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LeT was unhappy about not including Mumbai airport in target list: Headley

Purchased sacred thread from Siddhivinayak temple to cover attackers, David Headley tells Mumbai court.

Mumbai: Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the prime accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, continued his deposition on Friday for the fourth day before a court via video-conferencing.

Making fresh disclosures before the special court, Headley said that Lashkar-e-Taiba was unhappy for no including Mumbai airport as one of the targets in 26/11 terror attacks.

"Major Iqbal expressed disapproval of certain areas I had recced as targets. I felt that Major Iqbal was unhappy because Mumbai airport was not selected and included as one of the targets for the 26/11 attack," Headley said.

Revealing the sequence of events and planning behind the 26/11 terror attacks, Headley said he visited Gateway of India, Cuffe Parade and Worli to select the landing site for attackers and later finalised Badhwar Park in Cuffe Parade.

“Cuff Parade was selected as a landing site because the area is covered with shanties and hutments from the main road, and hence he thought it would give tactical advantage to the terrorists,” said Headley.

"In May 2008, I visited US. I could not meet Tahawwur Rana (Headley's business partner), but I spoke with him on the phone. I said that I had gone to India and selected landing site," he said.

Headley said that LeT commander Zaki-ur-Rehman wanted to finalise Gateway of India as the landing site for the 10 terrorists as it was very close to the Taj hotel.

"I, however, said it was not a good idea as the attackers would be required to go through Gateway of India by crossing naval installation and they could be detected. Zaki Sahab and others agreed to my suggestion," he said.

"When Zaki Sahab saw the targets I had selected, he said this was very important and has to be done properly. Zaki Sahab said surveillance for the attacks should be done properly. He said this would give a chance to take revenge for all the bomb blasts India had done in the past in Pakistan. Zaki Sahab wished me good luck," he said.

Headley told the court that he also visited Siddhivinayak temple and had purchased red and yellow sacred threads as a cover for the 10 attackers so that people would think they were Hindus.

"Nobody asked me to do so. I saw a man selling it outside the temple, so the thought occurred to me. After I returned to Pakistan, I gave those wrist bands to Sajid Mir and explained to him that practising Hindus in India wear this and hence, it would be a good idea if the ten gentlemen (attackers) also wear it as it would look like they are Hindus," he said.

"I discouraged them (LeT) about Naval air station and Siddhivinayak temple as targets as then all the ten attackers would have had to concentrate on one target only," he added.

He told the court that the idea to divide the ten terrorists in different groups was also discussed in one of the meetings in Pakistan.

In further disclosures, 55-year-old Headley said that after he had recced Mumbai, he had several meetings in Pakistan with LeT leader Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, Sajid Mir, Abu Kahfa and Abdul Rehman Pasha and Major Iqbal.

Headley also said that during his last visit, he had purchased five books from a shop at the Taj Hotel.

"During the same visit I also visited the Nalanda book shop inside Taj Hotel where I purchased five books. One of the books was 'Indian Army Vision 2020'. I was interested to know the progress of the Indian Army in the future," he said.

When Judge G A Sanap asked Headley why he had purchased the other four books, he said, "The other books were pictorial and beautiful, hence I purchased them. There is nothing sinister about those books. The first book was sinister."

Headley said that Chabad House was selected by LeT as a target as it was an international location where Jewish and Israeli people were staying.

“Lakhvi emphasised that surveillance for 26/11 attacks should be done properly as this was a chance to take revenge for all bomb blasts India had done in the past in Pakistan,” Headley told the court.

Giving details of other possible targets, Headley said ISI wanted him to recruit someone from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) to get classified information.

"I visited and videographed BARC at Mumbai's Trombay in July 2008 and had handed over the video to Sajid Mir and Major Iqbal in Pakistan,” said Headley.

Headley told the court that he was interested in developing close relations with a Shiv Sena member as he thought that LeT would be interested in future to either attack Sena Bhawan or assassinate its head.

On Thursday, Headley had said that ISI was helping different terror outfits in Pakistan and was providing financial, military and moral support. His India trips were also sponsored by ISI to conduct reconnaissance of possible targets.

The LeT operative also said that RBI has turned down a request to open a bank account for their office in India.

Headley told the court that LeT had planned attacks on the famous Akshardham Temple to avenge the Babri Masjid demolition.

Headley is serving a 35-year prison sentence in the US for his role in the Mumbai attacks, in which 166 people were killed.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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