No restriction on questions to David Coleman Headley: US

Pakistani-American Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist, David Coleman Headley, answered to all the questions of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) team for a week and there was "no restriction" the questions posed by the Indian investigators, US Justice Department said today.

"Headley and his counsel agreed to the meetings (with the Indian investigators) and Headley answered the Indian investigators' questions over the course of seven days of interviews. There were no restrictions on the questions posed by Indian investigators," said a statement from the US Justice Department.

A four-member team of NIA officials, led by Loknath Bahera, questioned Headley face-to-face, eliciting information about his role in the Mumbai attacks, the wider conspiracy and all those involved in the carnage.
   
The team has concluded questioning of Mumbai terror suspect and has headed back home, Indian ambassador to the US Meera Shankar said.

"As part of the cooperation and partnership between the US and India in the fight against international terrorism, Indian law enforcement officials were provided direct access to interview David Coleman Headley," it said.
   
To protect the confidentiality of the investigations being conducted by both India and the United States, both countries have agreed not to disclose the contents of the interviews, the statement said.
      
Headley had, on March 18, pleaded guilty to conspiring in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in November 2008, as well as later planning to attack a Danish newspaper, but struck a deal with US authorities in a plea bargain that saved him from the death penalty and extradition to India.
       
The plea agreement had however said Headley would cooperate with foreign authorities and can be interviewed by them only on US soil.

India had asked the US to grant access to the 49-year-old Headley, being held in the federal lock-up Metropolitan Correctional Centre in Chicago.

In a separate statement issued by the US Embassy in New Delhi, the US Ambassador to India Timothy Roemer hailed the cooperation between the Indian team and their American counterparts throughout this process.
   
"The Headley interviews were historic in the nature of security cooperation. This strategic partnership is significant, substantive, and highly successful," Roemer said, adding, "this strategic partnership is significant, substantive, and highly successful."

Roemer, who is currently in Washington, said the Indian team had been granted direct access to David Headley, and had conducted a series of interviews with him related to terrorist activities in India.
   
The team arrived in the US on May 31 and their interviews with Headley began on June 3.
   
"As I have mentioned previously, the US Governmentworked continuously at the highest levels to ensure that this access occurred and was constructive in advancing our already unprecedented cooperation and information sharing on counter terrorism issues," Roemer said.

"I am proud to confirm today that these efforts were successful," the US Ambassador to India said.
   
"As president Obama underscored last week during the US-India Strategic Dialogue, India and the US 'are cooperating more closely than ever before against transnational threats,' working to prevent terrorism that threatens both our countries and the world at large," Roemer said.

The interrogation of Headley, who is accused of having conducted recce for the Mumbai attacks, was expected to shed more light on LeT's plans regarding terror attacks in India.

The questioning revolved around the places he had visited in the run up to the Mumbai terror attack of November 2008 and the people he had been in touch with.