The government has given sanction to the National Investigation Agency to file a chargesheet against nine persons, including Pakistani American LeT operative David Coleman Headley and two ISI officials, Major Iqbal and Major Samir Ali, for waging war against the country and plotting terror attacks, including the Mumbai 26/11 terror strike. The NIA is likely to file the chargesheet on Friday.
Top government officials said once the NIA files a chargesheet India can press for the extradition of Headley and the others. The official said since Headley had entered into a plea bargain agreement with the US during his 26/11 trial, his extradition could now be sought for the conspiracy to plot other terror strikes in the country.
As per the 108-page NIA interrogation report of Headley, the LeT operative had videographed the outer boundary of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s 7, Race Course Road residence in 2009 and carried out “detailed videography” of other key locations for “future attacks”, including the residence of the vice-president of India, the National Defence College, the Israeli embassy, India Gate, Paharganj, Raksha Bhavan, and CBI headquarters, during repeated visits to the country. Headley said all LeT actions were in “close coordination with the ISI and 26/11 mastermind Jammat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed” — who will be named in the chargesheet. NIA believes Headley had handed over these videos to the LeT and 313 Brigade of Al Qaeda under Illiyas Kashmiri.
“The NIA has collected evidence related to Headley’s stay in Delhi, Mumbai and other places where he recced future terror targets,” a government official said.
Headley’s accomplice, Tahawur Rana, LeT operational commander Zaki-ur Rahman Lakhvi, Kashmiri and LeT operatives Sajid Majid and Abdur Rehman will also be named in the chargesheet. Headley, Saeed and these six persons have been charged under Sections 121, 121 A of the IPC on charges of conspiring against India and also under Sections 16, 18 and 20 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. The two ISI officers have been charged under Sections 120, 121, 121A. However, none of the nine to be chargesheeted have been arrested by any Indian agency.