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David Headley was involved in plot to assassinate Bal Thackeray

Mumbai 26/11 attack co-accused David Headley, who scouted Shiv Sena headquarters, today testified there was a plot involving his handlers in Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI and terror outfit LeT to assassinate the Shiv Sena supremo.

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Mumbai 26/11 attack co-accused David Headley, who scouted Shiv Sena headquarters, today testified there was a plot involving his handlers in Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI and terror outfit LeT to assassinate Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray.

Giving his testimony on the second day of the trial of 26/11 co-accused Tahawwur Rana, a Canadian of Pakistani origin, Headley, a Pakistani-American, talked about the hatred against Shiv Sena among his Pakistani handlers. 166 people were killed in the November 2008 attack in Mumbai.

Headley, who has pleaded guilty, also told the jury how he gave details about the potential landing sites in Mumbai to his Pakistani handlers.

According to Headley, his Pakistani handlers--Maj Iqbal of ISI, Sajid Mir of Lashkar-e-Taiba(LET), Pasha, Rana and himself shared their hatred towards Shiv Sena and they thought it is a terrorist outfit.

During the first hour of the testimony on the second day, federal prosecutors are  trying to prove that Headley had direct communication with  Rana and his handlers in Pakistan Major Iqbal, Sajid and  Pasha.

Questioning his links with the Sena, the prosecutors are bringing in communication between Headley and Reggie (the PRO of Uddhav Thackeray, son of Bal Thackeray), which  Headley describes as an effort to penetrate into Shiv Sena. Rajaram Rege is Shiv Sena's public relations officer.

Headley testified he shared his communication with Reggie with Rana, Major Iqbal, Sajid and Pasha.

Headley was asked about several emails he sent to Rana,  Major Iqbal and Sajid--all basically to confirm that Rana and  he were in direct communication with all of them.

The e-mail sent to Sajid indicated that Bala (Bal Thackeray) would be travelling with Reggie’s boss (Udhav) to the US and that he could be assassinated "over here" (in US).

Headley said he and Sajid discussed that they wanted to kill Shiv Sena people. "We have discussed. This man (Reggie) was very important and would have given us access to this organization (Shiv Sena)," he said.

Headley, who is Rana's childhood friend, also talked about killing Shiv Sena leaders and at one point jokingly said about assassinating Bal Thackeray.

Headley said he forwarded the emails with Reggie to Rana and that in June 2008 returned to Pakistan, met with Major Iqbal and Sajid (more than once).

Headley said he had discussion with Sajid who wanted him to go back by end of June and was given aa list of targets for surveillance in Mumbai - Taj, Chabad House, Maharashtra state police headquarters and naval head station.

The Pakistani-American said he and Major Iqbal had discussions on the Chabad House and that this meeting was in Lahore before meeting Sajid.

He said Iqbal told him that Chabad House would be added because that this was the front office of Mosad in Mumbai.

"Iqbal wanted to me to go back to India. He told me to check the list being provided to me and check the landing site. Iqbal did not give me the list. It was given to me by Sajid. Had several meetings with Iqbal  and Sajid before returning to Mumbai," he said.

During his meeting with Sajid, Headley said he came to understand that this would be his last trip.

Prior to going to Mumbai, he said he had a meeting with Iqbal, had received the list of targets before the meeting.

Iqbal just told him to have a detailed surveillance and seems to be upset that the Mumbai airport was not included. Iqbal approved the entire list, he said.

Headley said he did not discuss the list of targets wth anybody else, except for Pasha who was very supportive and happy and wished him luck.

Pasha, Headely said, was happy about the Chabad House.

Headley said he also met Zaki-ur-Rehman (LeT operations commander). "He just wished me luck. For all the actions that would be taken against the Muslims, this would be a revenge for that. This is what he meant," Headley said,

Headley said he returned to Mumbai end of June and in beginning of July started working on the task that was given to me--conducting surveillance of these various targets.

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