26/11: Headley jailed for 35 yrs

26/11: Headley jailed for 35 yrs

He Deserved Death Penalty, Says US Judge

Chicago: Pakistani-American LeT terrorist David Headley was on Thursday sentenced to 35 years in jail by a US court for the Mumbai terror attacks with the judge expressing his unhappiness over the prosecution seeking alighter term.
    The 52-year-old Headley had entered into a plea bargain with the US investigators under which he escaped death sentence.
    But many were left surprised when the US prosecutors did not seek life sentence for Headley.
    Headley was ordered to serve 35 years, followed by five years of supervised release by US District Judge Harry Leinenweber.
    There is no federal parole and defendants must serve at least 85 percent of their sentence.
    “Mr Headley is a terrorist,” the judge said while imposing the sentence in a packed court.
    Leinenweber also said, “He commits crime, cooperates and then gets rewarded for the cooperation. No matter what I do, it is not going to deter terrorists. Unfortunately, terrorists do not care for it. I do not have any faith in Mr Headley when he says that he is a changed person now. I do believe that it is my duty to protect the public from Mr Headley and ensure that he does not get into any further terrorist activities. Recommending 35 years is not a right sentence.”
    Asked if he wanted to make a statement, Headley, said, “No, your honour”...
    In pleading guilty and later testifying for the government at the trial of co-defendant and school 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, including six Americans, and wounded hundreds more.
    “The sentence I impose, I'm hopeful it will keep Mr Headley under lock and key for the rest of his natural life,” Leinenweber said. AGENCIES
THE MAN WHO LAID THE GROUND FOR 26/11
DAVID COLEMAN HEADLEY (52)
    He conducted meticulous scouting missions during his
8 visits to India—videotaping and mapping targets—so that the LeT attackers who had never been to Mumbai adeptly found their way around
Maximum sentence faced: Life Sentence US authorities asked for:
30 to 35 years
    Was motivated in part by his hatred of India going back to his childhood
    Born Daood Gilani in the US in 1960 to a Pakistani diplomat and American woman. After parents divorced, went to live with mother in the US
    Was charged on 12 counts, including conspiracy to bomb public places in India
including the November 26, 2008 Mumbai attacks, and aiding and abetting the murder of 6 US nationals during 26/11
    Ater his 2009 arrest in Chicago, Headley made a deal with the US to spill secrets about his jihadi life and the 26/11 attacks in exchange for not being given the death penalty or being extradited to India
    He then testified against Tahawwur Rana, a Chicago businessman who was convicted and sentenced to 14 years in jail last week for providing aid to LeT and backing a failed plot to attack a Danish newspaper
    As he revealed Rana’s name to the FBI, Headley said, “That probably is going to be good a plus for me. Also for you.”