Chicago: Major Iqbal, the alleged
ISI handler of David Coleman Headley, wanted to include Mumbai
international airport in the list of targets in the 2008
terror attack, a court was told on Tuesday.
In fact, Major Iqbal expressed his disappointment when
Headley met him in Lahore in June 2008, five months before the
attack after coming to know that the airport is not planned to
be targeted.
This formed part of the testimony of Headley,
co-accused in the Mumbai attack who has pleaded guilty, during
the trial of Pakistani-Canadian Tawahhur Rana, another
co-accused.
Prior to meeting Iqbal, Headley met his LeT handler
Sajid Mir who provided him with the list of targeted sites to
which the Chabad House in Mumbai was added.
Headley said that when he met Iqbal after his meeting
with Sajid along with the list, Iqbal was very upset that
airport was not added to the list.
"He (Iqbal) told me to have a detailed surveillance and
seems to be upset that the Mumbai airport was not included,"
he said, adding that Major Iqbal approved the entire list.
Headley`s testimony today has further exposed Pakisan
Intelligence agency ISI`s role in plotting 26/11.
Headley said he was given a list of target sites for
surveillance by Sajid which included the Taj, Chabad House,
Maharashtra State Police Headquarters and the Naval Head
station. "Major Iqbal and me had discussion about the Chabad
House," he said. Sajid told Headley that Chabad House would be
added because this was the front office of Mosad(Israeli spy
agency) in Mumbai.
"Iqbal wanted to me to go back to India. He told me to
check the list being provided to me and check the landing
site. Iqbal did not give me the list. It was given to me by
Sajid," Headley said, adding that he had several meetings with
Iqbal and Sajid before returning to Mumbai.
Headley said he was given GPS and other equipments to
take shots of the sites. He completed his job as he returned
to Mumbai in end of June and early July. They also discussed
about the attackers coming to Mumbai on boat.
He confirmed the landing sites, provided him with the
videos, photos and GPS.
From Mumbai, Headley returned to Lahore again to meet
Sajid Mir and Major Iqbal for debriefing and hand over all the
photos and videos in his possession. Sajid had told Headley
about the plans to conduct a car bomb attack at National
Defense College in India.
At this meeting, Iqbal told Headley to close down his
office in Mumbai and issued instructions for this.
Other than the list of targets, Iqbal also asked
Headley to give an advertisements in local Mumbai newspapers
for recruitment of people and focus on retired military
personnel. "In the various types of job, he wanted to put in
list of security personal as he wanted that military personal
would respond to the advertisement. He asked me to engage
retired Indian military people," he said.
PTI
