Mumbai police probing Headley's links with 26/11 attacks

Mumbai, Nov 8 : Mumbai Police are investigating the role of arrested US citizen David Coleman Headley to find out whether the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives had any local support in carrying out last year's Nov 26 terror attacks here, a senior official said Sunday.

"Yes, we are investigating the role of David Coleman Headley in this matter. However, so far we have not found any evidence linking them to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks," Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rakesh Maria told IANS.

Asked about the extent of the suspected involvement of Headley - who is said to have visited Mumbai several times prior to the terror attacks - Maria said that is also being probed.

So far, Mumbai Police have not made any specific references to the possibility of local support to the 10 LeT terrorists who plotted and carried out the terror attacks 26-29/11.

Of the 10 heavily armed terrorists who came here from the Arabian Sea route and attacked Mumbai, only one was nabbed - Mohammed Ajmal Amir alias Kasab - currently lodged in the high-security Arthur Road Jail and undergoing trial in the terror attacks case.

Among other things, Headley, a Pakistan-born US citizen, and his associate Tahawwur Hussain Rana had visited Mumbai several times.

They ran an agency called Immigration Law Centre in the Tardeo air-conditioned market in south Mumbai which facilitate travel documents, including visas - which is also being probed by the city police.

Headley, 49, was nabbed early October by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for plotting to carry out another major terrorist attack in India.

On Oct 18, his associate Rana, 48, a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin was also nabbed by the FBI.

Rana was running the First World Immigration Services in the US with offices with Chigao, New York and Toronto.

According to the FBI affidavit filed in a Chicago court, Headley was in close contact with unidentified LeT operatives.

--IANS