Thaindian News

Chicago, May 24 (IANS) A key plotter of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack told a Chicago court Tuesday that he was involved in a plot by his Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and ISI handlers to assassinate Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray.

Resuming his testimony in the trial of his one-time friend Pakistan-born Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana, Pakistani American David Coleman Headley said he had scouted the headquarters of the Shiv Sena, which he described as a terrorist organisation, in Mumbai before the 26/11 attack.

Headley, son of a Pakistani father and an American mother, who changed his given name of Daood Gilani in 2006 to scout targets for the attack without arousing suspicion, spoke of the hatred against Shiv Sena among his Pakistani handlers.

Headley, who has pleaded guilty to escape the death penalty, said his Pakistani handlers - Maj Iqbal of Pakistani spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Sajid Mir of the LeT - Rana and he himself shared a hatred towards Shiv Sena.

Headley also spoke of an effort to penetrate into the Shiv Sena by communicating with Rajaram Reggie, Shiv Sena’s public relations officer.

He shared these communications with Rana, Major Iqbal and Sajid and in June 2008 returned to Pakistan to meet with Major Iqbal and Sajid more than once.

An e-mail sent to Sajid indicated that Bala (Bal Thackeray) would be travelling with Reggie’s boss (Udhav Thakrey) to the US and that he could be assassinated “over here” (in the US).

Headley said he and Sajid discussed about killing Shiv Sena people. “We have discussed. This man (Reggie) was very important and would have given us access to this organization (Shiv Sena).”

Headley was also asked about several emails he sent to Rana, Major Iqbal and Sajid to confirm that Rana and he were in direct communication with the Pakistan-based men.

Headley’s hand-written diary, two pages of which were produced in court as evidence, contains telephone numbers of two Major-rank officers of the Pakistani Army among the handlers of the 26/11 attackers.

The listed names include one “Major Iqbal” and one Major ‘SM’, apparently a code name for Sajid Mir.

The diary also has the names of key Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD) operatives like Abdur Rahman Makki, who is the deputy of the outfit’s chief Hafiz Saeed.

Also listed are Wasi, Jehangir, Inam, Tehseen, Izaz M, Tahir, Manzoor and Khalid. Initials like ‘A.R’, ‘M.H’, ‘M.B’ and ‘C.B’ are also mentoned.

Most of the phone numbers mentioned are Pakistani. There are also two phone numbers of Dubai. Headley’s diary also contained a telephone number of film Maker Mahesh Bhatt’s son Rahul Bhatt, listed under the name ‘Rahul B’.