Note: Ongoing thread.
“The Curious Case of Daood Gilani alias David Headley & co”
BTTT
Quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2456037/posts
THE LONG ARM OF LASHKAR-E-TAIBA
WASHINGTON INSTITUTE.org - PolicyWatch No. 1631 ^ | February 17, 2010 | By Stephen Tankel
Posted on February 20, 2010 10:49:29 PM PST by Cindy
SNIPPET: “In his February 2 testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair highlighted the growing danger posed by Pakistani militant organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Calling the group a “special case,” he asserted that it is “becoming more of a direct threat and is placing Western targets in Europe in its sights.” He also expressed concern that it could “actively embrace” a more anti-Western agenda. Given its global capabilities with regard to fundraising, logistics, support, and operations, LeT could pose a serious threat to U.S. interests. Consequently, weakening it should be a high priority for Washington.”
SNIPPET: “Lashkar also boasts operatives in a number of Western countries, including Britain and the United States.”
SNIPPET: “LeT’s main enemy remains India, but it is clearly becoming more of a threat to the West.”
SNIPPET: “Convincing Pakistan to ramp up its efforts against LeT should remain a priority for the United States and its allies. In the short term, Islamabad must use its leverage to keep the group from executing any attack against India that could trigger a war and destabilize South Asia.
The United States should also push Pakistan to provide information necessary to degrade LeT’s transnational networks. Although Islamabad’s assistance is critical in this regard, so too is the cooperation of U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf, where more could be done to disrupt Lashkar’s activities.”
Note: “Stephen Tankel is a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and author of the forthcoming book Storming the World Stage: The Story of Lashkar-e-Taiba.”
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtoninstitute.org ...
Note: Video included.
“Mumbai attacks suspect Headley to plead guilty before US court”
PTI, Mar 17, 2010, 09.03am IST
CHICAGO:
SNIPPET: “The Chicago court has set March 18 as date for ‘change of plea’ hearing for 49-year-old LeT operative, who has been charged with conspiring in the Mumbai terror attack.
“...scheduling David Coleman Headley for a change of plea hearing on March 18, 2010, before US District Judge Harry Leinenweber,” the court entry read.
Theis said that discussions were going on with the government regarding plea bargaining.
“We are working on it and negotiating the plea deal. Yes, I expect this is what is going to happen on March 18,” he added.”
Thanks to James C. Bennett for the ping to this thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2473107/posts
“’Any leniency to Headley a matter of concern’: India [Chicago Jihadist]”
Rediff ^ | 18 March, 2010 | Rediff
Posted on March 17, 2010 11:08:28 AM PDT by James C. Bennett
US DOJ.gov - Justice.gov/opa - Press Release: "CHICAGO RESIDENT DAVID COLEMAN HEADLEY PLEADS GUILTY TO ROLE IN INDIA AND DENMARK TERRORISM CONSPIRACIES Admits Conducting Surveillance for Lashkar e Tayyiba in Planning 2008 Mumbai Attacks" (March 18, 2010)
GOSH, it comes back to this again.
http://www.lcsun-news.com/ci_14764913
“Chicago taxi driver accused of supporting al-Qaida”
By MIKE ROBINSON AP Legal Affairs Writer
Posted: 03/26/2010 02:24:41 PM MDT
CHICAGO—A
SNIPPET: “Headley pleaded guilty last week to the charges. Rana has pleaded not guilty to conspiring to provide material support to terrorists in Denmark and India.”
SNIPPET: “According to the complaint, Khan claimed to have known Kashmiri for 15 years and said he came to believe at some point that Kashmiri was receiving orders from Osama bin Laden.”
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Quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2480649/posts
Chicago cabbie accused of aiding Al Qaeda
Chicago Tribune ^ | March 26, 2010 | Jeff Coen
Posted on March 26, 2010 1:42:56 PM PDT by ConservativeStatement
A Chicago taxi driver who is a Pakistani native was arrested today on charges he provided material support to Al Qaeda by attempting to send money overseas, federal authorities said.
Raja Lahrasib Khan, 56, claimed to be an acquaintance of terror leaders in Pakistan, authorities said. He is due in federal court in Chicago later this afternoon.
Khan was arrested without incident this morning in downtown Chicago while working, authorities said.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagobreakingnews.com ...
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2480649/posts?page=9#9
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=37598
“Feds charge Chicago cab driver with having terrorist ties”
March 26, 2010
(AP) —
SNIPPET: “Khan spoke with another man identified in the complaint only as Individual B on March 11 and appeared to be talking about an attack on an unspecified stadium within the United States, according to the complaint.
Khan allegedly said bags containing remote controlled bombs could be placed within the stadium and then, “boom, boom, boom, boom,” prosecutors said.”
Additional Link:
March 26, 2010
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://chicago.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel10/cg032610.htm
Chicago Man Charged with Providing Material Support to al Qaeda by Attempting to Send Funds Overseas
CHICAGO—A Chicago man who claims to be acquainted with an alleged terrorist leader in Pakistan was arrested today on federal charges of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization for allegedly attempting to provide funds overseas to al Qaeda, federal law enforcement officials announced.
Although the defendant, Raja Lahrasib Khan, a Chicago taxi driver and native of Pakistan who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1988, allegedly discussed attacking a stadium in the United States this summer, there was no imminent domestic danger, officials said.
The investigation leading to Khan’s arrest is unrelated to a separate investigation that resulted in federal terrorism charges against Chicagoans Tahawwur Hussain Rana and David Coleman Headley in connection with the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai and a plot to attack targets in Denmark, the officials added.
Khan, 56, of the city’s north side, was charged with two counts of providing material support to terrorism in a criminal complaint that was filed yesterday in U.S. District Court in Chicago and unsealed today following his arrest, announced Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The investigation is continuing, they said.
Khan was arrested this morning while working in downtown Chicago without incident by the Chicago FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. He was scheduled to appear at 3:30 p.m. today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Geraldine Soat Brown in Federal Court in Chicago.
“While there was no imminent danger in the Chicago area or elsewhere, these charges, once again, affirm that law enforcement must remain constantly vigilant to guard against domestic support of foreign terrorist organizations. I am deeply grateful to the FBI agents and other members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force for their extremely hard work on this matter,” said Mr. Fitzgerald.
Mr. Grant said: “Over the past six months, FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Forces across the country have disrupted plots, charged and apprehended a number of individuals and secured significant intelligence, which has been of benefit here and to our allies overseas. Notable as most of these successes have been, it also illustrates the reality of the environment we face today, along with the critical responsibility domestic law enforcement agencies and intelligence services have in protecting the public from the violent designs of others. It is a complex threat that we face and we are pleased with the results today,” he added.
“Today’s arrest and charges are the result of an outstanding cooperative law enforcement and intelligence effort and underscore the domestic and international aspects of the terror threat we face,” said David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security.
According to a 35-page complaint affidavit, by at least 2008, Khan, who claims to have known Ilyas Kashmiri for approximately 15 years, learned that Kashmiri was working with al Qaeda, and that Kashmiri was purportedly receiving orders from al Qaeda’s leader, Osama bin Laden. According to Khan, during his meeting or meetings with Kashmiri, among other things, Khan learned that Kashmiri wanted to train operatives to conduct attacks in the United States; Kashmiri showed Khan a video depicting the detonation of an improvised explosive device; and Kashmiri told Khan that he needed money, in any amount, to be able to purchase materials from the “black market.”
The complaint identifies Kashmiri as the leader in Kashmir of Harakat ul-Jihad-I-Islami (HUJI), a Sunni extremist group located in Pakistan and Kashmir with links to al Qaeda. In a reported interview last October, Kashmiri purportedly said that he had joined forces with al Qaeda. In January 2010, Kashmiri, together with a former Pakistani military officer, Rana, and Headley, were indicted in Chicago for their alleged roles in a conspiracy to murder and maim persons in a planned attack against the facilities and employees of the Danish newspaper Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten, in Denmark, as retribution for the publication of cartoons that depicted the Prophet Mohammed.
The charges against Khan allege that on Nov. 23, 2009, he sent a money transfer of approximately $950 from a currency exchange located on North LaSalle Street in Chicago to Individual A, who was in either Mirpur or Bhimber, in Pakistan. Khan later spoke with Individual A by telephone and instructed him to give “Lala” 25,000 Pakistani rupees (approximately $300) of the money he had sent. According to the affidavit, Khan told an undercover agent that “Lala,” which means “older brother” in Urdu, is a nickname Khan uses to refer to Kashmiri, who he told the agent he had met most recently in 2008 in Miran Shah in northwest Pakistan. Khan also told the agent that Khan believed that his telephones were being monitored, and if Khan or the undercover agent were ever questioned about their discussions regarding “Lala,” they should claim to have been referring to Khan’s actual older brother.
Just two weeks ago, on March 11, Khan and an associate, identified as “Individual B,” allegedly had a discussion during which they appeared to talk about attacking a stadium in the United States in “August.” Among other things, Khan described that bags containing remote controlled bombs could be placed in several different locations, and then “boom, boom, boom, boom.” Khan further said that he would ask “Lala” [Kashmiri] to teach him how to conduct such an attack, the complaint alleges. However, there are no allegations that Khan either knew Kashmiri’s current whereabouts or had yet discussed his stadium plan with him.
On March 17, after agreeing to personally deliver to Kashmiri any funds that the undercover agent wanted to provide, Khan allegedly accepted $1,000 (ten $100 bills) from the agent. The complaint states that Khan accepted these funds after having had prior conversations with the undercover agent in which: Khan confirmed that Kashmiri was working with al Qaeda; Khan assured that Kashmiri would use the undercover agent’s funds to purchase weapons and, possibly, other supplies; Khan assured that he had provided Kashmiri with money in the past, including in approximately December 2009; and Khan discussed the possibility of having his son transport the money from the United States to England, where Khan would rendevous with his son, retrieve the money, and deliver it to Kashmiri in Pakistan.
On March 23, government agents at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport came into contact with Khan’s son, who was traveling to England. During this contact, agents discovered that Khan’s son possessed seven of the ten $100 bills that the undercover agent had given to Khan, according to the affidavit.
Each count of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If convicted, the court is required to impose a reasonable sentence under the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.
The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Chicago FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, with particular assistance from the Chicago Police Department, the Illinois State Police, and the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Veatch and Steven Dollear, of the Northern District of Illinois, with assistance from the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
The public is reminded that a criminal complaint contains mere allegations that are not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/60648/ranas-pre-trial-conference-tomorrow.html
“Rana’s ‘pre-trial conference’ tomorrow”
Chicago, Mar 28 (PTI)
SNIPPET: “Pakistani-Canadian terror suspect Tahawwur Hussain Rana, charged with involvement in the Mumbai attacks, is set to appear before a US court here tomorrow for a ‘’pre-trial conference’’ during which federal prosecutors would discuss classified information relating to his case
The pre-trial conference — scheduled before US Judge Harry Leinenweber in the US District court, Northern District of Illinois — will be a partly private meeting and Rana would not be required to be present throughout the hearing.
Rana would “appear in court only when he is entitled to be present,” US attorney in Chicago Patrick Fitzgerald said.Federal prosecutors would discuss classified information that may be used during the trial of 49-year-old Rana, a Chicago-based businessman.
This would be Rana’s first court appearance after co-accused and Pakistani-American LeT operative David Coleman Headley pleaded guilty on March 18 to plotting the Mumbai attacks.”
NOTE The following text is a quote:
http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2010/June/10-nsd-683.html
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Indian Government Officials Provided Access to Terror Defendant David Headley
As part of the cooperation and partnership between the United States and India in the fight against international terrorism, Indian law enforcement officials were provided direct access to interview David Coleman Headley, the Justice Department announced today.
Mr. Headley and his counsel agreed to the meetings 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. 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.
Headley pleaded guilty on March 18, 2010 in the Northern District of Illinois to 12 federal terrorism charges, admitting that he participated in planning the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, as well as later planning to attack a Danish newspaper.
Quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2603339/posts
Interpol issues notice against 2 Pak Army majors in Mumbai attacks case
Times of India ^ | Oct 7, 2010 | Anon
Posted on October 7, 2010 1:02:32 PM PDT by Pharmboy
Interpol notice against 2 Pak Army majors in 26/11 case
NEW DELHI: National Investigation Agency (NIA) has secured an Interpol Red Corner Notice against five accused persons, including two serving Pakistani Army majors, for their alleged role in the Mumbai terror strike of 2008.
The Interpol issued the Red Corner Notice after securing a non-bailable warrant from the court Additional Sessions Judge here.
The warrants were issued on the basis of disclosures made by American national and Lashker-e-Taiba terrorist David Headley, who was extensively questioned by the NIA officials in June this year.
The Red Corner Notice has been issued against Major Sameer Ali, and Major Iqbal, both serving in the Pakistani Army, Illyas Kashmiri, an LeT terrorist, Sajid Majid and Syed Abdur Rehman Hashim.
The security agencies have already secured Red Corner notice against Lashker’s founder Hafeez Sayeed and his close aide Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi in connection with the 26/11 attacks that left over 160 people dead.
These people, according to NIA officials, had worked in close coordination with Headly in executing the nefarious plans of the Lashker for carrying out terror strikes in Mumbai.
http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/papers42/paper4102.html
Paper no. 4102
18-Oct-2010
“Headley’s Case: Indian Distrust of FBI Will Increase - International Terrorism Monitor-— Paper No. 685”
By B. Raman
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/640042.aspx
Rajesh Ahuja, Hindustan Times
New Delhi, December 18, 2010
First Published: 21:33 IST(18/12/2010)
Last Updated: 02:01 IST(19/12/2010)
“US memo, jailed IM man reveal Al Qaeda’s India links”
SNIPPET: “After the blast, Shahzad was interrogated for more information, which is when he shed light on the Al Qaeda’s influence on the IM.”
SNIPPET: “Furthermore, former Pakistani army major Abdul Rehman alias Pasha, who joined the Lashkar-e-Taiba after leaving the army, was in regular touch with Amir Raza Khan, Karachi-based top IM operative and Atif’s handler.
Pasha was also in touch with David Coleman Headley, the Pakistani-American who helped the lashkar select targets for the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Headley has told Indian investigators he formed a great bond with Pasha and that it was Pasha who took him to meet Kashmiri in Waziristan.”
QUOTE:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2138741/posts?page=2927#2927
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/subscribe.jsp?art=1555211
http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.com/archive/01264/Read_the_ruling_ag_1264038a.pdf
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“Accused in India massacre claims ties to Pakistani secret service”
COLIN FREEZE
From Tuesday’s Globe and Mail
Published Monday, Apr. 11, 2011 8:43PM EDT
Last updated Monday, Apr. 11, 2011 11:15PM EDT
SNIPPET: ““Defendant’s proposed defence is that his alleged illegal acts of providing material support to terrorists – at least those related to the Mumbai attacks – were done at the behest of the Pakistani government and the ISI, not the Lashkar terrorist organization,” reads the decision. “He argues that he is entitled to a public-authority defence because he acted under the authority – whether actual or apparent – of the Pakistani government and the ISI.”
Prosecutors also say they caught Mr. Rana and Mr. Headley on tape after the Mumbai attacks, discussing a plot to kill a Danish cartoonist who had lampooned the Prophet Mohammed.”
2,927 posted on April 13, 2011 12:15:54 AM PDT by Cindy
Quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2138741/posts?page=2929#2929
http://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/case_docs/1520.pdf
http://www.investigativeproject.org/topics/51/lashkar-e-tayyiba
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http://www.investigativeproject.org/2791/four-added-to-lashkar-prosecution
For The Record - The IPT Blog
“Four Added to Lashkar Prosecution”
by IPT News • Apr 25, 2011 at 6:24 pm
SNIPPET: “Prosecutors in Chicago have added four defendants to a case involving planning for the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India that killed 164 people.
The four, Sajid Mir, Abu Qahafa, Mazhar Iqbal and a man known only as “Major Iqbal” are charged with conspiracy to murder and maim people in India and with six counts of aiding and abetting the murder of U.S. citizens in India.
None of the men added to the case are in custody.
Co-defendant Tahawwur Hussain Rana faces a May 16 trial date. Last year, David Coleman Headley, an American of Pakistani descent, pleaded guilty to charges he helped plan the Mumbai attack by scouting the targets for the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and of scouting a proposed follow-up attack on the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. Mir also was charged in connection with the Danish plot.”
CHICAGO TRIBUNE.com: "TRIAL WILL PROBE ALLEGED CHICAGO TIES TO MUMBAI ATTACK Businessman charged with helping admitted scout for terrorist group" BY ANNIE SWEENEY (SNIPPET: "Tahawwur Hussain Rana...") (May 5, 2011, 10:21 pm CDT)
http://www.investigativeproject.org/topics/51/lashkar-e-tayyiba
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2138741/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2367275/posts
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http://www.investigativeproject.org/2873/trial-poses-new-challenge-to-us-pakistani
“Trial Poses New Challenge to U.S.-Pakistani Relations”
by Abha Shankar
IPT News
May 17, 2011
http://afpak.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/05/20/lashkar_e_taiba_mumbai_and_the_isi
“Lashkar-e-Taiba, Mumbai, and the ISI”
BY STEPHEN TANKEL
Friday, May 20, 2011 - 4:47 PM
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304520804576341243965577156.html
“Witness Ties Pakistan to Mumbai Massacre”
By DOUGLAS BELKIN
SNIPPET: “CHICAGO—The star witness in a terrorism case that could further strain U.S.-Pakistan relations testified Monday that the Pakistani government helped support a terrorist group that carried out a massacre in Mumbai that killed more than 160 people, including six Americans.
David Headley, a 50-year-old drug dealer turned informant who has pleaded guilty to helping plan the 2008 massacre, said Pakistan’s intelligence service ISI worked with the terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba. “They coordinated with each other. The ISI provided assistance to Lashkar,” Mr. Headley testified quietly. Asked what kind of assistance, he said, “Financial and military.””