U.S. Now Exports Terror: American Linked to Mumbai Attack
The federal indictments against the pair indicate that Headley did not actually work for Rana. In fact, Headley used his “employment” as cover for trips abroad to facilitate terror. The indictments indicate that Headley reminded Rana that, should any one inquire about his trips, he should tell them he worked for Rana’s immigration service.
On one such trip Headley was able to make it inside the Jylland-Posten building. He posed as a representative of the company and said he was there to inquire about advertising rates. The federal indictment against him indicates otherwise: Headley was there conducting surveillance — surveillance which he later reported to his Lashkar-e-Taiba contact.
But his Lashkar-e-Taiba contact was not impressed with the plan. The federal indictment against Headley has an entire section entitled “Lashkar-e-Taiba Shifts its Focus From Denmark to Potential New Attack in India.”
But had Headley already done some leg work for Lashkar-e-Taiba to further their plans against Indian targets?
The coincidences would have to be astronomical to think otherwise. In 2006, Headley stayed at the Trident and Taj Mahal hotels targeted in the 2008 Mumbai attack. He also stayed at a third guesthouse located near the train station that was also targeted. Reports from India indicate that Headley may have visited ten of the ten locations attacked.
But it was Headley’s visit to the the Jewish Chabad House in Mumbai four months before the attacks that is the key. The building was attacked by Lashkar-e-Taiba on the day of the massacre, and seven of its occupants — including Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holtzberg, his wife Rivka, and their unborn child — were killed.
Indian news media now reports that Headley pretended to be Jewish in order to gain access to the house.
These reports perfectly match the pattern set forth in the federal indictments against Headley and his co-conspirator Tahawar Rana. Headley goes abroad posing as a businessman. He scouts the locations of possible targets for terror attacks. He lies in order to enter targeted buildings. He then passes on that information to his Pakistan-based contacts.
If the reports pan out to be true, then to what extent did Headley or Rana know that Lashkar-e-Taiba was planning an attack on such a massive scale? That remains a mystery. It could very well be that Headley, alone or in concert with Rana, was asked to scope out areas of Mumbai but not told specifically about the details of the plan. Operational security demands compartmentalization and a need-to-know basis — even for terrorists.
But it should be remembered that it was Headley who approached Lashkar-e-Taiba with the plan to attack the Jyllands-Posten. Headley had actually first looked to the notorious terrorist Ilyas Kashmiri and his al-Qaeda-linked Harakat-ul Jihad Islami group to back him. Only after false reports of Kashmiri’s death did Headley turn to Lashkar-e-Taiba for support.
Headley, it seems, saw himself as more than a mere foot soldier. He was a terrorist entrepreneur.
The body of evidence suggests that Headley was involved in the Mumbai attacks. To what extent he had prior knowledge of them is unclear, but if the known details of his plot against the Danish newspaper are mirrored in his involvement with Mumbai, then it is entirely possible he was involved at the planning stages.
We are used to the idea of a foreign terrorist plotting on Pakistani or Saudi soil to attack targets within the United States, and the Fort Hood attacks have awakened in most of us the sense that it is entirely plausible that Islamists radicalized here might attack their own country. But it is hard for most of us to imagine that an American would plot to attack targets abroad — that Mumbai’s Khalid Shiekh Mohammed did not plot from a cave in Afghanistan or the slums of Peshawar but in a Chicago high-rise.
That the Dutch or Indians need fear attacks by Americans seems something from a politically correct Hollywood movie. This is a very disturbing development which requires a whole new set of ideas regarding how law enforcement and intelligence agencies share information with their foreign counterparts.
Well, at least we’re exporting something.
Actually, it would make a lot of sense for terrorists here in the United States to plot oversease attacks. Unfortunately, some of our own laws and our own freedoms are used by terrorists to facilitate their operations overseas. There are numerous Palestinian “non-profit” organizations here in the United States that are fronts for terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. They have been operating in this country for years. If you read books and articles by Steve Emmerson you will get a complete rundown on these organizations and what groups they assist. It just seems that these disturbed individuals are now branching out into other countries, like India. But as serious as this problem is, I still think domestic Muslim terrorists pose a greater threat to this nation. Major Hasan Nidal and the “Fort Dix Six” (to name a few) are examples of how vulnerable our military installations are to these plots. Just imagine if these same terrorists decide to attack a much “softer” target, like a mall or an office building. To prevent an overseas plot may be comendable, but the domestic threats are what we should be paying closer attention to.
Note, the above author’s name is spelled “Steven Emerson.” Sorry for the mistake.
Mumbai was on Bush’s watch wasn’t it obviously it was his fault. After all the moonbats blame everything else on Bush.
Any word about this from American muslims? What are they doing to combat this? Doesn’t seem they are doing a good job.
Rusty – I have disagree with you on one point. You said:
“We are used to the idea of a foreign terrorist plotting … to attack targets within the United States, and the Fort Hood attacks have awakened in most of us the sense that it is entirely plausible that Islamists radicalized here might attack their own country.”
It is the last three words of that quote — their own country. I would submit that so long as the United States is outside of Dar es Salaam that such terrorists [and at least some other Moslems] do not consider this their own country.
As for the rest of article, I found it quite interesting.
Now a word from Chris Matthews,”we may never know” etc and so forth.
On some things you just have to keep an open mind.
More evidence that any Muslim who is not a terrorist is a “potential” terrorist!
Q: You know what you call it when one side goes to war and the other side does not?
A: Massacre!
Muslims born and raised in the U.S. might become radicalized …
Studying the, as Obama would say Holy Koran, are they?
It really makes me wonder, on what should citizenship be based upon? In the days of the Roman Empire, a citizen had to demonstrate certain
things. Now, citizenship is bestowed upon birth, or having the right papers processed.
What about those who turn against what the country
is based upon? Why should they have the benefits of the country they turned against?
What I love is how all of you links are to the Jawa Report. A site you apparently run.
ps and the Fort Hood attacks have awakened in most of us the sense that it is entirely plausible that Islamists radicalized here might attack their own country.
please be specific. By us, you mean, crazed, hallucinating “jihad in the woodpile” paranoiacs.
David I often wonder the same thing about our Legislators and Judges when they become domestic enemies of our constitutional liberties being secured to ourselves rather than to them.
Yeah moho. Nidal Hasan and Fort Hood were a figment of my paranoid imagination.
11. That’s no more crazy than Joe McCarthy, who, despite being branded as a lunatic, was absolutely right about Communist spies in the State Department.
Rusty..LOL…most of it is so far, that would be the conclusion of any intelligent person. It will be until there’s a factual record. But don’t wait for that, there’s an opportunity to cloud all future analysis with the misinformation you propagate today. Idiot.
15. moho: Please elaborate. To talking points, no links. Tell us what you mean. I don’t think you can actually do it.
Interesting. Under the Bush Doctrine, any nation that harbors terrorists may be attacked pre-emtively, making no disctinction between terrorists and the society that contains them.
The Indian Airforce should be launching a bombing raid on Chicago any time now.
Baal. You are either being disingenuous or stupid. Everything you need to know is in that sentence; I can’t understand it for you. Get your mommy to help you with the big words.
Re: The Ft Hood Killer: If a hate crime is a hate crime because the motive is hate then… is this a terrorist attack because he had terrorist motives?
“By us, you mean, crazed, hallucinating “jihad in the woodpile” paranoiacs.”
Don’t worry about it . “Us” in this context doesn’t include jihadist Muslim trash or lefty American traitors.
You aren’t part of us.
Is it a crime to hate terrorists? Would that be considered a hate crime?
Gee MoHo, that’s a really nifty name. Do you know any other letters? Are you related to ViVo? You both have two 0′s in your names. IQ? By the way, your retorts of late have been disappointing. Just now up to snuff. Jejeune. Might I raecommend a thesaurus>
Dave Surls. Nothing weakens you people more than statements like that. Keep it up, it makes you even more marginalized than you were last year. Nothing gives me more pleasure than watching you inbred losers claim that I can’t be part of your circle jerk. My tears are copious, have fun trading stories of the Jihadists in the neighborhood while you’re waiting in the food stamp line.
Joe McCarthy was right about several things…
1) Communists/Socialists in teaching and administrative positions in the universities and colleges.
2) Look at Hollywood and the MSM today, seems he wasn’t barking up the wrong tree.
3) Spies in the State Department.
MOHO
From the tone of your posts I can see why people might tend to avoid you. You seem to be very, very angry. Is that because people don’t understand you? Do you think that once somebody gets to know you, the real you, they would learn to like you? Is it just the gruff exterior that puts people off? Or are you as big a putz as first impressions suggest?
Moe. Seeing as there’s nothing in my posts that would suggest such things [and indeed, it could be true, though you'll never know], I see a classic case of projection.
#22
Learn to deal with it, whiny little jihadist-lover.
There is no “us” when it comes to people like you. You’re the enemy…just not an important enough enemy to bother getting rid of…at the present.
Dave Surls. Thanks for doing exactly what I told you to do. Keep it up, I need the laugh today.
Liberty60:
Actually, I believe that is meant to refer to those who knowingly and willingly harbour terrorists.
18. moho: Thanks for confirming my point about you.
Moho: Are you a stinking muzzie?
#10:
David, dats da law, but, really for some people the accidental place of their birth is a petty distinction. In no other way do they feel a sense of connection to that place, the people there, or the nation where it happens to be located. Some will always self-identify with another nation/people/culture-even after a life time.
“I need the laugh today.”
Laugh it up.
I hear Saddam Hussein used to do a lot of laughing too.
He ain’t laughing now.
Regardless, they’re STILL moslem, aren’t they. That’s all I need to know.
Extradite them ASAP.
Of course, it isn’t that simple. They are legally “innocent” until proven guilty. And I would not want a factually innocent person extradited to any other country.
#31:
Elliot, I am not just referring to those born in North America that act as a fifth column for the “Sons of Allah”, but
also those who fly to Somalia, or anywhere else, to fight alongside their Muslim brothers to defeat the infidel.
It is easy to collate the information as to where they were, whom they were with, and frankly held at Diego Garcia. Otherwise, they have an appointment with a noose because of what they did against coalition soldiers.
So, revert to the times when fealty had to shown to the government. Otherwise, don’t let the door, or gate, hit you on your way out.
David, Okey-dokey about the azz thingy, but I am on side with you entirely.
David – Good points. Right now being an American is all rights and entitlements and no responsibilities and now we want to give citizenship away to anyone who can climb a border fence. It’s not sustainable because someone’s got to pay the bar tab eventually.
Joe McCarthy was a piece of crap
[...] a Chicago-area man who legally changed his name from Daood Gilani to David Headley — and who had previously been indicted for planning a foiled terror attack against Denmark’s Jylland Posten newspaper as “revenge” for printing cartoons of the prophet Mohammad — conducted surveillance of targets in Mumbai. He helped facilitate the massacre in which innocent civilians were methodically gunned down at the real-time urging of their Lashkar-e-Taiba controllers from Pakistan. [...]
Dba Daood Gilani or David Headley had a religious persuasion problem – before going (or returning to) Gatling-barreled Islam he was for a while a parishoner and donor at Obama’s Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago.