NEW DELHI: Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed is very close to Pakistani intelligence agency ISI and all Lashkar-e-Taiba activities are reported to him, David Coleman Headley is expected to tell a special court in Mumbai through a video link on Monday.
The prosecution is hopeful that Headley, the 26/11 attacks conspirator who was allowed to turn approver, will reveal the names of the wanted terrorists and Pakistani state actors behind the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
“The evidence from David Headley is important for two reasons. One is Indian terrorist Abu Jundal, who was trained in Pakistan and against whom trial is pending. The second aspect would be why the conspiracy was hatched, who the persons behind the criminal conspiracy were and how it progressed with ultimately a huge death toll of more than 160 persons.
“He is going to make the revelations as he had made a commitment before the American court,” Senior Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said.
The Pakistani American, who was also an infomer of the US Drug Enforcement Agency, played an essential role in planning the horrific terrorist attacks. A US court had said that his reconnaissance of the attack sites had contributed to the deaths of approximately 164 men, women, and children, and injuries to hundreds more.
Headley had told the Nation Investigation Agency officials who quizzed him in the US that Saeed was aware of his activities and without his approval 26/11 could not have happened, sources said.Headley had also revealed that Saeed, Nasar Javed and Abdur Rehman Makki would regularly visit LeT’s Muridke camp and hold classes for attackers.Headley is also learnt to have revealed that Saeed had tried to settle a marital dispute between him and his estranged wife Faiza.
“I told him since I had been busy with LeT’s operational activities, it would be difficult for me to concentrate on Faiza’s issue, which he agreed. Hafiz Saeed told me that Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackerey needed to be taught a lesson. I requested to be given six months’ time to complete my work on Bal Thackerey,” Headley is said to have told his NIA interrogators.
In 2010, Headley had told the Nation Investigation Agency that every LeT operative was handled by some ISI official and his handlers were Major Iqbal and Major Sameer Ali. He was introduced to Major Iqbal’s boss, Lt Col Hamza, during the planning of the attacks and assured all financial help, according to the Nation Investigation Agency.
New revelations could unmask some more Pakistani state actors behind the terror attacks. “He has clearly mentioned the role of the ISI officials who have a profound influence and great control over LeT top brass. He further stated that he used to separately brief his ISI handler after each reconnaissance visit to Mumbai. He also carried out certain reconnaissance tasks for his 151 handlers,” an NIA report said.