Any lenience to David Headley is a matter of concern: India
Headley, who has been charged with hatching conspiracy in the 2008 Mumbai attacks by the FBI, has sought plea bargain under American laws, a senior government official said.
Concerned over reports that Mumbai terror suspect David Headley may enter into a plea bargain with prosecutors in Chicago, Indian security establishment feels that it would lend credence to suspicions that he may have been working for the Americans.
Indian officials, who have been watching the progress in the case at Chicago in US, are somewhat worried about reports emanating from there today that Pakistani-American Headley would be pleading guilty in an attempt to get lighter sentence.Headley, who has been charged with hatching conspiracy in the 2008 Mumbai attacks by the FBI, has sought plea bargain under American laws, a senior government official said.
The laws there provide for agreement between federal prosecutors and individuals under criminal investigation whichpermit them to give the government information about crimeswith some assurances that they will be protected againstprosecution. The official said any lenient sentence now will"confirm" that Headley, who was arrested on October three lastfor his links with Lashker-e-Taiba, was an American agent. A lenient sentence is a matter of concern for India andmay give credence to the suspicion that he was an Americanagent, the official said, adding if the sentence was somethinglike 100 years, then there was no problem. India has been trying to get access to 49-year-oldHeadley, who has been charged with conducting recee ofinstallations attacked by Lashker terrorists in 26/11 inMumbai. Headley had earlier pleaded not guilty to the 12-countsuperseding indictment filed against him on January 14 but nowmoved for a "change of plea" which will be heard by USDistrict Judge Harry Leinenweber tomorrow. The American terror suspect had got away with a lessersentence after he was arrested in 1998 for smuggling heroininto the US from Pakistan as he cooperated with theinvestigation in the case. He was sentenced to less than two years in prison andthereafter went to Pakistan to conduct undercover surveillanceoperations for the Drug Enforcement Administration. PTI SKLVSC03171931NNNN