India is set to extradite Tahawwur Hussain Rana, an accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, from the United States. The move has once again turned attention to his close associate, David Coleman Headley — one of the key conspirators behind the deadly 2008 assault on Mumbai that claimed 166 lives, including 20 security personnel and 26 foreign nationals.
Who is David Coleman Headley?
David Coleman Headley, also known as Daood Gilani, is considered one of the masterminds behind the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. A U.S. citizen of partial Pakistani descent, Headley played a crucial role in planning and executing the attacks, according to the US Department of Justice.
In 2013, he was sentenced to 35 years in prison for his involvement in a dozen federal terrorism charges. These included his role in the Mumbai attacks and a later plot to target a Danish newspaper that had published controversial cartoons.
During his trial, Headley admitted to attending five separate terrorist training camps in Pakistan between 2002 and 2005. These camps were run by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a Pakistan-based terrorist organization that is officially designated as such by India, the United States, the United Nations, and several other countries.
In late 2005, Headley received instructions from three members of Lashkar to travel to India to conduct surveillance, which he did five times — leading up to the Mumbai attacks in 2008 that killed more than 160 people.
The Ministry of Home Affairs said, "As per available information, David Coleman Headley visited India 09 times between 2006 and 2009."
“In all these visits, he used his name as David Coleman Headley. However, in the said plea agreement, Headley라이브 바카라 own admission indicates that in February 2006 in Philadelphia, he changed his name from Daood Gilani...”
According to the chargesheet of the National Investigation Agency, Rana provided logistic, financial and other assistance to David Headley and others involved in plotting terror attacks in India.
