The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of USA was told by Mumbai attack mastermind David Headley’s wife that he was an active militant in the Lashkar-i-Taiba group way back in 2005, three years before the terror strikes in India’s financial capital that killed 166 people, according to a ProPublica report that also appeared in The Washington Times on Friday.
The Washington Post report by ProPublica journalist Sebastian Rotella said the federal agents in New York City had investigated a tip that an American businessman was training in Pakistan with the group that later executed the attack, following an arrest of Headley in a domestic dispute after his wife lodged a police complaint.
“In three interviews with federal agents, Headley’s wife said that he was an active militant in the terrorist group Lashkar-i-Taiba, had trained extensively in its Pakistani camps, and had shopped for night-vision goggles and other equipment, according to officials and sources close to the case.
“The wife, whom ProPublica is not identifying to protect her safety, also told agents that Headley had bragged of working as a paid U.S. informant while he trained with the terrorists in Pakistan, according to a person close to the case.”
ProPublica is an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest.
According to the report, the federal officials say the FBI “looked into” the tip, but they declined to say what, if any, action was taken.
“Headley was jailed briefly in New York on charges of domestic assault but was not prosecuted. He wasn’t arrested until 11 months after the Mumbai attack, when British intelligence alerted U.S. authorities that he was in contact with al-Qaeda operatives in Europe,” the report said.
“In the four years between the wife’s warning and Headley’s capture, Lashkar sent Headley on reconnaissance missions around the world. During five trips to Mumbai, he scouted targets for the attack – using his U.S. passport and cover as a businessman to circulate freely in areas frequented by Westerners. He met in Pakistan with terrorist handlers, including a Pakistani army major accused of helping direct and fund his missions, according to court documents and anti-terrorism officials,” the report said.
“It is not clear from the available information whether a different response to the tip about Headley might have averted the Mumbai attacks,” the report said.
“It is known that U.S. anti-terrorism officials warned Indian counterparts several times in 2008 about a possible attack on Mumbai, according to U.S. and Indian officials. The warnings included details, such as a threat to the iconic Taj Mahal hotel, which became a target,” the report said quoting officials.
Federal officials refused to discuss the 2005 tip other than to confirm that the FBI conducted an inquiry into the allegations made by Headley’s wife, according to the report.
“We can confirm there was a lead based on his wife’s tip,” said an official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of pending legal cases. “We can’t get into details.”