Headley Casts Doubt on NIA’s Accuracy in Recording His Statement

David Headley said that the details he gave on various aspects to the NIA officials were not properly recorded by NIA

Pakistani-American terrorist-turned-approver David Coleman Headley on Saturday alleged that the India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) did not record his statements on various aspects of the 26/11 investigation in his “exact” words.

He said that on the fourth day of his ongoing cross-examination before a Mumbai special court, he had given details on various aspects to the NIA officials.

However, he said his statements were not read out to him, he did not seek a copy of his statement, nor was one provided to him by the NIA, raising serious doubts about the accuracy of the NIA-recorded statement.

Headley referred to certain statements he made to the NIA on the former terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Muzammil Bhatt and Thane collegian, Ishrat Jahan, who was killed in an encounter by Gujarat Police along with three other male friends near Ahmedabad in 2004.

Headley made the startling revelation during his cross-examination – before Special Judge GA Sanap – by lawyer Abdul Wahab Khan, who is defending Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, one of the prime accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror strikes.

Speaking via video-conference from an unknown location place in the US, Headley said that in 2003, LeT chief Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi had introduced Muzammil Bhatt tp him as a top LeT commander who had carried out the Akshardham Temple strike and Ishrat Jahan matter, of which he had prior knowledge through the newspapers.

Headley said that the NIA recorded his statements in words different from what he had told them; for instance, he (Headley) claimed he never said that when Lakhvi introduced him to Bhatt, he (Lakhvi) referred to him (Bhatt) sarcastically as a top commander whose every major operation had failed.

When he was shown a copy of his statement to NIA, Headley said that he was seeing it for the first time, but admitted that he had told NIA about an LeT women’s wing which was headed by the mother of Abu Aiman.