Thaindian News

Washington, Oct 20 (IANS) As admitted Pakistani-American terrorist David Headley confessed to his role in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, he was desperate to see some arrests made lest he be left as the lone conspirator on the hook.

“I don’t want to keep on & I mean I know you have plenty of evidence against me but really I’m just providing you more and more evidence against me and you aren’t making any arrests,” he is heard telling Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in just released clips of his interrogation.

US federal prosecutors Wednesday released two short clips of his lengthy 14 day interrogation that the FBI did with Headley on Chicago judge Judge Harry Leinenweber’s order after a not for profit investigative journalism group, Pro-Publica, filed a court motion along with the PBS show Frontline.

Headley, son of a Pakistani diplomat and an American mother, who changed his given name of Daood Gilani to scout targets in Mumbai without arousing suspicion, is heard speaking publicly for the first time about his association with Pakistan based Lashkar-e-Taiba, held responsible for the attack, and Pakistani spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence.

In one of the tapes Headley makes an allusion to an attempt they had made with FBI directly directing him to communicate with Sajid Mir, the LeT mastermind of the Mumbai attacks and who was his close handler.

Some attempt to communicate with Mir to lure him so that he could be arrested didn’t work. He makes reference to that and gestures animatedly.

“I want some, I mean would like, I know it doesn’t matter what I want, but I’d like, from my eyes, I want some kind of bust to happen,” Headley is heard on the FBI tape as saying.

“Beacause if nothing works out then all this stuff is gonna be sitting there (gesticulates animatedly) … further… and I will be the only person you have got. You know, what I mean.”

Interrogator: “We understand you fully”

Headley: Yeah. That’s what I was thinking. Maybe it’s part of strategy, you know investigators may be working. Not nab them. Still working…

Interrogator: Something we can’t share with you as well

Headley: No I understand that (gesticulates animatedly with both hands). I am not saying what line. I mean, are we working on it?

Interrogator: We are always working

Headley: (Shakes his head) Ok, good. (Rocks chair gently). Because you know probably gonna be plus for me also and for you.

Interrogator: As we make of this (unclear) from rather useful information so far (silence) … you cooperated.

Headley gestures a high five from his right hand towards his interrogators.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)