An editorial “Revelations” in the Nation on Friday said that in an video testimony to an Indian court Headley corroborated the Indian version of speculation surrounding the 2008 Mumbai attacks because, according to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) facilitator/terrorist, the ISI orchestrated the whole attack, handling each LeT member from this side of the border.
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Headley also confirmed that Mumbai airport was one the targets that were surveyed, however, was not included in the final list where attacks were carried out.
The terrorist-turned-approver also talked about the Lashkar plans to hit Mumbai’s famed Siddhi Vinayak Temple and attempts to recruit staffers from the sensitive Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) to tap them for “classified information”.
“As far as we are concerned this is a sworn testimony that he is giving that is admissible in a court of law and we will go by what he has to say”, Swarup said. “I made a video of Mumbai airport”, he said.
In the tapes, Headley identified the voices of LeT’s Sajid Mir, Abu Khafa and Abu Alkama when they were “handling” the 10 Pakistani terrorists in Mumbai during the 26/11 terror strikes at multiple locations.
“The ISI wanted to recruit BARC staffers for future…to get classified information from them”, Headley said.
Continuing his deposition for the fourth day, Headley claimed he discouraged the LeT about Naval air station and Siddhivinayak temple as targets for the attack as they were heavily guarded.
When Judge G A Sanap asked Headley why he had purchased the other four books, he said, “The other books were pictorial and attractive, hence I purchased them”.
“In May 2008, I visited US”.
– On March 3, 2009, I despatched an e-mail to Rana, with the topic on the mail “Headley’s private will”. That is what you don’t want to do, ” he said when if he saw any hope for the India-Pakistan peace progress.
Headley said his assessment was that ISI and LeT were coordinating with each other. Zaki Sahab said surveillance for the attacks should be done properly. “Zaki Sahab wished me good luck”, he said.
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Headley, who is serving 35-year prison sentence in the USA for his role in the Mumbai attacks, spoke about the role of Saeed, another LeT commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi as well as his handler in the outfit Sajid Mir.
