LeT knew Pak would take only superficial action: Headley

Mumbai, February 13

Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and al Qaeda were convinced that 26/11 attack masterminds Hafiz Saeed and Zakiur Rehman would face only superficial action from Pakistan and made plans for another attack within months, Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley said on Saturday.

The 55-year-old LeT operative the court that he was concerned about Saeed and Lakhvi and constantly kept in touch with his handler LeT operative Sajid Mir and Al-Qaeda member Abdul Rehman Pasha (former LeT cadre).

"FIA (Federal Investigating Agency of Pakistan) was conducting investigations, interrogating people and pursuing people from LeT. Hence, I asked Mir about 'old uncle' (Saeed) and 'young uncle' (Lakhvi). Mir, in his reply, said that young uncle is fine and flying high. I think by this Mir meant that Lakhvi's morale was high even though he was in prison at that time," Headley said.

"Mir said, ‘Old uncle is fit and healthy. Don't pay heed to rumours: he goes about his business like a tornado for his business’," Headley said.

“‘Responding to one of his mails, Pasha had written, "don't worry everything here is normal. By this Pasha meant that I need not worry (about Saeed and Lakhvi) as the action against them and other LeT members are superficial’," said Headley.

Headley said Mir had sent him a coded e-mail eight months after the Mumbai strike telling him to identify another location for another attack.

"Mir saidin his mail an 'investment plan' needed to be made (meaning another location for attack). I told Mir that this time the attack should not be in 'Rahul (Bhatt's) City. I referred to Mumbai as Rahul City," he said.

He referred to another coded e-mail to Mir in which he said: “ ‘Old uncle got H1 Virus too? Do the docs in hospital want to give him checkup'. By this I meant if Hafiz Saheb was under investigation and he would be arrested”.

He told court once Pasha told him “Chacha revealed some facts about Ismael under pressure”.

"Pasha referred to Lakhvi as Chacha while Ismael was me," he said.

‘Visited Pune Command for moles’

Headley, who had scouted the November 2008 targets in Mumbai, said he had visited Pushkar, Goa and Pune in March 2009 to identify spots for another attack after al Qeada’s Ilyas Kashmiri asked for it.   

Among the places he visited was Indian Army's Southern Command headquarters at Pune in 2009 on instructions from ISI's Major Iqbal to recruit moles in the Indian Army, Headley said.

 ‘Befriended Shiv Sena activist'

Headley said Mir and Major Iqbal had encouraged him to develop close ties with former Shiv Sena member Raja Ram Rege and that "they would decide later if he could be of any use”.

"On May 19, 2008 Rege has sent me an e-mail regarding a certain investment. I forwarded it to Mir, Iqbal and Rana and sought their advice. While Rana was ready to make the investments, Iqbal wasn’t and only wanted information about military, but Pasha, Mir and I wanted an attack," he told the court.

He also claimed that he had suggested to Rege to call late Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and his son Uddhav to the US to "take care" of them.

Major Iqbal however was sceptical about Rege.

"Iqbal wanted to know if Rege could provide information on Indian military and paramilitary force. Iqbal asked me to keep Rege engaged in seminars and conferences in the US," Headley said.

When the court played the audio transcripts of the conversation between the LeT handlers operating from a control room in Karachi and the attackers, Headley identified the voices of Abu Kahfa, Mir and Abu Al-Kama (LeT operative).

"I cannot understand or identify any other voice," he added.

‘FIA never called me for questioning’

He also told the court that FIA never arrested or called him for questioning despite being in and out of Pakistan several times after the Mumbai attack.

"Investigating agencies in Pakistan had never arrested me at any point of time neither FIA ever called me for interrogation during my stay in Pakistan. Mir or Major Iqbal were also nerver arrested by FIA," Headley told the court.

Headley’s deposition concluded on Saturday. He is currently serving a 35-year jail term in the US for his involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai terror strike.

Defence will begin its cross-examination on Monday. — PTI