David Headley Pardoned By Mumbai Court, Made Approver In 26/11 Case

[timmy]

David Headley is currently serving 35 years in an American prison after being convicted of being involved in the planning and execution of 26/11 terror attack. (File Photo)

MUMBAI:  A Mumbai court has pardoned terrorist David Headley, who has turned approver, or a prosecution witness, in the 26/11 case. Headley, who was an accused in the case, will reveal the details of the role he and co-conspirators played in the 2009 attacks that killed 166 people in Mumbai. Headley, who is serving a 35-year jail term in the case in the US, testified before the Mumbai court via video-conferencing today.

Here are the latest developments:

1. Accepting his role in the 26/11 attacks, David Headley, who was testifying from an undisclosed location in the US, said, "I pleaded guilty in the past to the charges in the US and I admitted I was a participant in these charges... I appear here ready to answer questions regarding these events, if I receive a pardon from this court."
2. The police wants to question Headley -- a member of Lashkar-e-Taiba, the terror group responsible for the attacks -- regarding the involvement of Pakistan army and its Inter-Services Intelligence.
3. During his questioning by officers of India's National Investigation agency, Headley allegedly said three senior Pakistan army officers played a prime role in the 26/11 attacks.
4. The same Pakistani officers were reportedly named by Lashkar terrorist Abu Jundal, the alleged mastermind of the 26/11 attacks, against whom charges were framed last month in Mumbai.
5. Pakistan has repeatedly rejected the charge that its army officers were involved in the attacks. It put seven men on trial, including Lashkar commander Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi.
6. The trial has been on for seven years, raising charges of tardiness from India.
7. Earlier this year, Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi was granted bail, creating new tensions between Pakistan and India.
8. On Wednesday, a joint statement issued by Pakistan and India during foreign minister Sushma Swaraj's visit to Islamabad said, "The Indian side was assured of the steps being taken to expedite the early conclusion of the Mumbai trial."
9. In his memoirs written from jail, Headley detailed the 2009 attack from the planning stage. He has also confessed to filming the Mumbai landmarks during an extensive reccee for the attacks. He allegedly visited Mumbai five times to prepare the ground.
10. Headley was arrested in October 2009 from Chicago while on his way to Pakistan. In 2013, he was sentenced by a US court for his role in the 26/11 attacks.