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Headley is a Compulsive Liar: Adrian Levy, Co-author, 26/11 Book

Headley has made several claims in his deposition at a Mumbai Court but Adrian Levy finds no reason to trust him.

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Pakistani-American accused-turned-approver in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks has made depositions to a Mumbai court for 5 days now, but the most sensational confession came when he named Ishrat Jahan a Lashkar-e-Taiba recruit.

Headley has been an agent who double-crossed both the ISI and the FBI, and hence his credibility is questioned by Adrian Levy, co-author of the book The Siege: The Attack on the Taj. In an interview to the Times of India, Levy raised doubts over the claims made by Headley.

‘Headley Is a Conniving, Convincing Sociopath’

Levy pointed out that Headley has so far made no revelation that differs greatly from what he has already told the FBI and NIA. Headley’s past shows that he has betrayed all those close to him, putting everything he says in serious doubt.

The most important thing to remember is that Headley is psychopathic – which means compelling. A conniving, convincing sociopath, he trades in half-truths. Since he was first arrested as a young man trafficking heroin, he always betrayed those close to him. Childhood friends. Business partners. Drug cartels. His wives and girlfriends. There isn’t a single relationship he entered that he has not compromised to better his situation. What does this add up to? A compulsive liar – who cannot be trusted. 
Adrian Levy to the Times Of India

‘Ishrat Jahan Claim Is a Red Herring’

According to Levy, Ishrat Jahan doesn’t fit the modus operandi for LeT so Headley’s claim must be taken with several grains of salt.

(Ishrat Jahan claim) A complete red herring – look at the modus operandi for LeT. This is classic Headley, taking real events – and laminating with an intoxicating story.
Adrian Levy to the Times Of India

‘Headley Is Trading Goblets of Interest That Don’t Belong to Him’

According to Levy, Headley had no direct connection to the attempts to attack Mumbai prior to actual attack of 26/11. He learnt of them later and is now simply trading them as bits of intelligence.

Headley had no first-hand connection to these moments and learnt of them later, trading them now as goblets of intelligence that do not belong to him. Nor are they valuable on both occasions, the boats leaving Pakistan never got far. Neither event impacts on Indian intelligence as both happened in Pakistan waters.
Adrian Levy to the Times Of India

‘Hafiz Saeed Suspected Headley’

According to Levy, Hafiz Saeed suspected Headley as being double agent from the very beginning and as a result, his activities in Lashkar were closely monitored.

Headley named him (Hafiz Saeed) before – he’s doing so now to play to the Indian audience. What he’s now repackaging for the Indian market is second-hand goods. ISI also was convinced Headley was a traitor and stopped seeing him face to face, talking only via email and coded calls, where they sent him on wild goose chases to surveil targets that would never be selected. Headley’s existence tells us that all sides were played. The US intelligence community probably suffered the most – DEA, FBI and CIA were all suckered by Headley and let him run so long that Mumbai became unstoppable.
Adrian Levy to the Times Of India

‘IB and RAW Massively Understaffed’

Levy pointed out that not many changes have been made in terms of security advancements. Even though IB and RAW now enjoy better intelligence sharing capabilities, they are still understaffed as modernisation plans are on hold.

Reading audit reports on coastal security, no advances have been made. Listening to internal debates on nuclear security, the threat here also seems heightened. Perhaps the only improvements are in intelligence sharing with other nations – but practical application remains doubtful as IB and RAW remain massively understaffed with modernisation plans on hold.
Adrian Levy to the Times Of India

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