Day 3 Deposition
Daood Gilani aka David Headley’s deposition via video conferencing will continue tomorrow.
ISI Provides Financial Support to LeT
Special public prosecutor Nikam told the media that Headley confessed that ISI supports LeT and JeM with military, financial and moral support.
Headley also confessed to be working for ISI, where he met many people from the Pakistan army.
I was working for ISI and also met many people from Pakistani Army.
Ujjwal Nikam asked Headley who he knew in the ISI, he said Headley named Brigadier Riyaz, Colonel Shah, Lt Colonel Hamza and Major Samar Ali.
I met Colonel Shah of ISI once; I also communicated with Major Sameer Ali of ISI.
Headley added, ‘I have heard that Brigadier Riyaz is a handler for Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi’.
Mock Taj Mahal Palace Hotel
While testifying, Headley confessed that they made a mock of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.
We made a mock Taj. They were discussing the entrance and exit of the Taj Mahal Hotel and the location of convention halls. They had information there was a meeting of Indian defence scientists in the near future... the plan was to attack during the meeting.
Set Up
On 14 September 2006, Headley arrived in Mumbai to set up his office. He also stayed at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel from the 14 to the 28 of September.
In 2006, Headley also stayed as a paying guest near Breach Candy hospital, Shyam Niwas, Mumbai.
Special public prosecutor Nikam showed him the Taj Hotel guest register with signatures, Headley instantly recognized them.
Surveillance
After surveillance, Headley would discuss everything with Major Iqbal.
When he came back in 2007, Headley confesses to have done surveillances multiple times in The Taj Hotel. He added that in particular, LeT’s Sajid Mir asked that he conducted surveillances on the second floor of the Hotel when he was staying there with his wife Faiza.
Sajid Mir specifically asked Headley to conduct a surveillance of Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai.
After handing over the surveillance of the second floor of the Taj Hotel, Sajid Mir and Major Iqbal were allegedly satisfied with Headley’s videography and photography.
Multiple Landing Sites Surveilled
Multiple targets included Taj Mahal Palace Hotel (Mumbai), Naval Air station, Maharashtra Police state headquarters, Oberoi Hotel and CST were surveilled as landing sites.
In addition, a video of Bhagat Singh Marg road in Colaba was also made by Headley.
He captured ‘Leopold Cafe’ among other restaurants and shops in the area.
CST was not a target, but an exit point for terrorists, media reports.
GPS
Abu Khafa and Sajid Mir gave Headley a GPS where he could store the multiple locations he was surveilling. Of the many locations, sites in the Arabian sea were also stored on the GPS.
Once the surveillance was conducted, Headley handed over the location loaded GPS to Sajid Mir.
Headley apparently used a Sony Ericsson phone to record footage.
‘Didn’t Know It Would Be Targeted’
Headley told the Mumbai court that prior to 2007, he had taken videos and photos of the Taj Hotel but he was unaware that it was going be targeted.
In court, Headley said that the reason for attacking the Taj was for ‘logistic reasons’. When Ujjwal Nikam countered him asking what logistics, he responded saying ‘getting personnels and weapons.’
Why Mumbai?
Special prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam asked Headley why Mumbai was particularily targeted. He responded saying he didn’t know why and he didn’t do any inquiry of the same.
Tahawwur Hussain Rana
Dr. Rana, who in 2013 was sentenced to 14-years in prison for being a part of the 26/11 terror attacks by supporting LeT, apparently gave Headley permission to set-up an office in Mumbai.
Bashir Sheikh, a friend of Dr. Rana, picked up Headley from the airport in September 2006, when he first arrived in Mumbai from Karachi, Pakistan. Headley had never met Sheikh before this.