistani Army. He has until now named ISI officers and gone into details of the 2008 attack, making grave revelations.
Deposition of Pakistani-American LeT operative Headley began on 8th February, before a special Mumbai court where he revealed the sequence of events and planning behind the horrible 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. The deposition is being recorded via video conferencing and will continue for the next few days. Headley has been made an approver in the case. “This is for the first time in the Indian legal history that a foreign terrorist will appear before an Indian court and testify,” said special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam. While he refused to divulge into any details, he said Headley's evidence will unfold many facts behind the 26/11 attack. “The evidence of Headley is important for two reasons - One of the Indian terrorists Abu Jindal who was in Pakistan and against whom the trial is pending. So, Headley may give the broader aspect of the criminal conspiracy. The second aspect of the evidence of Headley would be that why the conspiracy was hatched, who were the persons behind the criminal conspiracy and how it progressed with ultimately a huge death toll of 160 persons,” Nikam said. Headley gave his statement before special judge G A Sanap.
Appearing before the court through video conference from an undisclosed location in the US, Headley said he was a true follower of terror group Lashkar, and even had falsified information on his visa application to gain entry into India. He said he had joined the Lashkar-e-Taiba in 2002 “for a course” in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan, the outfit’s headquarters. “I heard a speech by Lashkar head and was motivated. Hafiz Saeed 'saab' is the head of Lashkar,” Headley said. He described Lashkar as “a militant organisation in Pakistan whose goal is to fight the Indian Army and assist the people of Kashmir.” Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi would give religious speeches and speak of jihad, defined as “fight against enemies of Islam.” They treated India as their enemy.
Headley had made eight visits to India for this conspiracy. He underwent Daura-e-Am (preliminary training) and Daura-e-Khas (advanced training in weapons and explosives). Another camp called Daura-e-Ribbat (intelligence course) was held in Mansehra, 40 miles from Abbottabad, where Saeed and Lakhvi were present. Headley said he visited Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with a friend and retired Major Abdur Rehman Pasha to meet a drug peddler Zeb Shah to seek his help in smuggling weapons to India. He was arrested in Landi Kotal, a town next to the Afghan border, on suspicion of being a foreigner in a restricted area. Carrying literature on India at the time, Major Ali from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) interrogated him and helped him walk out free. He carried a Pakistani identity card which made things easier. When Headley told Major Ali that he intended to visit India, he introduced him to Major Iqbal, also of the ISI, “because he thought I could be used to gather intelligence,” he testified.
He identified Lashkar commander Sajid Mir, also known as 'Wasi', as his Lashkar “colleague.” Mir was his main contact in the outfit. It was on Mir’s instructions that Headley changed his name from Dawood Gilani to David Headley in 2006. He then applied for a US passport under the new name. He said, “I changed my name so that I could enter India. I wanted to enter India with an American name. I then disclosed this information to my colleague Sajid Mir of LeT.”
He also said the 10 people involved in the 26/11 attacks had made two previous attempts on Mumbai; the first in September 2008, which failed as the boat which started from outside Karachi ran into some rocks and sank. The second attempt took place a month later. He was informed of the two attempts by Mir. He said about a year before the 26/11 attack, Lashkar operatives planned an attack on a meeting of Defence Scientists that was to be held at Mumbai's famous Taj Mahal hotel. “We made a mock of the Taj,” he said. Headley's maps and videos helped the Pakistani fidayeens land by sea on Mumbai's shores and launch one of the audacious attacks on the financial capital. Headley also said his Lashkar handler Sajid Mir had asked him to survey the famous Sidhivinayak temple in Mumbai as a possible terror target. The temple was, however, not attacked. “I did surveillance of multiple places like the Taj Hotel, Naval air station and the Maharashtra State Police Headquarters in south Mumbai. I also selected landing sites for the terrorists.”
He admitted that LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen are working under the United Jihad council, and that all these are terrorist organisation in Pakistan working against India. He was asked by LeT to gather military intelligence in India and also recruit someone from Indian military for spying. Headley also said he was asked to make a general video and recce of Mumbai by Major Iqbal. He also revealed information that in the Spring of 2006, a meeting was held where LeT members Muzzabil Butt, Sajid Mir and Abu Khaffa were present. It was then decided that from Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi, an office will be set up in Mumbai. “ISI provided financial, military and moral support to terror outfits Jaish-e-Mohammed, LeT and Hizb-ul-Mujaideen,” he said and went on to claim that his opinion was formed on the basis of hearsay. When Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam asked him if he was paid by LeT and ISI, he replied in the negative and said, “There is no basis for this question.”
Between November 26 and 29, 2008, terrorists rampaged through two five-star hotels Oberoi and Taj Mahal Palace, Jewish outreach centre at Nariman House, Cafe Leopold, all in Colaba, besides Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Cama and Albless Hospital. While nine terrorists were killed during the response operations, gunman Ajmal Kasab was tried and hanged on November 21, 2012 at Pune’s Yerawada jail.
