Headley’s diary names Pak Army officers,26/11 attack handlers

US prosecutors also produced as evidence in court a handwritten diary of Headley,establishing his links with the ISI and Jamaat-ud-Dawa. The diary contains telephone numbers of two Major-rank officers of the Pakistan Army,besides some others who handled the 26/11 attackers.

The diary mentions the names and Pakistani phone numbers of Major Iqbal and one Major ‘SM’ (apparently a code name for Sajid Mir). The diary also has the names of key JuD operatives like Abdur Rahman Makki,the deputy of the outfit’s chief Hafiz Saeed.

Portions of the diary — ‘Government Exhibit — DCH-5’ were presented as part of evidence by federal prosecutors before Chicago court Judge Harry D Leinenweber,who is hearing the case in the ongoing trial of 26/11 accused Tahawwur Rana.

Headley’s diary also has the name and phone number of Wasi,who had figured as one of the Pakistan-based handlers directing the 10 Pakistani terrorists who struck in Mumbai on November 26,2008.

There are a number of other names like Jehangir,Inam,Tehseen,Izaz M,Tahir,Manzoor and Khalid. Besides,there are abbreviated mentions like ‘A.R’,‘M.H’,‘M.B’ and ‘C.B’.

Most of the phone numbers mentioned are Pakistani. There are also two Dubai phone numbers.

During the first hour of the testimony on the second day,federal prosecutors were trying to prove that Headley had direct communication with Rana and his handlers in Pakistan — Major Iqbal,Sajid and Pasha. He was asked about several emails he sent to all of them.

According to Headley,he began laying the groundwork two years before the attack,with US $25,000 from Major Iqbal. LeT chief Hafiz Saeed,the mastermind behind the 26/11 attacks,motivated him to carry out the “jihad”,he said. Saeed told him that the satisfaction of one second of “jihad” is equal to “100 years of worship”.

‘Iqbal upset airport not target’

In June 2008,he said,he had gone to Pakistan and met Major Iqbal and Sajid. Headley said he had discussions with Sajid,who wanted him to go back to India by end of June and was given a list of targets for surveillance in Mumbai — the Taj,Chabad House,Maharashtra state police headquarters and the Naval head station. He said Iqbal told him that Chabad House was the front office of Mossad.

Prior to going to Mumbai,he again had a meeting with Iqbal. The latter seemed to be upset that the Mumbai airport was not included as target.

Headley also met Zaki-ur-Rehman (LeT operations commander). “He just wished me luck. For all the actions taken against the Muslims,this would be a revenge for that — this is what he meant,” Headley said.

Headley said he returned to Mumbai at the end of June and in the beginning of July,started working on the surveillance. In July,Headley returned to Pakistan,met Iqbal and gave him the briefing.

Headley said he discussed about the attackers coming to Mumbai on boat. “Sajid and I talked about the safe house that Lashkar (cadres) and I had used in the past… He confirmed the landing sites,provided the videos,photos and GPS,” he said.

Headley testified that Sajid was training the fighters. “He told me that they were training at a training facility right outside Muzzaffarbad. There were 12 people being trained in explosives,fighting in a built-up area.”

The boat route

“In September,Sajid asked me to perform an additional task. Wanted me to go to Wagah Border.” Headley said Sajid told him each of the attackers would be given “Indian phone” so that they could keep in touch. He also told Headley the Pakistanis were training the attackers at sea.

Iqbal told him the attackers would go on an Indian fishing boat since a Pakistani boat would not go that far without being detected. In October 2008,Headley said,he had another meeting with Iqbal and Sajid in Lahore. Sajid said they had they lost a boat and were planning to get another.

Return to US

Headley said he returned from Pakistan to the US in December 2008 and talked to Rana about the Mumbai attack. “I told Rana that I have been used for all these locations… I was furious what was happening.”

Sena as target

Headley said he had also scouted India’s key atomic installation BARC and had visited the Shiv Sena headquarters in Mumbai. According to Headley,Iqbal,Sajid Mir and Pasha as well as Rana and him shared a hatred towards the Sena and thought it was a terrorist outfit. He testified there was a plot to assassinate Sena supremo Bal Thackeray,with an e-mail sent to Sajid saying “Bala” would be travelling to the US and could be assassinated “over there”.

In testimony so painstaking that the judge and some jurors seemed to nod off at the mundane details,Headley described how he changed his name and used his American passport to portray himself alternately as a tourist or a businessman. He spoke so softly that the judge asked several times for him to keep his voice up. His answers often seemed more coached than spontaneous. And he became testy with prosecutors in a way that sometimes made it hard to tell which side he was on.

Headley told the judge that the ISI provided the Lashkar-e-Toiba financial,military and moral support. He assumed they worked under the same umbrella.

Prosecutor Sarah Streicker told the judge Rana knew all along what Headley was doing and “moved his business for Headley’s terror and plotting of attacks”.

On the other hand,Rana’s lawyer Charlie Swift said that Headley was “manipulative”,leading multiple lives including maintaining three wives. Swift had incidentally successfully represented Osama bin Laden’s driver in the landmark Supreme Court case that struck down the military commissions President George W Bush had established to try Guantanamo Bay detainees.

Swift also played a telephonic call between Abdur Rehman Pasha and Headley in which he made fun of Rana.

PTI,with NYT