A special court on Wednesday allowed the prosecution’s plea to make Pakistan-born American terror operative David Coleman Headley an accused in the November 26, 2008, terror attacks.
Headley will be produced before the court on December 10 via video conferencing. The court has issued summons to the authorities in the US where Headley was convicted and imprisoned for his role in the attacks.
Special Judge G.A. Sanap, who is currently presiding over the trial of Lashkar operative Syed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal in the 26/11 case, passed the order to make Headley an accused in the case.
On October 8, special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam filed an application saying that Headley should be tried along with Jundal, as the American national was not tried under the Indian law for terror conspiracy.
Headley, who was arrested by the US authorities, confessed to them about his role in the 26/11 attacks in 2010. In 2013, a US court >sentenced him to 35 years’ imprisonment for a dozen federal terrorism crimes related to his role in the Mumbai attacks.
Mr. Nikam argued that the American court, which convicted Headley under several charges for playing an active role in 26/11, was not competent to try him for offences under the Indian Penal code, especially on the charge of criminal conspiracy under Section 120B.
Headley is charged with conducting reconnaissance of target locations. Posing as an American, he made five extended trips to Mumbai — in September 2006, February and September 2007, and April and July 2008 — each time making videotapes of various potential targets, including those attacked in November 2008. After these trips he travelled to Pakistan to meet Lashkar members and hand over his surveillance material.
