The US-based Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist, David Coleman Headley, and his associate Tahawwur Hussain Rana visited Bangalore before the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) confirmed on Sunday.
“Bangalore was supposedly the main target for these terrorists. But they feared that they might be trapped, and hence they changed their plans. The sea route through which the ten terrorists reached Mumbai was found to be more feasible for easy entry and exit,” an IB official said.
The intelligence agency confirmed the visit a fortnight after this newspaper reported that Headley and Rana had used Bangalore as a transit point.
Meanwhile, the city police are working in tandem with other security agencies to find details of Headley and Rana’s stay in Bangalore.
Besides these two LeT operatives, Tadiyandavide Nasir alias Haji, one of the prime suspects in the July 25, 2008 serial bomb blasts in Bangalore, was in the city on September 29, 2002. Nasir, a native of Kannur in Kerala, is believed to be in the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), after his recent arrest in Bangladesh.
IB sources felt that Nasir can provide more information on Headley and Rana’s roles in both the Bangalore and Mumbai attacks. “He is a seasoned LeT operative and knows the entire India operations of the LeT,” officials said.
Incidentally, Nasir and his associate Sabil alias Ayub narrowly escaped a crackdown by Tamil Nadu police commandos in 2002. Five suspected terrorists, including Imam Ali and his wife, alleged to be belonging to the terror outfit Al Umma, were shot dead in this operation.
“Nasir and Ayub had a providential escape, as they had moved out of the house in MSR Nagar, where Imam Ali was hiding before the commandos struck. He has been associated with the LeTand other outfits like the Indian Mujahiddin since 2000,” sources said.
Nasir was the contact for both Headley and Rana when they visited Kerala. He had sought their directions in finding out possible spots to plant bombs in Bangalore, Nasik and Gujarat. However, bombs planted in the western state were detected before they went off.
IB sources said that the terrorists had a well-established network in the city. A driving licence issued by the Yeshwanthpur RTO was earlier found on the body of a terrorist shot dead by the Gujarat police.
The city police registered a case against the owner of the driving school, who helped the terrorist get the licence.
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