26/11: David Headley coughs up ISI role

David Coleman Headley, the 26/11 Pakistani-American conspirator, on Monday in a US court spilled the beans on Pakistan’s military spy agency Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) saying it provided financial and military support to terrorists behind the Mumbai attack.

He also admitted that Pakistan-based Hafiz Saeed, the leader of the Jama’at-ud-Da’wah, a frontal organization of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, motivated him in the Mumbai attack planning.

The closely-watched Chicago hearings in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks case began on Monday with the prosecution trying to nail suspect Tahawwur Hussain Rana making its opening statements based on testimony from star witness David Headley, a childhood friend of Rana.

The 50-year-old Headley said terror outfits like LeT and Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) operated under the ISI.

ISI gave military and financial support to Lashkar, he said, Indian media reports said.

“I disliked India, it severed Pakistan, my school was bombed in 1971,” he said in court, reported the NDTV channel.

He said he wanted to be launched in India-controlled Kashmir.

According to Chicago Tribune, Headley outlined how “he became radicalized by the terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba and attended multiple trainings on everything from weapons to surveillance.”

?One second spent conducting jihad was superior to 100 years of worship, praying,? Headley testified.

Headley, a conspirator of the Nov 2008 attack on India?s financial capital that killed over 160 people, including six Americans, testified against his former schoolmate Rana who allegedly provided logistical support during his recon missions.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Streicker said that the 50-year-old Rana provided cover for Headley by helping him pose as a representative for his Chicago-based immigration business while Headley took photos and videos of targets in Mumbai.

“The defendant knew all too well that when Headley travels to a foreign country, people may die,” Streicker said, adding that after the 26/11 attacks, Rana, a Pakistani Canadian, had told Headley that “Indians deserved it”.

The prosecution said that it will produce evidence including encrypted emails between the two men that showed how Rana, who has denied the allegations, was considered “his best friend in the world,? by Headley.

“The defendant didn’t carry a gun or throw a grenade. In a complicated and sophisticated plot, not every player carries a weapon. People like the defendant who provides support is just as critical to the success,” Streicker said.

Rana’s attorneys have portrayed Headley as a master manipulator who tricked his friend.

The trial has generated interest worldwide, especially in India since it could expose links of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) with the Mumbai attacks.

The trial could also put further pressure on Pakistan to expedite its actions against the 26/11 accused currently running free in the south Asian nation.

A 12-member jury, with six alternatives, were selected throughout last week and sworn in at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse, from over 100 potential jurors short-listed after answering extensive questionnaires.

According to reports, the trial could go on to prove that Rana and Headley were recruited on behalf of Pakistani spy services, even as Rana?s lawyers consistently deny that he had any ?knowing involvement? in the 26/11.

Rana?s Attorneys said their client was innocent and was duped by his long-time friend and had no idea that the plot was in store. Rana had the misfortune of “being friends with a terrorist” they said.

?What this case is going to be about is David Headley’s betrayal of his friend Rana, his betrayal of the United States, his betrayal of all human and decent values,? Rana’s counsel Charlie Swift had said.

Headley, who has struck a deal with prosecutors for avoiding a death penalty and extradition, has already admitted to making surveillance videos and conducting other intelligence-gathering for the Mumbai attack.

The US government on May 9 filed a second indictment in the case naming five people as accused in the case of “conspiracy to maim, murder and bomb places of public use in India”.

The chargesheet filed in the US court named the five accused as: Sajid Majeed, Abu Qahafa, Mazhar Iqbal, Major Iqbal and a Lashkar-e-Toiba member known as D.
All accused were charged in the district court in Chicago two weeks ago, though none of them is in custody of the US government.

In the worst terrorist attacks in India, Pakistani-trained gunmen laid siege on Mumbai since November 26, 2008, killing over 160 people, including six Americans, in attacks on a railway station, luxury hotels and a Jewish centre, among other targets.

Rana, who was arrested along with Headley by the US? Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Illinois, is accused of providing terrorists with the false credentials they used to pick targets in Mumbai.

LeT is blamed for the attack, though Pakistani government?s hand is also suspected ? a charge refuted by the country where 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden was found in a garrison town, just 60 km north of capital Islamabad.