Pakistani-origin Chicago resident Tahawwur Hussein Rana was today indicted by a federal grand jury here along with American citizen David Coleman Headley on charges of preparing the groundwork and providing material support for the LeT to carry out the Mumbai terror attack.
In its 12-count superseding indictment against Headley and Rana, the jury gives extensive details of the planning of the Mumbai attack by the LeT and how its leaders guided the terrorists during the four-day siege beginning November 26, 2008 that killed 166 people, including six Americans.
Headley, 49, a Pakistani American was arrested in October by the FBI and charge-sheeted on December 7, while Rana, 49, a Pakistani-Canadian, has remained in federal custody in Chicago since he was arrested on October 18 for planning a terror attack on a Denmark newspaper which had published cartoons of Prophet Mohammad.
Today's indictment contains identical charges that were slapped against Headley on December 7 and adds Rana as a defendant in three of the counts charging him with providing material support for terror plots in India and Denmark and for supporting Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Also indicted were Ilyas Kashmiri, an influential terrorist organisation leader in Pakistan, who was said to be in regular contact with al Qaeda leaders, and Abdur Rehman Hashim Syed (Abdur Rehman), a retired major in the Pakistani military, both of whom were charged in two conspiracy counts relating to the Denmark terrorism plot, the US Department of Justice said in a statement.
Today's indictment charges Kashmiri for the first time although he was identified by name in the charges filed previously against Rana, Abdur Rehman and Headley.
Rana was charged with providing material support in preparation for and in carrying out the Mumbai attacks and for the Denmark terrorism plot, besides offering material support to LeT.
No date has been set yet for Rana to be arraigned in Federal Court in Chicago. The case is assigned to US District Judge Harry D Leinenweber.
LeT was designated as a foreign terrorist organisation by the United States in December 2001.
The chargesheet said Headley played a pivotal role in the planning of the Mumbai attack by providing extensive video footage of the potential targets to his LeT handlers in Pakistan and point to point information about various routes to be taken by terrorists during the attack, including their arrival from the sea side.
In March 2008, LeT instructed Headley to take boat trips in and around the Mumbai harbour and to take surveillance video of various locations.
More than a year earlier, Headley took pictures and made video tapes of various targets in Mumbai in particular the Taj Hotel where he made detailed videos of second floor conference rooms and ballrooms. He also took videos of the Oberoi hotel.
After every surveillance trip to India, Headley went back to Pakistan to give the LeT leaders the video footage and other information he had collected during his India visit.
Headley, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges, is believed to have religiously followed the directives of his LeT handlers and tried to obtain a schedule of the future conferences at the Taj Hotel.
During one of Headley's meetings with persons associated with LeT, Member A displayed to Headley a styrofoam mockup of the Taj Mahal hotel, the charge sheet said.
In March or April 2008, LeT Member A and B provided Headley with a global positioning system (GPS) device and showed him how to operate it.
It was further part of the conspiracy that in April 2008, Headley conducted surveillance of the Mumbai harbour and surrounding areas, using the GPS device and making videotapes.
He also conducted surveillance of, among other locations, the Chhatarapati Shivaji Terminus train station.
Just ahead of the attack, Headley was asked by LeT to do further surveillance of Taj hotel and landing points for the attackers, including videotaping the route from a police station to the Taj Mahal hotel.
Both LeT Member A and Person A separately instructed him to conduct videotape surveillance of Chabad House, a Jewish community centre located in Mumbai, the charge sheet said.
Headley faces the same 12 counts that were filed against him last month — six counts of conspiracy involving bombing public places in India, murdering and maiming persons in India and Denmark, providing material support to foreign terrorist plots, and providing material support to Lashkar, and six counts of aiding and abetting murder of US citizens in India.
The Justice Department said in 2002 and 2003, Headley allegedly attended terrorism training camps in Pakistan maintained by Lashkar, and conspired with its members and others, including Rana, Kashmiri and Abdur Rehman, in planning and executing the attacks in Denmark and India.
Kashmiri and Abdur Rehman, also known as "Major Abdur Rehman" and "Pasha," were each charged with conspiracy to murder and maim persons in Denmark and for providing material support to the Danish terrorism plot. Neither of the two is in US custody, the Justice Department said.
The superseding indictment was announced by Patrick J Fitzgerald, US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Robert D Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the FBI and David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security.
The US Attorney's Office for the Central District of California and the FBI offices in Los Angeles and Washington, DC are also participating in the investigation and prosecution.
The Denmark plot was targeted against the facilities of newspaper Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten, and two of its employees, Editor A and Cartoonist A, as identified in the chargesheet.