At Taj, defence scientists were targets

 David Headley on Tuesday testified that Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) had planned to target defence scientists at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel here.

Spilling the beans on the role of the LeT, he said that in December 2007 at a meeting in which his handler Sajid Mir and Abu Khafa were present this was discussed.

“In November, December 2007, the LeT held a meeting in Muzaffarabad which was attended by Sajid Mir and Abu Kahfa. In this meeting it was decided that terror attacks would be conducted in Mumbai.” “They had some information of meeting of defence scientists at the conference room of the Taj,” Headley said.

Headley later said that the “plan to attack the conference hall in Taj was cancelled due to logistical reasons, like it was not possible to get weapons and personnel to the hall.”

“They also designed a dummy of Taj Hotel. But the meeting was cancelled,” he said, adding that prior to November 2007, the terror targets were not decided.
When asked about LeT’s plan, he said: “Plan to attack Taj during the meeting.” However, the plan was shelved.

He said that the LeT group as a whole was responsible for the terror attacks in India, and it can be speculated that all orders came from its top commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.

“I cannot tell this court who specifically from LeT instructed to conduct terror acts in India. The group as a whole was responsible. We can, however, speculate that since Zakiur Rehman was the head of operations of LeT, and hence all orders would have logically come from him,” he told the court.

‘Urged LeT to challenge ban’
David Headley wanted LeT founder Hafiz Saeed and LeT chief of operations Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi to challenge the ban imposed on the terror outfit, reports DHNS from Mumbai.

“While Hafiz Saeed did not say much about it Lakhvi was not too enthusiastic,” he recalled.