Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, a key LeT operative, today illustrated how his outfit had planned the 26/11 attacks and executed it after two failed attempts and gave details of the role played by ISI whose three officials he named.
Headley, who is serving 35-year prison sentence in the US for his role in the Mumbai attacks, spoke about the role of LeT founder Hafiz Saeed, another LeT commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi as well as his handler in the outfit Sajid Mir.
He gave the sequence of events leading up to the November 26, 2008 assault as he deposed before Special Judge GA Sanap via video link, in the first such case of deposition in an Indian court from foreign land.
The 55-year-old, who has turned approver in the case, revealed details about his training by LeT in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Abbottabad near Islamabad under the guidance of LeT founder "Hafiz Saeed sahab", whose picture he identified in the court, as also Lakhvi, and how he got in touch with three officers of Pakistan's ISI -- Major Ali and Major Iqbal and Major Abdul Rehman Pasha.
Headley told the court that he had changed his name from the original Dawood Gilani after instructions from the LeT commanders, including Lakhvi, and ISI officials to carry out recce in India for an attack, an "adventurous" task for him.
He also revealed that the 10 terrorists, who struck at various places in Mumbai on November 26, 2008 killing 166 people, had planned to carry out the attack twice earlier -- in September and October -- but the attempts failed. Once their boat hit a rock in the seas, because of which they lost all the arms and ammunition and had to go back to Pakistan.
"I used to treat India as my enemy. Hafiz Saeed and LeT operative Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi also saw India as their enemy," he said in his deposition which began at 7 AM.
He said he had joined the LeT after getting "influenced and motivated" by the speeches of "Hafiz Saeed Sahab".
Headley, who described himself as a "true follower of LeT, said he took his first "course" with the outfit in 2002 at Muzaffarabad and had also attended a 'leadership course' which was led by Saeed and Lakhvi.
He said he underwent 5-6 training courses in LeT camps for about two years. "Daura-e-sufa is a study course and is held in Muridke in Lahore while 'Daura-e-aam' is a preliminary military training course held in Muzaffarabad in 'Azad Kashmir' (PoK)," Headley said.
In 'Daura-e-Khas, which is a more advanced training, he was taught to handle weapons, arms, explosives and ammunition, the LeT operative said.
He said he was also given 'Daura-e-Ribat' training, an intelligence course in which setting up of safe houses and reconnaissance are taught. The center where it is taught is in Mansera, 40 miles from Abbottabad, a place in Pakistan where former Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was killed by the US.
Headley said he had wanted go to Kashmir and fight Indian troops but he was told that he was "too old" for that. "Lakhvi told me that they would use me for some other purpose," he said, adding it was to be more "adventurous" than Kashmir.
