India Releases Dossiers on LeT Handlers in Headley-Rana Case, Exposes ISI Connections

By Jeralyn, Section Terror Trials
Posted on Mon May 09, 2011 at 07:59:23 PM EST
Tags: David Headley, Tahawwur Hussain Rana (all tags)

Share This: Digg!

India today released its dossiers on the five new defendants in the upcoming federal terror trial of Tahawwur Hussain Rana, charged with conspiracy in the Mumbai bombings and planned attack in Denmark. Rana will be on trial by himself, as none of the others have been arrested. David Headley, aka Daood Giliani, who was originally a defendant, will be the star witness against Rana, having cooperated and pleaded guilty in exchange for avoiding the death penalty and extradition to India or Pakistan.

The dossiers, available here, expose the connections between Lashkar e Tayyiba (leT) and Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI). [More...]

[A]ccording to the dossier released by the ministry of home affairs (MHA) in New Delhi, Major Iqbal is suspected to be an ISI officer, who was posted in Lahore during 2007 and 2008. “Major Iqbal was handling David Coleman Headley on behalf of the ISI for the terrorist attacks in Mumbai,” reads the MHA dossier.

The five are Major Iqbal, Sajid Mir, Abu Qahafa, Mazhar Iqbal and another man identified as “Lashkar Member D”. The U.S. added them as defendants in a Superseding Indictment on April 21.

For more on what may come out (and what the U.S. doesn't want to come out) during the Rana trial which begins May 16, go here.

For more on the alleged involvement of Pakistan's ISI and the Mumbai attacks, don't miss Pro Publica's Pakistan and the Mumbai Attacks: The Untold Story by Sebastian Rotella. For later and shorter recaps and new questions about the ISI raised by Osama bin Laden's killing, see Rotella's latest at Pro Publica, Pakistan’s Terror Ties at Center of Upcoming Chicago Trial.

Our many posts about the Headley-Rana case are available here.

< Diverging Reports on Whether Pakistan Will Allow U.S. Access to Osama bin Laden's Wives | Monday Night Open Thread >

Legal

Nothing on this site should be construed as legal advice. TalkLeft does not give legal advice.

TalkLeft is not responsible for and often disagrees with material posted in the comments section. Read at your own risk.

India Releases Dossiers on LeT Handlers in Headley-Rana Case, Exposes ISI Connections | 4 comments (4 topical)

Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment

Is Rana (none / 0) (#1)
by gyrfalcon on Mon May 09, 2011 at 11:38:04 PM EST

that rather tragic young guy they caught at the Mumbai massacres? He seems so clearly a manipulated puppet of far larger forces.

No, he's a Canadian businessman (none / 0) (#2)
by Jeralyn on Tue May 10, 2011 at 02:22:18 AM EST

he owns an immigration business (visas, etc) in the U.S. He went to college with headley. Headley is a former DEA informant who had to work off a big sentnce for importing heroin into the U.S. The U.S. sent him to Pakistan, ostensibly to ferret out drug activity, but he ended up switching sides and joined with LeT.LeT is in bed with the Pakistani Military and ISA. Headley, who is cooperatin, siad his handlers, who are LeT, have ISI handlers and met several The problem is, they may have given him psudonyms and both the U.S. and Pakistan supposedly have been unable to learn their true identities.

I'm working on it, as a puzzle.


: make that ISI not ISA, it's getting late! (none / 0) (#3)
by Jeralyn on Tue May 10, 2011 at 02:23:26 AM EST

At this point (none / 0) (#4)
by Socraticsilence on Tue May 10, 2011 at 03:45:52 PM EST

the ISI is (and frankly has been for a while) pretty close to being a terrorist group, seriously though it has to be creepy having an essentially autonomous wing of the state if your a Pakistani official.