Soon after 26/11, al-Qaeda targeted India: David Headley

The al-Qaeda had planned a massive terror attack in India after 26/11, with the National Defence College (NDC), New Delhi, as a prime target, David Headley, the accused-turned-approver in the Mumbai attacks told a sessions court here.

Headley said he had said switched sides from Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) to al-Qaeda after the Mumbai attacks and returned to India in March 2009 to recee three Chabbhad houses in Pushkar, Goa, Pune and the NDC.

This is the first time Headley is revealing the sinister plans of the al-Qaeda. Headley was giving his deposition from the US through videoconference.

He said that one of his handlers, Mohammed Pasha, told him that if the NDC attack was successful, they would have killed more brigadiers and colonels than in any war with Pakistan.

Headley landed in New Delhi from Pakistan on March 7, 2009 and stayed in India till March 17, before returning to Pakistan. "The primary target was the Defence College. It was a high-value target."

"Ilyas Kashmiri, leader of the al-Qaeda wing, brigade 313, gave me money for air tickets and other expenses and sent me to India, for doing a recee of the Chabad Houses and the NDC," he said.

He said that his second visit to India was not known to the LeT. "If the LeT would have known about my trip to India, they would not have allowed me to come, apprehending my arrest," he said.

However, in 2007, the LeT, too, had plotted an attack on the NDC, he said.

In 2007, while waiting to board a flight to Pakistan, since he had two hours' spare time, he visited the NDC, Headley said. No video recording was taken at that time. He said that in his 10-day visit to India two years later, he visited the Chabad Houses only once.

On Thursday, Headley had told the court that he did the minute planning of the Mumbai terror attacks and when he presented it to Kashmiri, Kashmiri said, 'shabash'. He also told the court that Kashmiri ran the 313 brigade, a suicide bombing squad and they had met in Waziristan.

Headley has been deposing in the Mumbai attack case, against the remaining lone accused, Sayed Zabiuddin, aka Abu Jundal, the Indian handler who was believed to be present in the LeT control room in Karachi.

Headley's deposition will continue on Saturday.