TIA NEWS /
Pakistani-American terrorist David Headley on Friday also told a Mumbai court that he tried to develop close relations with a Shiv Sena member as he thought that Lashkar-e-Taiba might be interested to either attack Sena Bhawan or “assassinate its head”, a reference to Bal Thackeray
“I met one Rajaram Rege inside Shiv Sena Bhawan in Dadar during 2006-2007. I attempted to develop closer relation with him,” Headley said while testifying in the court via video-link from the US, in connection with the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks
“I was interested in accessing that building (Shiv Sena Bhawan) at that time. I thought LeT would be interested in the future to either attack the Shiv Sena Bhawan or assassinate its head,” he said
Headley was answering questions put to him by Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam regarding all those people in Mumbai with whom he had developed friendly relations
The 55-year-old, who recently turned approver in the 26/11 case, also told the court that he had joined ‘Moksh’ gym in south Mumbai in 2006-2007 and there he had developed relations with Vilas Warke, who was in-charge of the gym, and also Rahul Bhatt, who was Vilas’ friend
“I met Rahul Bhatt through Vilas at a body building competition. Rahul’s father (Mahesh Bhatt) is in the movie business,” he said
Rahul, a fitness trainer and an aspiring film actor, had been in news in 2009 following revelations that Headley, an accused in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, had befriended him.
Earlier he told a court here that ISI and LeT wanted to target Mumbai Airport and Naval Air Station during the 26/11-terror attack.
He further said that he had video graphed Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in 2008 and was asked to recruit someone from there to work with the Pakistani spy agency.
Testifying via video-link from the US, he also told the court he was interested in developing close relations with a Shiv Sena member for a possible future target of Sena Bhawan.
In further disclosures, Headley, who recently turned approver in the 26/11 case said that during his last visit to Mumbai in July 2008, prior to the Mumbai attacks, he had surveyed and video graphed the Chabad House in south Mumbai. On the question of selecting Chabad House as target, Headley told court that it was selected by LeT as a target as it was an international location where Jewish and Israeli people were staying.
Headley also told the court that he had discouraged the idea to target Naval Air Station and Siddhivinayak Temple as both were heavily guarded.
Headley told the court that he recede India eight times before the attack and once after that.
Headley, who had conducted surveillance of Siddhivinayak Temple, added that he had purchased some 15 to 20 red and yellow sacred threads from the temple as a cover for the 10 attackers so that people would think they were Hindus. He also said that he had visited Nalanda Book Store near Taj Hotel in Mumbai in July 2008 and purchased five books.
Pakistani-American terrorist told the court that Lashkar-e-Toiba was unhappy that Mumbai Airport was not selected as one of the targets in attacks.