 "26/11 case: David Headley says ready to depose if he receives pardon")
Pakistani-American terrorist David Headley today told a court here that ISI and LeT wanted to target Mumbai airport and Naval air station during the 26/11 terror attack, and that he had videographed Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and was asked to recruit someone from there to work with the Pakistani spy agency.
He added that Al-Qaeda leader Ilyas Kashmiri asked him to recce National Defence College in Delhi as it was a primary target for the outfit.
He added that Al-Qaeda leader Ilyas Kashmiri asked him to recce National Defence College in Delhi as it was a primary target for the outfit.
Testifying via video-link from the US, he also told the court he was interested in developing close relations with Shiv Sena member, Rajaram Rege, who was the PRO of Uddhav Thackeray, as he thought that LeT would be interested in future to either attack Sena Bhawan or assassinate its head.
"Major Iqbal expressed disapproval of certain areas I had recced as targets. I felt that Major Iqbal was unhappy because Mumbai airport was not selected and included as one of the targets for the 26/11 attack," Headley said.
Headley said he had videographed BARC at Trombay in Mumbai in July 2008 and that LeT had asked him to recruit some employee of BARC who would work for ISI.
"I also visited and videographed BARC. Major Iqbal told me that in some future date I should recruit some employee of BARC who would give us classified information and would be ready to work for the ISI," Headley said, adding that he had handed over the video to Sajid Mir and Major Iqbal.
In further disclosures, 55-year-old Headley, who recently turned approver in the 26/11 case, said that after he had recced Mumbai, he had several meetings in Pakistan with LeT leader Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, Sajid Mir, Abu Kahfa and Abdul Rehman Pasha and Major Iqbal.
Headley revealed that during his last visit to Mumbai in July 2008, prior to the 26/11 attacks, he had surveyed and videographed the Chabad House in south Mumbai.
"I don't know who was staying there. Sajid Mir and Pasha asked me to survey this place and said that it was an international location as it had Jewish and Israeli people," he said.
He further disclosed that during this visit, he had also gone to Siddhivinayak temple and made a video of it.
"I purchased the red and yellow wrist bands.... I forget the name of it. I thought that the ten youths could wear it as a cover so that people would think they were Indians.
"Nobody asked me to do so. I saw a man selling it outside the temple, so the thought occurred to me. After I returned to Pakistan, I gave those wrist bands to Sajid Mir and explained to him that practising Hindus in India wear this and hence, it would be a good idea if the ten gentlemen (attackers) also wear it as it would look like they are Hindus," he said.
He also visited and videographed the Naval Air Station as a possible target location.
He also visited and videographed the Naval Air Station as a possible target location.
Headley however added that he discouraged the LeT about Naval Air Station and Siddhivinayak temple as targets for the attack, as they were heavily guarded.
"I discouraged them (LeT) about Naval air station and Siddhivinayak temple as targets as then all the ten attackers would have had to concentrate on one target only," he said.
The 55-year-old also told the court that he had joined 'Moksh' gym in south Mumbai in 2006-2007 and there he had developed relations with Vilas Warke, who was in-charge of the gym, and also Rahul Bhatt, who was Vilas' friend.
"I met Rahul Bhatt through Vilas at a body building competition. Rahul's father (Mahesh Bhatt) is in the movie business," he said.
Rahul, a fitness trainer and an aspiring film actor, had been in news in 2009 following revelations that Headley, an accused in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, had befriended him.
Talking about the day of the attacks, Headley also said that he never visited the control room in Karachi from where instructions were given to the ten attackers during the 26/11 terror strikes, in which 166 people were killed and 309 injured.
Talking about the day of the attacks, Headley also said that he never visited the control room in Karachi from where instructions were given to the ten attackers during the 26/11 terror strikes, in which 166 people were killed and 309 injured.
He also identified a photograph of Ajmal Kasab, one of the ten perpetrators of the attack who was caught alive, when it was shown to him.
