CHICAGO, May 26 (UPI) -- A defendant in the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks told a Chicago court Thursday he mistakenly told his friend, Tahawwur Rana, about the plot.
Pakistani-American David C. Headley, a co-defendant in the Thanksgiving massacre in India's financial capital, in his fourth day of testimony told Rana's attorney, Charlie Swift, he went against the training he received from Pakistani terrorists in divulging the plot to Rana, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Headley testified Wednesday in Rana's U.S. federal court trial he got espionage training from non-commissioned officers with the Pakistani spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate, The New York Times reported. He told the court he used his ties with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to attend LeT terror group training camps in Pakistan.
Headley, who has confessed to his role in plotting the Mumbai attacks that killed 163 people, including six Americans, said as an informant for the DEA he was asked to infiltrate Islamic extremist groups and that he used it as a cover to attend training camps of Lashkar-e-Toiba, which India says masterminded the Mumbai attacks.
Pakistan has denied the ISI had any role in the Mumbai killings. Headley, a high school friend of Rana, agreed to testify to avoid the death penalty.
Prosecutors say Rana used his immigration consulting business as a front to help Headley scout out Mumbai. Rana's lawyers say he was duped by Headley, the Times reported.
During cross-examination by Rana attorney Charles Swift, Headley said he went to Pakistan for the DEA in 1999 and began his LeT training after 2002.
When asked about his former wife telling the FBI she believed her husband was plotting with terrorists, Headley was quoted as saying he had been instructed by the drug agency to visit their mosques.
He replied "yes" when asked if he had told the agency not to worry about his activities as he was working for them.
Swift also asked him about a Maj. Iqbal, earlier identified by Headley as his ISI handler. Headley said he had met Iqbal on a military base and also saw him traveling numerous times in military vehicles. He said Iqbal also was not impressed with his LeT training and arranged ISI training for him.
Indian media reports have indicated Headley's testimony confirms India's charges that ISI elements were involved in the Mumbai attacks. The reports say the prosecution in the case has provided sufficient documentation to support Headley's testimony.
