David Coleman Headley, the Pakistani American who admitted to helping plot the Mumbai attacks in 2008 that killed more than 160 people, was sentenced for 35 years in jail by a US federal court in Chicago this week.
Six Americans were also killed in the coordinated terror attack of November 26, 2008 in Mumbai now infamously referred to as 26/11.US federal prosecutors had sought a 30-35 years jail term for the 52-year-old Headley, in view of his role in the attack and his cooperation with investigators.
“Mr. Headley is a terrorist,” the US District Judge Harry Leinenweber said while imposing the sentence on 12 counts in a packed court. “I do not have any faith in Mr. Headley when he says that he is a changed person now.”
Many were surprised that prosecutors did not seek a life sentence for Headley. Headley entered into a plea bargain with the US investigators thanks to which, he escaped the death sentence. Gary Shapiro, acting US Attorney in Chicago said on Tuesday that the 30-35 year sentence recommended by the prosecution for Headley was fair.
“While his criminal conduct was deplorable, the uniquely significant cooperation which he provided to the government’s efforts to combat terrorism supports the government’s recommendations,” he said in a memo to the federal court. Headley has been convicted of colluding with terrorist outfits such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Al-Qaeda. He was once small-time narcotics dealer turned US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) informer who went rogue.
In pleading guilty and later testifying for the government at the trial of co-defendant and school time friend Tahawwur Rana, Headley admitted that he attended training camps in Pakistan operated by Lashkar-e-Taiba, on five separate occasions between 2002 and 2005.
In late 2005, Headley received instructions from three members of Lashkar to travel to India to conduct surveillance, which he did five times leading up to the Mumbai attacks in 2008 that killed approximately 166 people, and wounded hundreds more.Earlier, India’s foreign minister Salman Khurshid expressed disappointment at America’s refusal to extradite Headley to India.
The Pakistani terrorists who came via a sea route, massacred people wantonly in Mumbai attacking luxury hotels, railways stations, hospitals and a Jewish centre. Nine of the ten gunmen were killed by the Indian commandoes and cops after battling for more than two days.
The lone surviving gunman in the attack, Ajmal Kasab, was hanged in India last year.