‘Headley’s wife warned FBI of his LeT links 3 years before 26/11’

Three years prior to the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was warned of the strikes and David Headley’s links with the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) by the wife of the Pakistani-American terrorist, says an investigative report.

“Three years before Pakistani terrorists struck Mumbai in 2008, federal agents in New York City investigated a tip that an American businessman was undergoing training in Pakistan with the group that later executed the attack,” according to the report on the 26/11 attacks published by ProPublica, an independent, non-profit newsroom engaged in investigative journalism in the public interest.

“The previously undisclosed allegations against David Coleman Headley, who became a key figure in the plot that killed 166 people, came from his wife after a domestic dispute that resulted in his arrest in 2005,” the report said.

In three interviews with federal agents, Headley’s wife said he was an active militant in Lashkar-e-Taiba and had been trained extensively in its Pakistani camps and shopped for night vision goggles and other equipment, the report investigated by Sebastian Rotella of ProPublica said citing officials and sources close to the case.

A version of the investigative report released yesterday by ProPublica — which is supported entirely by philanthropy and provides the articles it produces, free of charge, both through its website and to leading news organisations — was also published by the online edition of The Washington Post.

There was no immediate response from the FBI on the authenticity of the report.

“The handling of the Headley case calls into question the progress of American law enforcement and intelligence agencies in improving their coordination and ability to ‘connect the dots’ and deter attacks. It also raises questions about a complicated relationship between American authorities and a confessed terrorist,” ProPublica said.

Headley’s wife, whom ProPublica is not identifying to protect her safety, also told agents that Headley had bragged of working as a paid U.S. informant while he trained with the terrorists in Pakistan, according to a person close to the case, the report said.

“Federal officials say the FBI ‘looked into’ the tip, but they declined to say what, if any, action was taken. Headley was jailed briefly in New York on charges of domestic assault but was not prosecuted. He wasn’t arrested until 11 months after the Mumbai attack, when British intelligence alerted the U.S. authorities that he was in contact with al-Qaeda operatives in Europe,” the report said.

ProPublica said that in the four years between his wife’s warning and Headley’s capture, the LeT sent Headley on reconnaissance missions around the world.

During five trips to Mumbai, he scouted targets for the attack — using his U.S. passport and cover as a businessman to circulate freely in areas frequented by Westerners.

He met in Pakistan with terrorist handlers, including a Pakistani Army major accused of helping direct and fund his missions, the report said, citing court documents and anti-terrorism officials.

According to ProPublica investigations, it is not clear from the available information whether a different response to the tip about Headley might have averted the Mumbai attacks.

“It is known that U.S. anti-terrorism officials warned Indian counterparts several times in 2008 about a possible attack on Mumbai, according to U.S. and Indian officials. The warnings included details, such as a threat to the iconic Taj Mahal hotel, which became a target, officials say,” the report said.