The David Headley Trial

[Bang Galore]

By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Published: March 16, 2010


WASHINGTON — A Chicago man accused of helping to scout out Mumbai, India, in preparation for a rampage by a Pakistani terrorist group that left 163 people dead in 2008 is expected to plead guilty on Thursday.

The man, David C. Headley, who was arrested in October, has also been charged with plotting to attack a Danish newspaper that published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in 2005 that outraged many Muslims.

Mr. Headley pleaded not guilty when charged, but he has since been cooperating with government officials. He has been tied to high-level figures in the Pakistan-based militant group responsible for the Mumbai attacks.

On Tuesday, an order was docketed in federal court in Chicago scheduling a change-of-plea hearing in the case for Thursday.

Dean Boyd, a Justice Department spokesman, said that until Mr. Headley entered his plea, he could not comment about whether and how the charges against him would be reduced in exchange for his cooperation.

The Obama administration has held out Mr. Headley’s cooperation with the government as an example of the ways in which the civilian criminal justice system can be an appropriate tool in handling terrorism-related cases. Some Republicans have criticized the administration for not using military commissions more frequently.

Terror Suspect Likely to Change Plea - NYTimes.com
Guilty Plea in Mumbai Attacks - WSJ.com
The Associated Press: Court: Chicago man in terror case to change plea

 

[Bang Galore]

Court: Chicago man in terror case to change plea

CHICAGO — A Chicago man accused of scouting out the Indian city of Mumbai before the 2008 terrorist attack that left 166 people dead and plotting to attack a Danish newspaper has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges, a court said Tuesday.

David Coleman Headley is scheduled for a change of plea hearing Thursday before U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber, the court said in a one-paragrah filing. It gave no details about what charges Headley would plead to or whether he would cooperate with prosecutors in exchange for lenience at sentencing.

Headley pleaded not guilty in January to 12 counts, including six that charge a conspiracy to murder and maim people in India and provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. The maximum sentence is the death penalty.

Headley's attorney, John Theis, said he and his client "have been in discussions with the government" and Thursday's action would reflect the results. He declined to comment further.

Randall Samborn, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office, also declined to comment.

Headley, 49, is accused of going to Mumbai to lay groundwork for the November 2008 rampage that the government blames on the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba. The group is antagonistic toward India because of a dispute over the territory of Kashmir.

FBI agents arrested Headley at O'Hare International Airport on Oct. 3 as he was about to board a plane for Philadelphia. The government says he was believed to be headed to Pakistan afterward to confer with collaborators.

Headley is accused of scheming to launch a terrorist attack on a Danish newspaper, Jyllands Posten, which in 2005 published a dozen cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad that were highly offensive to Muslims. That attack never happened.

Three other men are charged along with Headley.

Chicago businessman Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 49, has pleaded not guilty to charges in connection with both the Danish cartoons case and the Mumbai attacks. He could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted of the most serious charges.

Two other men, retired Pakistani military officer Rehman Abdur Hashim Syed and accused terrorist leader Ilyas Kashmiri, also are charged in connection with the planned attack on the newspaper. Their whereabouts are unknown, although the indictment said Kashmiri has been in Pakistan's tribal areas, home to various terrorist groups.

Headley is the son of an American mother and Pakistani father. His name at birth was Daood Gilani, but he had it legally changed to make it easier to get through customs without questions, according to federal prosecutors.

 

[Martian]

Headly has been publically declared as an agent of US Drug Enforcement Agency in the past. Who knows about his present status with US intelligence. He may be on an assgnment with Lashkar.

By the way OBL also had relationship US CIA during 1980s.

 

[Bang Galore]

A US citizen has pleaded guilty to scouting targets for the 2008 attacks on the Indian city of Mumbai.

David Headley, at his trial in Chicago, also admitted plotting to attack a Danish newspaper that published a cartoon many Muslims deemed offensive.

Headley, 49, had denied the charges but changed his plea to avoid the death penalty or extradition to India, Pakistan or Denmark.

The attacks on Mumbai in November 2008 left more than 170 people dead.

'Valuable intelligence'

In changing his plea, Headley admitted 12 counts of conspiracy.

Prosecutors will therefore ask for a lesser sentence, but US District Court Judge Harry Leinenweber said Headley could still be jailed for life.

US Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement: "Not only has the criminal justice system achieved a guilty plea in this case, but David Headley is now providing us valuable intelligence about terrorist activities."

Prosecutors said Headley, a Pakistani-American, had made several surveillance trips to India and Denmark.

According to court documents, he passed on information to his contacts with the Pakistan-based Islamic militant group, Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The group has been blamed for organising the Mumbai attacks.

Headley was arrested by FBI agents in Chicago in October while trying to board a plane for Philadelphia.

He is alleged to have told prosecutors that he had been working with Lashkar-e-Taiba since 2002.

He was first charged with plotting to attack the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten after they angered Muslims by publishing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

Headley changed his name from Daood Gilani in 2006 after he was told by members of Lashkar-e-Taiba that he would be travelling to India to carry out surveillance duties for the group, prosecutors said.

BBC News - US citizen David Headley admits role in Mumbai attacks
Headley, Accused of Aiding Terrorists, Pleads Guilty (Update2) - BusinessWeek

 

[PakSher]

Old news. Who cares.

 

[Chanakyaa]

Old news. Who cares.

No This Isnt Old..

But He is Negotiating with Prosecution to get the Punishment Lighter.
The Billion Dollar qs. is after its Official that He was a culpret in 26/11 will Indian authorities be able to Question Him ?