Wednesday, March 17, 2010

HEADLEY & 26/11: US PLAYS DIRTY ON INDIA

INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM MONITOR---PAPER NO.632

B.RAMAN


Ever since the case of David Coleman Headley broke out in October,2009, I have been repeatedly pointing out the following in my articles and TV interviews:



Headley was a quadruple agent, who was working for the USA's Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Lashkar-e-Toiba ( LET).

The FBI has already reached a plea bargain with him in order to avoid any formal production of evidence against him in the court which might result in details regarding his links with the US intelligence coming out.

The FBI would not extradite him to India and woulde not allow the Indian agencies to have access to him in order to prevent the Indian agencies from questioning him about his links with the US intelligence on the one side and with the Pakistani intelligence on the other.

2. Extracts from two articles on this subject written by me on December 12 and 16,2009, are annexed. What I have been writing and what I have been saying for the last five months has proved correct. The media has reported on the morning of March 18,2010, that Headley was going to plead guilty to some charges as part of a plea bargain process entered into by him with the FBI. What does it mean? Firstly, there will be no formal introduction of the evidence against him and no cross-examination. Secondly, the relatives of the 166 innocent persons killed in the Mumbai 26/11 terrorist strikes cannot seek the permission of the court to be represented by a lawyer to question him on the details of his involvement in the 26/11 terrorist strikes. Thirdly, the details of his links with the US intelligence community will be covered up. Fourthly, the two Pakistani nationals living in Pakistan----Ilyas Kashmiri of the 313 Brigade, who had threatened terrorist strikes in India during the major sports events of this year, and Maj. (retd) Abdur Rehman Hashim Syed alias Pasha of the Pakistan Army, who have been cited as co-accused in the FBI case against Headley because of their role as his handling officers, will escape prosecution.


3. Unless one is naive beyond redemption, it was clear from the beginning that the Obama Administration and its FBI were trying frantically to prevent the truth regarding Headley from coming out. I wrote on December 12,2009: "Senior officials of the White House and the FBI have been taking close and unusual interest in the investigation and prosecution. The Director of the FBI himself was reported to have visited Chicago before Headley was produced before the court. Many in India have analysed this as indicative of the close interest taken by President Obama in counter-terrorism co-operation with India. A more plausible explanation is that this is indicative of the concerns in the White House and the FBI that if the prosecution is not properly handled, the case could result in a bombshell if it emerges that one of the active conspirators of 26/11 was an agent of a US agency. This could lead to suits for heavy damages against the US Government from the relatives of the Americans, Israelis and other foreigners killed."


4. Headley will be protected. The FBI will be protected. The US administration will be protected. The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) will be protected. The Pakistani Government and its Army will be protected.


5. Only we poor Indians will remain unprotected because the Govt. of India headed by Dr.Manmohan Singh cannot protect us.


6. What naivete, Mr.Prime Minister! What naivete!( 18-3-2010)


( The writer is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai. E-mail: seventyone2@gmail.com )


ANNEXURE I

( Extracts from my article of December 12,2009, titled "FBI Avoiding Focus on Headley’s Links With Narcotics Control Agency" at http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/papers36/paper3545.html )

Sections of the US media have pointed out that the fact that the report filed against him by the FBI in the court on December 7 was called a Criminal Information Report and not an indictment indicates that the FBI has already reached a plea bargain deal with him under which as a quid pro quo for his admitting some charges when the trial formally commences next month, the FBI will not press other charges against him. His admitting some charges and the FBI dropping other charges will obviate the need for an elaborate trial with the introduction of detailed evidence.

This would prevent any deliberate or inadvertent disclosure by him of his work in the Af-Pak region for the DEA, which works in close co-operation with its Pakistani counterpart. The two have many joint operations.

It is very likely that the US will not allow his independent interrogation by Indian investigators and that it will not agree to his extradition to India as that might result in the Indian authorities coming to know not only of his contacts with Pakistani agencies, but also with the DEA.

Senior officials of the White House and the FBI have been taking close and unusual interest in the investigation and prosecution. The Director of the FBI himself was reported to have visited Chicago before Headley was produced before the court. Many in India have analysed this as indicative of the close interest taken by President Obama in counter-terrorism co-operation with India. A more plausible explanation is that this is indicative of the concerns in the White House and the FBI that if the prosecution is not properly handled, the case could result in a bombshell if it emerges that one of the active conspirators of 26/11 was an agent of a US agency. This could lead to suits for heavy damages against the US Government from the relatives of the Americans, Israelis and other foreigners killed.

ANNEXURE II

( Extracts from my article of December 16,2009, titled " "Headley: A Quadruple Agent" at http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/papers36/paper3552.html )


By studying these extracts submitted by the FBI along with other FBI documents submitted by the FBI to the court and US media reports about Headley’s links with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA),one can make the following assessment:

a. Headley was not a double agent, but a quadruple agent. He initially started working for the DEA around 1998. Even if one presumes that initially the FBI and the CIA were not aware of this, they should have become aware of this by 2004 when the National Counter-Terrorism Centre with a common charter and a common data-base was set up by the Bush Administration under the newly-created post of Director National Intelligence (DNI).

b. He started working for the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LET) sometime in 2005. It is not clear whether he joined the LET at his own instance or at the instance of the FBI or the CIA or both in order to penetrate it. He was already visiting Pakistan at the instance of the DEA since 1998. Since 2006, he started visiting India too. The DEA and the FBI would have been aware of his visits since every time a conscious agent of an agency travels abroad his passport is scrutinized by the controlling agency on his return. This is a security precaution followed by all intelligence agencies.

c. He started working for the 313 Brigade of Ilyas Kashmiri towards the end of 2008 and agreed to visit Copenhagen to collect operational information for a possible terrorist attack. This was probably not at the instance of the FBI, which came to know accidentally of Headley volunteering himself to undertake a task in Copenhagen while monitoring the chat room of the old students of the Army Cadet School at Hasan Abdal. Both Headley and Rana studied in the school. The FBI put Headley under electronic surveillance after obtaining orders of a relevant court.

d. While doing the electronic surveillance to monitor his involvement in the Northern or Copenhagen or Micky Mouse project for the 313 Brigade, the FBI came across a series of E-mail intercepts in July and August, 2009, which showed that Headley had helped the LET in preparing itself for the 26/11 terrorist strikes and had agreed to help the LET in carrying out another terrorist strike in India for which he was to visit India. The FBI started monitoring the meetings and conversations of Headley and Rana and recorded their conversation of September 7, 2009, in a car which clearly indicated their involvement in the 26/11 terrorist strike.

e. The communications between Headley and his LET handler intercepted by the FBI in July and August also indicated that he was planning to visit India in October to prepare the ground for another terrorist strike. The FBI had two options---either allow him to go to India, alert the Indian intelligence and keep him under surveillance or arrest him before he left for Pakistan and India. If he had been allowed to go to India, watched there and arrested by the Indian intelligence, his past contacts with the US agencies and his role in 26/11 would have come to the notice of the Indian authorities. There is no evidence so far to show that till July 2009 the FBI was aware of his active role in 26/11. They were probably only aware of his frequent visits to Pakistan and India on behalf of the DEA operations. The FBI arrested him when he was about to leave for Pakistan and India on October 3.

7 comments:

Wiki said...

"Only we poor Indians will remain unprotected because the Govt. of India headed by Dr.Manmohan Singh cannot protect us. What naivete, Mr.Prime Minister! What naivete!"

Younsters of India share your frustration, Sir!

Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao is frantically travelling through tens of countries trying to sell India's view on Afghanistan. No one is buying our argument. It feels like we are begging for diplomatic space but all countries are closing their doors on us. Shame! Whereas, a failed bankrupt state, Pakistan receives glory, adoration and respect for helping in the Afghanistan solution!!! Leader of almost every major world power has recently visited Pakistan to seek its help in the solution of Afghanistan. India was not even invited at the negotiating table!! What poor diplomacy from the UPA government. India offers neither economic benefit (like China) nor threat of annihalation (like US, Pakistan, Russia) to countries it wants diplomatic support from. Why will countries support us on the world stage? Moreover, others say one thing when we are around and as soon as our backj is turned, they say the opposite. Finally, at the important moment India is left in the lurch. Israel, Iran, Russia who could have been our steadfast friends have been elienated by immature statements from the Prime Minister...all the while China and Pakistan have been gaining diplomatic ground. China uses money power...while Pakistan uses muscle power.

Unknown said...

Now US is seeking the legislation prior to the commercial sale of nuclear reactors, while similar agreements with Russia and France did not entail such conditions. When left parties opposed Nuclear bill, entire media was supporting Manmohan singh and UPA. Now people should understand the hidden clauses metioned in the nuclear deal. Thats why govt is coming with the Nuclear Liability bill to protect the US companies. It appears that in order to promote private nuclear power plants and favour U.S. equipment suppliers, the UPA government is willing to sacrifice the interests of the Indian people.

ambi said...

The more the things change the more they remain same. Now that U S has already cleared its intentions, who are we to decide what U S & Pakistan should be doing? What is more important to us is that what India is going to do.
US is already on the targets of Al Qaeda & allied supporting organizations. Indian Intelligence has a good network in the region. It must be surely having some information about future attacks by jihadist on US soils & other US interests in the world. Don’t show the generosity of sharing that info with Smart Americans. They don’t require help of Stupid Indians in it. Americans are smart enough to handle the matter of their own.
Surely Obama has protected Hedley, CIA, ISI, Pak Army & all that, but who will save comman American citizens who are on the target of these jihadist? As Lenka sings “Just enjoy the show.” Without ticket fool time pass.
Some times I wonder who Poses bigger threat to America Osama or Obama, or both.

nri2008 said...

AMERICA WANTS INDIANS TO DIE TO SAVE AMERICAN LIVES

(Please read news report from www.rediff.com which CLEARLY SAYS INDIANS MUST SACRIFICE THEIR LIVES TO SAVE OBAMA'S AF-PAK POLICY and SAVE AMERICAN CITIZENS!General Petraeus. HEAD OF AF-PAK OPERATIONS, AMERICAN ARMY of EMPEROR/PREZ OBAMA-Colonialism is back LONG LIVE THE EBONY EMPEROR )

Any terror strike in India will worsen Indo-Pak tension: US
March 18, 2010 14:01 IST

While stressing that bilateral talks between India [ Images ] and Pakistan are key to reducing heightened tension in the region, United States Central Command Chief General David Petraeus has warned that any Mumbai-type terror strike in India will certainly 're-ignite' hostility between the two nuclear powered nations.

Testifying before the US Senate Armed Services Committee, General Petraeus said any significant terror strike in India will severely dent efforts to reduce strategic tensions between India and Pakistan.

General Petraeus pointed out that any major escalation in tensions on Islamabad's [ Images ] eastern border with India could adversely affect gains made in the country's northwest and tribal areas along the Afghan border.

"A major escalation in these tensions will almost certainly result in the immediate redeployment to the east of Pakistani forces currently deployed to confront militants in the West, risking forfeiture of gains in the Federally Administered Tribal Area and the North Western Frontier Province," The Daily Times quoted General Petraeus as saying.

"This suggests a need for India and Pakistan to continue discussions that begun on February 25 in order to reduce the strategic tension and the risk of miscalculation between these nuclear-armed states," he added.

General Petraeus said the United States is striving to see an improvement in Indo-Pak relations and it firmly believes that both countries should continue peace talks despite there being certain provocations.
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al brazzakh said...

Dear Raman sahab, what is this?

1.Why are you accusing the Hon. PM , the distinguished leader and economist for the failure of the agencies?

2. This does not bode well for an analyst of your calibre , you blame the PM's naivette for such a fiasco ?

3. This post resembles the shock and awe usually found on pro H!ndutva websites usually after their favourite party is not in power, isn't it ?

None the less, please continue to write more on the same. We learn a lot from your blogs.

Salaam.

ambi said...

dear Al Beazzakh bhaiya, its not a question of Hindus or muslim. Terrorism is bad for all. see what pak has done to afghanistan, though its a muslim state. Raman sir is holding PM responsible cause he is too generous to America, n Pakistan. Look at the Sharm al shaikh fiasco or for that matter agreeing to talks to pakistan. foolish Americans are trying to get their things done directly through PM office, sidelining the whole govt. but enough is enough now. it has already lost what ever little levers it had in india. foolishly enough they have let down manmohan singh so badly, that manmohan singh has lost all influence. now there will be no blind support to him. his every action will be under scrutiny.
stupid! stupid! Americans.

Unknown said...

Dr. Ambekar
Please read the News article published by BBC. One must read between the lines. I feel that it is not Mr. David Headley who is deciding. It is the US authorities who will decide what David Headley should and should not say. David Headley's plots against the Humanity mainly against India ( I mean against Hindus) is well documented on 26/11.

If US believes in Human rights, why not hand him over to India or allow Indian Security agencies to interrogate David Headley independently? ( We all know what was the fate of the Indian Investigation Team which went to interrogate had come back empty handed. US authorities on some or other pretext refused Indian team to question the person or persons involved in 26/11.)

The answer to this question lies in your imagination as to what you think about US administration your friend or adversary?