US had financed my trip to Pak once: David Headley

Mumbai, March 23

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The United States had financed my trip to Pakistan once, David Headley, an American militant of Pakistan origin, said on Wednesday as the defence in the Mumbai terror attacks of 2008 trial began cross-examining him.  

The 55-year-old terrorist, born Dawood Sayed Gilani, was speaking to the court through a video call from the US, where he is currently serving a 35-year sentence for his role in the attacks that killed 166, including six American citizens.

Headley had been convicted for drug charges twice — in 1988 and in 1998.

After his arrest in 1998, "the Drug Enforcement Authority (DEA) of the US financed my trip. I was in contact with DEA then, but it is not true that between 1988 and 1998 I was providing information or assisting DEA,” he said.

He also dismissed reports that he had received money from the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) — the militant organisation that had been responsible for the Mumbai attacks — as untrue.

"I never received money from LeT...this is complete nonsense. I gave funds to LeT myself. I had donated more than 60 to 70 lakh Pakistani Rupees to LeT throughout the period I was associated with them. My last donation was in 2006,” Headley said.    

The money was not for a specific operation but was a donation.

"These donations were from my business in New York and from the income that I earned by selling and purchasing some properties in Pakistan. I don't remember if I informed US authorities about my donations to LeT," he said.

Headley admitted to violating terms of his plea bargain with the US government when he became part of the LeT.

“One of the conditions of my plea agreement was that I should not take part in any criminal activity. I violated this condition by going to Pakistan and joining the LeT," Headley told the court.

After completing a four-year sentence, he got involved in smuggling drugs between 1992 and 1998 and visited Pakistan during that period.

‘Tahawwur Rana didn’t approve of my association with LeT’

He also claimed Tahawwur Rana — a Pakistan Canadian who operated an immigration business in Chicago, USA — knew about his association with the LeT but did not approve of it.

 “Rana knew about my association with the LeT. I informed him about the training imparted by me to LeT operatives. I told Rana that I was spying for the LeT. This was four to five months before the 26/11 attacks."

"Rana objected to my association with them. He did not want me to continue using his office in Mumbai. I started to close down the office. This was in July 2008," he said.

'No questions about my wife'

However, Headley refused to answer questions pertaining to his wife as the defence questioned him on whether his wife, Shazia, knew of his involvement with the Lashkar-e-Toiba, the group that has been blamed for the attack.

“Shazia is still my legally wedded wife. I do not want to disclose Shazia's location at present. I do not want to answer any question about my wife Shazia," he said.

He said his wife had never visited India but admitted that he had told her about his involvement with the LeT.

"Shazia never visited India. Originally she's from Pakistan. I had told Shazia about my association with LeT. I don't remember when I told her, at least not immediately."

He also admitted his wife knew about his plans to change his name.

"She knew that I was going to change my name from Dawood Gilani to David Coleman Headley," he said.

However, he refused to answer any more questions about his wife.

"Her reaction to this is between me and her. It is our personal relationship. I don't want to disclose whether she objected or not or what she said. I am not going to share what happened between me and my wife."

Tahawwur Rana, who knew Headley from military school, has been sentence by a court in the US for providing material support in the Mumbai attacks that killed 166 and supporting a plotted strike aimed at a Danish newspaper in 2013. — Agencies