Key Mumbai terror plotter David Coleman Headley talks about death and destruction with the aloof air of a laboratory technician mixing various chemicals to see which combination would be most combustible.
If there was ever a plan to showcase his remorse about Mumbai, his two days of testimony in the federal court of Judge Harry D. Leinenweber in Chicago, it is going in the opposite direction. Here is a man who says the Mumbai attack evened scores for the bombing of his school in December, 1971 during the India-Pakistan war, that led to the creation of Bangladesh. The man sure holds long grudges.
One had heard about Headley’s cool and measured composure and one is getting to witness it now. As Assistant US Attorney Daniel Collins carefully walks him through all major and minor details of the Mumbai plot, Headley responds as if he has dropped by for a casual chat. His replies are precise, almost well-rehearsed. He remembers details of who said what years ago, making me wonder whether he is improvising it. He is under oath and improvisation is not an option. He cannot possibly wing it. And yet I find it hard to conceive of someone who can remember minute details about his dozens of meetings with the masterminds of the Mumbai attacks.
The man is clearly good at his chosen profession. That chosen profession may not be all that respectable but he gave his absolute best. Yesterday, for instance, while talking about his reconnaissance of various potential sites to strike, he spoke of Mumbai’s Siddhi Vinayak Temple. He visited the temple to shoot some surveillance video. While he was there it struck him that it would be a great idea to get some red and yellow threads that the faithful tie around their wrists. He carried those threads, described in the court with some liberty as bracelets, back to Pakistan and gave it to Sajid Mir, the Lashkar-e-Taiba operative who oversaw the training of the ten Mumbai attackers. They indeed wore those threads in order to blend in.
Headley’s testimony is offering some powerful insights into the collective mindsets of jihadi groups. I will write about some more this Friday.
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Email addresses are some of the lighter aspects of the ongoing trial of Chicago businessman Tahawwur Hussain Rana in connection with November 26, 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
Considering the kind of communication that was going on between key Mumbai terror plotter David Coleman Headley, Lashkar-e-Taiba operative Sajid Mir and Pakistani intelligence officer Major Iqbal, they had to be creative about the kind of addresses they used.
The one I found particularly funny was chalchalo@yahoo.com. Those who know Hindustani/Urdu would understand the meaning. Chal means a move and chalo means make. Together it means make a move. This particular email belonged to Sajid Mir and aptly describes the kind of activities he was engaged in. When Mir decided to give up that email address, he switched to get.me.books@gamil.com.
Then there was impervious2pain@yahoo.com used by Headley in his communication with Abdur Rehman Hashim Syed also known as Pasha, a retired Pakistani army officer.
