Headley said that the Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI provides “financial, military and moral support” to terror outfits LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen.
Headley, while testifying before a court via video-link from the US, said he was working for Pakistan Army and ISI besides LeT (Lashkar-i-Toiba) and that he knew about ISI official Brigadier Riyaz being the handler of LeT commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, who was key man responsible for the November 26,2008 attacks in Mumbai. When shown a photograph of Lakhvi, the Pakistan-born American LeT operative identified him.
“I was also working for ISI and had met many people from the Pakistan Army,” he told the Special Judge G A Sanap during his deposition which will resume on Wednesday.
He named three officials of the Pakistan army and ISI – Colonel Shah, Lt Colonel Hamza and Major Samir Ali - besides retired army officer Abdul Rehman Pasha who was closely working with LeT and Al-Qaeda. Headley said his assessment was that ISI and LeT were coordinating with each other.
“ISI provides financial, military and moral support to terror outfits Jaish-e-Mohammed, LeT and Hizbul Mujahideen,” he said, even though he claimed that his opinion was formed on the basis of hearsay.
Headley, who had visited Mumbai seven times to scout for targets, revealed that plans to target Mumbai had started over a year before November 26, 2008 and that LeT initially wanted to attack a conference of Indian defence scientists at Taj Mahal Hotel for which even a dummy of the hotel was prepared.
He said the LeT group as a whole is responsible for the terror attacks in India and it can be speculated that all orders come from Lakhvi since he is its “top commander”.
Headley, who had on Monday told the court that he was a “true follower” of LeT, today said ISI official Brigadier Riyaz was the handler of Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi. When shown a photograph of Lakhvi, the LeT operative identified him. The LeT operative said he had been asked by Pakistan’s ISI to recruit Indian armymen to spy for them. .
Giving details on plans to target India’s commercial capital, Headley said, “In November-December 2007, the LeT held a meeting in Muzaffarabad (in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir) which was attended by (LeT operatives) Sajid Mir and Abu Kahfa. In this meeting, it was decided that terror attacks would be conducted in Mumbai. The task of conducting recce of Taj Hotel in Mumbai was assigned to me.”
On his links with militant group JeM’s founder Masood Azhar, he said, “I know Maulana Masood Azhar as I saw him once in October 2003. He is the head of Jaish-e-Mohammed. In October 2003, there was a gathering of LeT and he was a guest speaker.”