By IANS,
New Delhi: Investigators probing terror suspects David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana’s movements believe there will be more revelations in the coming days following disclosures by the FBI that the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) had also targeted the Somnath temple in Gujarat, certain Bollywood stars and Shiv Sena leaders in Mumbai.
The three possible targets were revealed for the first time by the FBI in a footnote to the fresh evidence and charge sheet submitted by it against Pakistani-Canadian Rana, whose bail plea hearing is scheduled for Tuesday in a Chicago court.
“There will be more exposes. The FBI has revealed this in a footnote to their 10-page fresh affidavit and obviously they (FBI) have been successful in gleaning out information,” said intelligence sources.
“Let us wait for some more days.”
During a conversation Sep 7, 2009 between Rana and Headley, the two discussed four targets – Somnath temple and Denmark, Bollywood and Shiv Sena and also the Indian National Defence College in New Delhi, according to papers filed by prosecutors.
The LeT was planning to carry out strikes with the help of Rana and Headley, Chicago-based residents of Pakistani origin, the FBI has said.
India will seek access for the interrogation and extradition of Headley after the National Investigation Agency completes its probe into the duo’s links with the 26/11 terror attack that left 166 people dead and 244 injured.
Home Secretary G.K. Pillai is already on record stating that the NIA will continue its efforts to seek access for interrogation and extradition of Headley.
The FBI has charge sheeted Headley for conducting “extensive surveillance of targets in Mumbai for more than two years” preceding the 26/11 terrorist attack in Mumbai.
Headley figured in the Rajya Sabha Tuesday with the Communist Party of India-Marxist demanding the government clarify how he had been able to travel in India almost at will.
“There are reports that Headley was an undercover American. Did the US inform us about this? Were our intelligence agencies aware of this,” CPI-M member Brinda Karat asked while raising the issue during zero hour in the Rajya Sabha.
“Why have Indian investigators been denied access to Headley when the US was given access to Ajmal Amir Kasab (the lone Pakistani gunman captured alive during the Nov 26-29, 2008, Mumbai attacks),” she wondered.
“Was this because this would expose the Frankenstein underbelly of the US intelligence agencies,” she asked.