Tuesday, 9 February 2016

Technical snag in video conference adjourns Headley’s deposition

This file photo shows NSG commandos coming out of the Taj hotel after the completion of

The deposition of American-Pakistani terrorist David Coleman Headley on Wednesday has been adjourned til tomorrow due to a technical snag in the video conference.

Headley was to depose for the third consecutive day before a court here in connection with 26/11 terror attack case.

Special public prosecutor, who is presently examining Headley, said that the deposition has been adjourned till tomorrow due to a technical snag from the U.S side.

Deposing from an undisclosed location for the past two days, Headley had told the special judge G.A. Sanap that ISI was helping different terror outfits in Pakistan by providing financial, military and moral support.

He also revealed that plans to target Mumbai had started over a year before November 26, 2008 and that LeT initially wanted to attack a conference of Indian defence scientists at Taj Mahal Hotel for which even a dummy of the hotel was prepared.

But the plan to target scientists was dropped because of logistical reasons, like difficulty in smuggling in weapons and personal and lack of details about the schedule of the meet, he said.

About plan to target Siddhivinayak Temple, Headley said that Sajid Mir (Headley’s handler in LeT) specifically asked him to make video of it.

Headley also said that he also used to work for ISI and met many Pakistan army officials.

1 Lashkar operative David Headley named Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed as the head of the Lashkar-e-Taiba.
2 Notably, Headley named Major Ali and Major Iqbal of the ISI and Lashkar commander Sajid Mir as his contacts in Pakistan.
3 He also said the 10 people involved in the 26/11 attacks had made two previous attempts on Mumbai. The first, in September 2008, failed as the boat, which started from outside Karachi, ran into some rocks and sank. The weapons and explosives were lost in the sea. The second attempt took place a month later. It was Mir who informed Headley of the two attempts.
4 Headley said he had joined the Lashkar-e-Taiba in 2002 “for a course” in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan, the outfit’s headquarters. 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.
5 Headley 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, Headley said, treated India as their enemy.
6 In October 2003, Headley met Maulana Masood Mazhar, the chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed, about three hundred miles away from South Lahore. Headley also met with Zakir Ul Rehman Lakhvi in 2003 at Muzzafarbad.
7 Headley admits that LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen are working under United Jihad council, and that all these are terrorist organisations in Pakistan working against India.
8 Headley says he was asked by LeT to gather military intelligence in India and also recruit someone from Indian military for spying.
9 Headley then says he was asked to make a general video and recce of Mumbai by Major Iqbal from the ISI.
10 In the deposition, Headley reveals 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, Mumbai was chosen to set up an office.

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