The Curious Case of Daood Gilani alias David Headley & co

[Bhaskar]

If he's read the Kaoboys of RAW, then he's probably been visiting BRF and porky-dorky forum too.

scary but true... Not just him... others like him might be among us as well.

[ramana]

Big Butt family was invited by Vatican for religious tol. conference. Someone must have recommended them

Please post links on this to get time line.

I think we need to relook at the whole Mumbai terrorist attack thru the new insights from the Headley/Rana angle and Bhatt's fascinating viewpoint that Headley was an American/gora. What does all this mean? Also note after the 26/11 attack Headley goes back to India to do more of the same in other places. What gives him the confidence he wont be fingered?

[Lalmohan]

ramana

this is not new or surprising. literature on al qaeda has long talked of sophisticated, westernised, taqqiya imbibing muslims who can pass themselves off comfortably as cosmopolitan world savvy business men. these men, who are less suspicious to the ordinary pandu since they are 'gentlemen' and 'rich' and possibly 'gora'/'phoren', can easily gather intel, plan and recon for the controllers sitting in comfortable drawing rooms whilst disturbed unbalanced psycho foot soldiers rush for their 72. some of this has been well portrayed in western movies, e.g. the traitor

headley certainly, and possibly rana (thanks to his passport) fit the bill. they felt untouchable since they had for long wandered unchallenged into many layers of Indian society. possibly they bought their way out of trouble in the past. no doubt they were living the 007 fantasy on one hand and maalishing the fervour of jihad with the other.

western analysts have written about the profiles of the people they are looking for, many of these articles referenced here on BRF in the past. its the smarter, educated pakistani male rather than the bearded loony who is more dangerous

[chetak]

Big Butt family was invited by Vatican for religious tol. conference. Someone must have recommended them

Please post links on this to get time line.

I think we need to relook at the whole Mumbai terrorist attack thru the new insights from the Headley/Rana angle and Bhatt's fascinating viewpoint that Headley was an American/gora. What does all this mean? Also note after the 26/11 attack Headley goes back to India to do more of the same in other places. What gives him the confidence he wont be fingered?

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city ... 079058.cms

Mahesh Bhatt, Pooja get Pope's invite to Vatican
TNN, 2 October 2009, 04:11am IST

[ramana]

Thanks chetak. So the invite was around Oct 2009. And its a general invite to artistes from the Vatican. Might not be related.

[James B]

Headley wanted to set up terror base in Delhi: FBI

According to the documents shared by the FBI, Headley had been asked by his handler, a Pakistani army official, that he should wind up his office in Mumbai and "open up a new business centre in Delhi to be used as a cover for future activities".

[ramana]

Can we conclude Headley was liaison to TSP non-state actors group?

[pgbhat]

^ ofcourse.
x-post from Internal Security Watch thread.
‘ISI, LeT getting Indian jihadis together in Karachi for attack’

The ISI has put together a team of Indian jihadis in Karachi, and is waiting to launch them into the country on a terrorist project, alleged terror suspects David Coleman Headley and Mohammad Amjad Khwaja have told their interrogators.

Headley was arrested by the FBI in Chicago in October last year, and is accused of recceing Mumbai and other Indian cities for the Lashkar-e-Toiba as part of the preparations for 26/11. Khwaja, belonging to the Harkat-ul Jihad-i Islami, was arrested on January 18, and is being held in Hyderabad.

Khwaja is understood to have revealed that he met alleged Indian Mujahideen terrorists Amir Raza Khan and Riyaz Bhatkal in Karachi, both of whom are staying in the city’s Defence enclave, probably under the ISI’s protection.

Khwaja, who visited Mecca and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia before he was arrested, is believed to have confessed to planning the October 2005 attack on the STF office in Hyderabad, but has been silent on his suspected role in the Mecca Masjid and Gokul Chat blasts in 2007.

Khwaja is learnt to have provided details of HuJI operations in Bangladesh, and the outfit’s coordination with Lashkar leaders based in Manshera and Muridke in Pakistan. The Hyderabad Police are expected to approach the court for permission to carry out a narco test on him shortly.

Meanwhile, a team of officers from Bangalore are also expected to interrogate Khwaja in connection with his revelations on Riaz Bhatkal, who, along with his brother Iqbal, are believed to have joined hands with hardline elements from the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) to carry out the bombings attributed to the Indian Mujahideen between 2006 and 2008. Much of the planning and preparation for these attacks took place at the port town of Bhatkal near Mangalore.

Khwaja is of interest to the Karnataka Police also on account of his alleged interaction with Amir Raza Khan, the gangster-turned-jihadi who is believed to have played a crucial supporting role in Indian Mujahideen operations.

[Muppalla]

Fugitive emerges as 26/11 suspect

Based on information provided by India’s intelligence services, as well as interviews with arrested jihadists, the police believe the Indian national in the Lashkar’s control room could be Syed Zabiuddin Syed Zakiuddin Ansari, a Lashkar-linked Maharashtra resident who has been a fugitive since 2005.

[chetak]

Can we conclude Headley was liaison to TSP non-state actors group?

Are we still making this distinction, saar?

[ramana]

If this conclusion is accepted then next question will be on whose behalf?

[chetak]

If this conclusion is accepted then next question will be on whose behalf?

ramana ji, not quite following you there.

[Patni]

Intelligence in Catch-22 over newspaper terror suspect

Intelligence in Catch-22 over newspaper terror suspect
Monday, 01 February 2010 11:52 RC News

Denmark is in a legal dilemma in the case against the man suspected of plotting to bomb Jyllands-Posten newspaper’s offices

National intelligence service PET may be unable to provide crucial information on the terror plot against Jyllands-Posten newspaper to US prosecutors, reports Politiken newspaper.

The case against David Headley, the Pakistani-American charged with plotting to blow up the newspaper’s offices in Copenhagen, is currently ongoing in the US. Federal prosecutors have indicated they may seek the death penalty for Headley, if he is found guilty. He is also being charged in connection with the deadly bomb attacks in Mumbai, India in 2008.
American authorities will probably rely on PET for information – certainly that pertaining to the Jyllands-Posten part of the case, but also additional records of any phone calls or communication made to other people that the FBI believes have connections to terrorist organisations.

However, Denmark’s policy is that it does not extradite persons who may risk being sentenced to death, nor does it provide evidence to foreign authorities that may hand down a death sentence to a convicted criminal.

‘We naturally cannot offer legal help with a view to a death penalty being implemented,’ the Justice Ministry wrote in an email to Politiken.

Headley, who changed his name in 2006 from Daood Sayed Gilani, is charged with 12 terrorism-related counts in all – six of which could result in the death penalty.

‘There are different punishments allotted for different crimes, and for several of the charges Headley is facing, he could face the death penalty,’ said Randall Samborn, spokesman for the US State’s Attorney’s office.

PET had indicated from the very first press release on the Headley case in October that it would willingly cooperate with US authorities in the investigation.

But legal experts believe even the passing on of seemingly banal information by PET could be problematic for Denmark, as there is no way to assess in advance whether a piece of information may have been used to enforce capital punishment.

PET itself would not comment on the exchange of information, pointing only to the Justice Ministry’s position on court evidence to be given to countries that employ the death penalty.

IMHO the case is being made to avoid giving Headley a death sentence!! I fully expect more noise on same lines to come out next from EU. Will be interesting to see if ultimately Indian authorities will be asked to provide substantial proof to make the charges stick against him in US court!

[Gagan]

Also it will be interesting to note the effect Daood Gilani's trial has on the pakistani 7 trail in Rawalpindi.
I suppose the recent framing of charges is because Daood Gilani in US custody has put fire to pakistani musharrafs because now there is another source to corroborate what Kasab has said.

That being said, the pakistani still will be trying to acquit Lakhvi and the others, or give them a slap on the wrists by a few years in jail at the most.

Or the pakistanis want some concessions from India in lieu of convicting the 7 - perhaps this is driving the "we must talk to pakistan" stories doing the rounds in nai dilli.

[Patni]

I suspect that all those "Diplomatic friends" that Headley charmed up in Mumbai Golf Club during his stay in Mumbai, would be traced back to US/EU countries, but I am sure it wont come out in public record. Now it makes more sense why would Headley befriend a gym instructor Vilas Warak! The Moksh gym with its location, exactly Opposite The American Consulate at Breach Candy, will serve as ideal place to hang out for hours and plenty of opportunity to rub shoulders with diplomatic crowd, seeing that almost all western consulate in Mumbai are within a square kilometre area there. So a real target rich environment and who else would be better then the instructor to introduce you to "interesting" members! He had his cover perfect as claiming to work for an immigration company to not to raise suspicion about wanting to know which diplomat works out in moksh!

[Patni]

Right on the cue!!! I knew it there is going to be orchestrated sound bites which will start to surface to slowly make case for not hanging Headley!

Death Penalty Or Terrorism

February 2nd, 2010 by Fred Stopsky · No Comments

The death penalty is still applied in most states in America which raises interesting questions when terrorist suspects are arrested in European nations which have ended such punishments. David Headley, a Pakistani-American is accused of plotting to blow up a newspaper in Copenhagen, and American investigators have indicated they will need information from the Danish secret service, PET. Headley is also believed to have involved in the Mumbai bombing in India which resulted in the killing of several people. PET authorities have indicated the American request for information concerning the suspect creates a dilemma since Danish law not only does not allow the death penalty, but forbids sending someone to another nation which allows such punishment.

PET has made clear that although it is willing to cooperate with American investigators, it can not give information that results in a suspect being sentenced to death. Isn’t it about time the United States joins the civilized world and ends the use of death as punishment?

And now wait for Desi media to pick up and run with it in ToI etc. all.

[R Vaidya]

I do not know if already posted/ known.
Rahul bhatt is married to Sarika the daughter of Satish Sharma the all powerful man friday of the first family.
http://www.outlookindia.com/glitterati.aspx?468
Chances of Rahul Bhat being harshly questioned is remote!
That is why he is treated with kid gloves.
Plus there was news item on Rahul gandhi partying whole night during the Mumbai massacre day two - along with Rahul Bhatt etc for the marriage party of Samir Sharma who is Sarika brother
R Vaidya

[sum]

I do not know if already posted/ known.
Rahul bhatt is married to Sarika the daughter of Satish Sharma the all powerful man friday of the first family.
http://www.outlookindia.com/glitterati.aspx?468
Chances of Rahul Bhat being harshly questioned is remote!
That is why he is treated with kid gloves.
Plus there was news item on Rahul gandhi partying whole night during the Mumbai massacre day two - along with Rahul Bhatt etc for the marriage party of Samir Sharma who is Sarika brother
R Vaidya

Wow...nice find, Vaidya-ji.
everything seems to be connected to the Gandhi khandaan these days!!

[R Vaidya]

Rahul bhatt is married to Sarika who is daughter of Satish Sharma. Family courtier of the first family. See above.
Now Rahul gandhi partyied whole night when people were butchered- by Rahul Bhatt's close lovable friend Gilani's goons- on day two of Mumbai massacre for the marriage of Sarika's brother.
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story ... risis.html
The opposition in India is Napumsak_ no aspersion on Brihannala.

[R Vaidya]

Given the fact thatRB is son in law of the powerful Satish Sharma very close to first family and Headley was introduced to the mighty by RB
-- did Headley meet any one from the family?Afterall RB felt Headley part of the family.
Is Unkil not allowing NIA to interrogate Headley or NIA unwilling.?
When our cops went to Chicago were they told from India to return?
Also did RB knew Headley earlier and RB family connection helped headley get his visa?
Large number of unanswered questions?
Will opposition ask NIA report to be placed in Parliament?
R Vaidya

[milindc]

Rahul bhatt is married to Sarika who is daughter of Satish Sharma. Family courtier of the first family. See above.
Now Rahul gandhi partyied whole night when people were butchered- by Rahul Bhatt's close lovable friend Gilani's goons- on day two of Mumbai massacre for the marriage of Sarika's brother.
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story ... risis.html
The opposition in India is Napumsak_ no aspersion on Brihannala.

Honestly, the only reason I researched this is because I speculate that Rahul Bhatt has slept with Headley. The way he was fawning for Headley reminded me of a teen girl infatuated with Ranbir Kapoor. Gora American agent with muscles and is a fitness freak

Now the Rahul Bhatt who is married to Sarika is this Kashmiri guy (a TV producer)

[Muppalla]

I do not know if already posted/ known.
Rahul bhatt is married to Sarika the daughter of Satish Sharma the all powerful man friday of the first family.
http://www.outlookindia.com/glitterati.aspx?468
Chances of Rahul Bhat being harshly questioned is remote!
That is why he is treated with kid gloves.
Plus there was news item on Rahul gandhi partying whole night during the Mumbai massacre day two - along with Rahul Bhatt etc for the marriage party of Samir Sharma who is Sarika brother
R Vaidya

This is a great find and that is why BR addiction only increases. I wrote a three line CT on this thread(may be Mumbai thread) a long time ago. In less that 30 seconds that was deleted by a BRadmin and I did not complain either as I understood that we should not pursue the discussions in such direction. More and more I read these connections, I feel strong about my theory (CT).

[svinayak]

I do not know if already posted/ known.
Rahul bhatt is married to Sarika the daughter of Satish Sharma the all powerful man friday of the first family.
http://www.outlookindia.com/glitterati.aspx?468
Chances of Rahul Bhat being harshly questioned is remote!
That is why he is treated with kid gloves.
Plus there was news item on Rahul gandhi partying whole night during the Mumbai massacre day two - along with Rahul Bhatt etc for the marriage party of Samir Sharma who is Sarika brother
R Vaidya

This is a great find and that is why BR addiction only increases. I wrote a three line CT on this thread(may be Mumbai thread) a long time ago. In less that 30 seconds that was deleted by a BRadmin and I did not complain either as I understood that we should not pursue the discussions in such direction. More and more I read these connections, I feel strong about my theory (CT).

///EDITED???

This is one of the simple ways of befriending gullible Indians around the world. We had another Paki who was in BR meeting trying to link on emails.We had one regular gora person in the company who revealed casually that in his previous life he a agency man.

[ramana]

However this Rahul Bhatt is not the son of Mahesh Bhatt the film maker.

The more likely scenario is Headley/Gilani was tasked to contact a sympathizer for his cover and did contact Rahul Bhatt s/o Mahesh Bhatt. This RB is either a deluded individual or a is neck deep in the conspiracy. His role was help in recce all the targets. He is being handled with kid gloves by Police due to his high profile.

[R Vaidya]

Thanks to MilindC for that clarification that one who married Sathish Sharma daughter is not the same as one who loved Headley
Thanks a lot and I was wrong and sorry to other BRF ites
R Vaidya

[ramana]

R.Vaidyagaru,
Thanks for the admission. You set a standard for all of us to follow when we are incorrect.

[arun]

Extract from our Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s interview by CNBC-TV18’s Vir Sanghvi on Pakistani origin terrorist Daood Gilani aka David Coleman Headley.

The US’s maternal instincts of protecting the Islamic Republic of Pakistan when it comes to terrorism targeting India is far from dead with the American’s seeming to have taken our Congress party led Dr. Manmohan Singh Government yet again for a ride.

Having got access to the lone surviving terrorist of the Mumbai 26/11 attack, Ajmal Kasab, they have denied us access to Pakistani origin terrorist Daood Gilani aka David Coleman Headley.

Meanwhile our Home Minister, perhaps to make light of the denial of access by the US, claims that Pakistani origin terrorist Daood Gilani aka David Coleman Headley “has nothing to do with this puzzle” ie: 26/11 :

Pak hiding real 26/11 culprits: Govt

CNBC-TV18
Published on Sun, Feb 07, 2010 at 08:52 …………………………

Vir Sanghvi: Let me then take it to Headley, did you have any idea about this man or it even existed before the Americans told us?

P Chidambaram: No.

Vir Sanghvi: Isn’t that a failure on our part?

P Chidambaram: No.

Vir Sanghvi: The man comes here, he lives here, he does resonance and he goes back, files reports?

P Chidambaram: All that was before 26/11, he came to India only once after 26/11.

Vir Sanghvi: And we still didn’t know who he was?

P Chidambaram: He is a white, Caucasian looking person, American name, American Passport.

Vir Sanghvi: He has got his father’s name etc written on his passport?

P Chidambaram: It’s an American passport.

Vir Sanghvi: So we don’t suspect any American ever?

P Chidambaram: We do, provided there is some intelligence.

Vir Sanghvi: So isn’t that a failure that we didn’t have intelligence?

P Chidambaram: Because he didn’t do anything here after 26/11, he just came here once.

Vir Sanghvi: When we are piecing together the puzzle of what happened, this man appears to be in a large part of the puzzle yet we had no idea?

P Chidambaram: He has nothing to do with this puzzle.

Vir Sanghvi: With the 26/11 puzzle, he had no role on reckon at all?

P Chidambaram: He had a role in reckon, but he doesn’t appear in any pieces of the puzzle of 26/11 investigation. Because from what we gather through pictures, videos and that’s it, he did nothing else.

Vir Sanghvi: The other part of this Headley saga is that the American DEA sent him into Pakistan as an under cover agent, there are court records saying this, it is a matter of public record?

P Chidambaram: Much earlier there is speculation that once he changes identity or just before he changed his identity, he may have been used by one of the agencies of the US in drug enforcement.

Vir Sanghvi: This is not speculation, this is in court papers, he was let out of jail early by the DEA, the New York Times, every American papers carried this on the ground that they sending him as an under cover to Pakistan?

P Chidambaram: Americans have never admitted that.

Vir Sanghvi: They may not have admitted to you, but they newspapers have carried it, there are also court records?

P Chidambaram: The court records only show that his sentence was curtailed and he was let free.

Vir Sanghvi: This is what you thought was odd?

P Chidambaram: Why is it odd to me? It’s not odd, it’s quiet possible that he may have been used by one of the agencies.

Vir Sanghvi: You are accepting that?

P Chidambaram: I am willing to assume that.

Q Do you think he went rouge or was he working for one of the agencies?

P Chidambaram: We don’t know; we have no access to him.

Vir Sanghvi: Isn’t that in itself odd that they don’t give you access to Headley?

P Chidambaram: No, they have just reined him, there is a grand jury and there is a procedure there. We can still go to the Letter Rogatory route, please remember, the US is also governed by a tight legal system as ours; we would not give the access to the Americans to anyone here unless they go through the legal process.

Vir Sanghvi: Did we give them access to Kasab?

P Chidambaram: We did because at that time we needed the Americans very badly.

Vir Sanghvi: So is it that they don’t need us?

P Chidambaram: Not yet. If they want access to something else in India today I would ask them to go through the legal process, but the Kasab case is an exceptional case, we had to use the Americans.

Vir Sanghvi: I take the point you are making, but here you got Kasab who we gave access to and here they have Headley who they hide away from us?

P Chidambaram: I don’t think the two are counter comparable.

Vir Sanghvi: They haven’t even given many photographs of Headley?

P Chidambaram: They have. The access we gave to Kasab, they have done us quite a favor and in return for access to Kasab, they have helped us crack that case.

Vir Sanghvi: You think the case is now cracked?

P Chidambaram: I think so, but its sub judicious, so I don’t want to comment on it.

The verbatim interview transcript is available here:

CNBC-TV18

[Patni]

Terror suspect Tahawwur Rana seeks date for a pre-trial conference

PTI
Tuesday, February 9, 2010 14:29 IST

Chicago: Ahead of his February 24 hearing, LeT terror suspect Tahawwur Rana has sought a date from a court here for a pretrial conference to ensure a fair and expeditious trial for him, according to his lawyer.
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Federal prosecutors today filed an 8-page motion in US District Court asking that during Rana's February 24 status hearing, a date in March be set for the pretrial conference.

Responding to the motion, Rana through his lawyer Patrick Blegen said that a hearing "prior to the February 24 status appearance is more appropriate."

"Defendant has been in custody under extremely onerous conditions for nearly four months. No discovery has been tendered since well before the return of the superseding indictment. And, the issues to be addressed in a pretrial conference relate primarily to scheduling," Blegen said in his four-page response filed in a Chicago court today.


Objecting to the timing requested by the government, he said the conference should be held "promptly" and "a month's time should not be necessary for the government to determine what will be provided to the defence and when it will be provided".


A pretrial conference, called at the discretion of the court, is held among the opposing attorneys and the judge to narrow the issues to be tried.


Pakistani-Canadian Rana had pleaded not guilty last month to charges in the 12-count superseding indictment that allege that he provided material support to terrorist plots in Denmark and India, including the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

[Aditya_V]

I think the Rahul Bhatt who is the son of Mahesh Bhatt is different from Rahul Bhatt, son in law of Satish SHarma, Rahul Bhatt son Mahesh Bhatt was born only in 1989 and thank God for that, if MB that close to power, the Pakis will march to Delhi in 2 days.

[vera_k]

Encore?

American national detained at Delhi airport for suspected terror links

[chetak]

I think the Rahul Bhatt who is the son of Mahesh Bhatt is different from Rahul Bhatt, son in law of Satish SHarma, Rahul Bhatt son Mahesh Bhatt was born only in 1989 and thank God for that, if MB that close to power, the Pakis will march to Delhi in 2 days.

The correct spelling of our smelly friend and his ( profiting from aman ki nirasha) family's name is actually and correctly butt.

From wiki

Mahesh Bhatt was born to Nanabhai Bhatt, (1915-1999), a Hindi film director-producer. His father was a Kashmiri Hindu Brahmin (Kashmiri Pandit)

Origins

People named Butt were said to be a clan of descendants of intellectual Vedic and Dardic saints that inhabited the banks of the Saraswati River which ran dry around 2000 BC. This forced the community to migrate to Kashmir in search of "ultimate truth".[2] The river was said to run from the Pir Panjal Range in Kashmir down through Punjab and Sindh before emptying out into the Arabian Sea, closely following the path of the Indus River.
[edit]
Kashmiri Pandits

People named Butt were known as Kashmiri Pandits which traditionally refers to people within the priestly Brahmin caste of Hinduism and are speculated as being descendants of Saraswat Brahmins, who are mentioned in ancient Hindu scriptures as inhabiting the Saraswati River valley,

[Jarita]

Looks like David Headley had checked that area in Pune.
India desp. needs access to this guy.
Since he is no longer in touch with the implementors, means there has been a 3-4 months lag in receiving info and implementing.

[arun]

The involvement of “State Actors” of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has been established in the 26/11 terrorist attack on Mumbai.

The Hindustan Times has reported that the FBI has disclosed that a serving officer of the ISI holding the rank of Major was one of those directing the 26/11 terrorist attack on Mumbai.

The above information was reportedly disclosed by the Pakistani origin terrorist Daood Gilani aka David Coleman Headley who is currently in FBI custody:

Serving ISI officer among 26/11 handlers, says Headley

Abhishek Sharan, Hindustan Times
New Delhi, February 15, 2010
First Published: 00:49 IST(15/2/2010)
Last Updated: 01:01 IST(15/2/2010)

A serving major of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was among those directing 26/11 terrorists over phone from across the border, India has been told by the US’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The major was referred to by a pseudonym — Major General Sahab — in his phone conversations with the terrorists during the attacks, recordings of which are with the security agencies. …………………….

Headley’s disclosure, a security agency official said requesting anonymity, confirmed India’s stand that “state actor/s” was/were involved in the planning and execution of the Mumbai attacks. Pakistan has consistently maintained no state-player was involved. ………………..

India has been aware of this “Major General Sahab” for a while, Home Minister P. Chidambaram had told NDTV last September. But it was not known then if he was still with the ISI or was a retired officer. ………………..

Hindustan Times

[Klaus]

Why did the GoI's investigators return without interrogating Headley? My 0.02

The most probable reason is GoI struck a deal with GOTUS wherein:
1. Headley sings like a canary to his US handlers and gives info on pigLet and other non-state actor personnel's asli locations.
2. unkil takes them out using TSP's national birds at a future date.

1 and 2 are very convenient for GoI because we dont have the requisite infrastructure (and balls) for such direct strikes (without facing military losses ourselves). As long as the perpretrators are bought to justice in good time GoI can seek bliss in its ignorant slumber.

[SSridhar]

US wants Headley to be brought to justice: Roemer

Acknowledging that India and America share a “common enemy” in terror groups, the U.S. on Thursday said it wants to bring American terror suspect David Headley, charged in the Mumbai attack, to justice and make sure he pays a “severe penalty”.

The U.S. also said it will track people like Headley and other “blood thirsty” terrorists wherever they go to bring them to justice.

“Headley may well be responsible for canvassing, tracking information to pass on to attackers of Mumbai blast. This is the sort of the thing that the U.S. is extremely serious about.”

“We want, along with Indian people and Indian government, to bring him to justice and make sure he pays a severe penalty for what he has done”, Mr. Roemer said. {This essentially means there is no possibility of India getting access to Headley}

“We want Headley to cooperate. We want him to continue giving us valuable information”, he said, adding currently the process of investigation was on and was not being interrupted.

[Patni]

Rana seeks specific details of indictment against him

Posted: Thursday , Feb 18, 2010 at 1227 hrs Chicago:

Pakistani-Canadian LeT operative Tahawwur Rana has sought from prosecutors specific details about the "material support and resources" that the indictment alleged he provided to terror plots in India and Denmark, saying that he wanted to be "adequately prepared" for trial.

In a six-page motion filed in the US District Court, Northern District of Illinois here, his lawyer Patrick Blegen sought "particulars" regarding the charge in the indictment that says Rana, a Chicago-based businessman, conspired to provide material support to terrorism in India and Denmark.

The government should "identify the material support and resources" that defendant Rana and co-conspirators allegedly provided regarding the terrorism in India, the motion said.

"The charge lists 'personnel', 'tangible property', 'money and false documentation and identification'" and the government should be required to "identify, with particularity," information regarding all these, it said.

The motion further said the prosecution must also identify the material support and resources that Rana and co-defendant David Headley allegedly provided to LeT.

"The government should be required to identify, with particularity, terrorist activity which Lashkar-e-Tayyiba had engaged in or was engaging in," as alleged in the indictment, it said.

Blegen said he is seeking the information so that Rana, 49, is "sufficiently apprised" of the scope of the government's allegations and is "adequately prepared" for trial.

The information will also help "minimise or avoid undue surprise at trial and permit the defendant to successfully plead double jeopardy as a bar to later prosecution for the same offence," the lawyer said.

Rana is charged in three counts of a twelve count superseding indictment that alleged he provided some form of "material support and resources" to terrorists. Count 12 of the indictment lists "personnel, currency, tangible property, and false documentation and identification".

"Aside from generally listing broad categories of material support/resources such as personnel or false documentation, the superseding indictment fails to identify what was actually provided," Blegen said in the motion.

"For example, is the 'personnel' alleged to be defendant himself? Is the 'false documentation' a false passport? Without such particulars, trial preparation will be extremely difficult and pleading any of the counts of the indictment as a bar against double jeopardy would be impossible."

Rana's lawyer has filed five separate motions in district court that ask government to disclose all allegedly similar crimes, wrongs or acts allegedly committed by the Pakistani- Canadian on which the prosecution intends to rely at trial.

They also seek details about criminal identification and history sheet of each potential government witness and general nature of evidence authorities intend to introduce at trial. Blegen said such information is necessary to effectively represent Rana, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Rana has also sought an extension of time to file additional pre-trial motions, which were initially scheduled to be filed by February 16.

[Rangudu]

^^ The Rana lawyer knows that the prosecution is cutting a deal with Headley and want to embarass them by asking for details. The above motions by Rana are going to make it harder for the prosecution for the following reasons:

• More details would also expose TSPA roles, including names of army officers involved
• This would also force US govt to disclose details of what they knew about past attacks and potentially even situations where they did not warn India despite knowing specifics
• Headley's role as a DEA/CIA informer would also be exposed in detail

I think this is a negotiation tactic and given the extreme ends OmBaba and co are going to avoid exposing TSPA links to LeT and to 26/11 and even past or future attacks.

We cannot be surprised therefore if Rana also gets a plea deal in exchange for his silence.

[Patni]

Terror suspect held in Chicago in demand after Indian bombing

by Maggie Hyde
Feb 17, 2010

Indian officials are reportedly seeking access to a Chicago terror suspect after a bombing shook the small Indian town of Pune on Saturday.

The bombing in Pune, about 100 miles outside Mumbai, took place in a German café frequented by tourists, killing nine people and wounding about 60. The city is home to several colleges and spiritual centers.

It is unclear how Indian officials think David Headley might have been involved.

Headley is being held in Chicago on charges of helping to plan the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai and plotting to terrorize the Danish newspaper that printed cartoons of Muhammad in 2005.

After Headley pleaded not guilty to these charges in an arraignment on Jan. 27, his lawyer John Theis said he was cooperating with U.S. officials.

Randall Samborn, a spokesman for the federal prosecutor’s office in Chicago, said Headley would remain jailed in Chicago. He added that he had no comment on whether Indian officials have asked to speak with Headley.

Thomas Mockaitis, history professor at DePaul University, said he thinks the U.S. will allow Indian officials to question Headley for intelligence purposes.

“I suspect they will arrange to give [Indian officials] access,” said Mockaitis, who recently published a book on Osama Bin Laden.

He said that the access would probably involve Indian officials coming to the U.S. to question Headley instead of Headley going to India, which would require a court ruling to extradite him.

He said Headley could face more severe charges in India, and that letting Headley go could invite further criticism of the Obama administration’s treatment of terror suspects.

“For political reasons I doubt very seriously that they would be allowed to extradite him,” Mockaitis said. “There’s a pretty strong historic distrust of other judicial systems on the part of the U.S.”

Mockaitis said that intelligence sharing, such as allowing Indian officials to question Headley, is one of the most effective ways to combat terrorism.

“This is really the way to fight this international network,” he said.

A spokesman for the Indian Consulate in Chicago said that the process of gaining access to Headley was “strictly federal,” and referred questions to the Indian Embassy in Washington.

The embassy could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

[ramana]

I guess he will say
"My name is Headley and I am a terrorist".

So DDMitis is quite prevalent all over the world based on above headline.

[Patni]

I guess he will say
"My name is Headley and I am a terrorist".

So DDMitis is quite prevalent all over the world based on above headline.

Well In this case its mostly an undergrad student reporter..

Medill Reports is written and produced by graduate journalism students at Northwestern University’s Medill school.