Headley Deposition: Cross-Examination May Run for 4 Days

David Headley, accused-turned-approver in the Mumbai 26/11 attacks (Photo: altered by The Quint)

Key 26/11 plotter Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal’s lawyer on Monday informed the court that he wanted to cross-examine Pakistani-American accused-turned-approver David Coleman Headley for four days.

Also, Judge GA Sanap, on Monday directed Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam to contact US authorities, check their availability for Headley’s second round of deposition and inform the court by February 25.

Once the availability is checked, the court will fix dates for Headley’s deposition.

Meanwhile, Jundal’s lawyer, Abdul Wahab Khan also moved applications objecting to Headley being made an approver in the 2008 terror attacks case besides making pleas seeking copies of certain documents and CDs.

Earlier on February 13, the last day of Headley’s week-long deposition, the court had adjourned the case for cross-examination by Jundal’s lawyer for a future date.

Headley, who is serving a 35-year jail term in the US in connection with the terror attacks case, had made some damning disclosures about LeT and Al-Qaeda’s plans to target India, during his testimony which began on February 8.

He spilled beans on how Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI provides “financial, military and moral support” to terror outfits LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen and how LeT had planned and executed the 26/11 attacks and the role played by ISI officials, involving him too.

He also revealed that LeT had planned an attack at a conference of Indian defence scientists at Taj Mahal Palace Hotel a year before the 26/11 strikes and had even prepared its dummy.

Deposing via video-link from the US, the 55-year-old accused-turned-approver had told the court that Ishrat Jahan, who was killed in an alleged fake encounter in 2004 in Gujarat, was an LeT operative.

Headley had also revealed that Al-Qaeda was in touch with him to attack Delhi’s National Defence College and unravelled the plot by LeT and ISI to target Mumbai airport, BARC and the Naval air station.

He also visited the Indian Army’s Southern Command headquarters at Pune in 2009 on the instructions of ISI’s Major Iqbal, who wanted him to recruit some military personnel to get “classified” information, the court was told.