The National Investigation Agency on Saturday urged a special court here to issue a letter rogatory to Morocco to help it further investigate the role of David Coleman Headley's second wife Faiza Outalha in the 26/11 attacks and ascertain her whereabouts.
Ms. Outalha hails from Morocco and according to the NIA, she made visits to India — first in April 2007, and then in June, July and August 2008.
Placing its arguments on taking cognisance of the charge sheet filed against Headley and eight others, including Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed, the NIA apprised Special Judge H.S. Sharma of the nine visits made by Headley to India.
Special Public Prosecutor Dayan Krishnan recounted how on each of these visits Headley would conduct reconnaissance, then go back to Pakistan to share the information gathered with his masters there, and then again return to India.
Mr. Krishnan alleged that Headley's handlers included two serving Pakistan Army officers Major Iqbal and Major Sameer Ali, besides leading lights of the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami.
According to the NIA, there was a joint conspiracy between the serving Army officers of the Pakistan establishment, the LeT and the HuJI to wage a war on India. The NIA also showed the Special Judge various documents relating to the training that Headley underwent to prepare for his mission.
Larger plan
The NIA said the conspiracy went much beyond the 26/11 attacks and there was a larger plan to target the Government of India and its citizens, foreign tourists and specifically Jewish nationals. In this respect, the prosecutor referred to Headley's reconnaissance at the National Defence College, New Delhi, Pushkar in Rajasthan, and Chabad House in Mumbai.
On Ms. Outalha, the NIA told Mr. Sharma that the agency had received approval from the government to initiate the letter rogatory process.
Mr. Sharma will hear arguments on February 4 on taking cognisance of the charge sheet and the request to investigate further the role of Ms. Outalha.
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