In explosive claim, Pak-American terrorist David Headley tells mumbai court that Ishrat Jahan – gunned down in alleged fake encounter in 2004 – was an LeT operative
Mumbai: Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley Thursday told a special court here that young college girl Ishrat Jahan — who was killed in an alleged fake encounter in 2004 in Gujarat — was an operative of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba(LeT).
Testifying via video-link from the US, Headley picked up the name of the 19-year-old Mumbra girl from three names when quizzed by Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam about a “botched-up operation” mentioned to him (Headley) by LeT commander Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi.
Headley told the court that Lakhvi had mentioned to him about a “botched-up operation” conducted in India by another LeT operative Muzammil Butt where a female member of the terror outfit was killed.
Prodded by Nikam for details about the operation, Headley said, “There was a female wing in LeT which was headed by one Abu Aiman’s mother. Zaki sahib (Zaki-Ur-Rehman) told me about Butt’s botched up operation in India. It was some shootout with the police.
“I don’t know which part in India. But there was one female who was killed in the shootout. I think she was an Indian national and not a Pakistani but was a LeT operative.”
After Thursday’s hearing, Nikam claimed before reporters that Headley stated he had heard Lakhvi telling Butt an “operation” in Gujarat failed because of a female suicide bomber. However, Headley had said he does not remember the name of any female suicide bomber.
“I don’t know any female suicide bomber in LeT. I cannot name any suicide bomber in LeT,” Headley told the court when he was asked by the prosecutor about suicide bombers.
In his media interaction, Nikam said he named in the court three “women suicide bombers” of the LeT for Headley to pick. “I named three women suicide bombers associated with the LeT — Noor Jahan Begum, Ishrat Jahan, Mumtaz Begum. When he heard the three, he said that he had heard the name of Ishrat Jahan and that she was killed in a police encounter.” PTI
