'Al-Qaeda hailed Mumbai attack'

In a series of statements before a Mumbai court on Thursday, David Headley said the al Qaeda network had appreciated his work during the 26/11 terror attacks.

The Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist who doubled up as an agent of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the Pakistani spy agency, admitted that he knew Ilyas Kashmiri, who was once considered to be a possible successor of Osama bin Laden, founder of al Qaeda.

Kashmiri was killed on June 3, 2011, in a US drone attack in Waziristan, a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan bordering Afghanistan.

“Yes, I knew him,” he said, responding to a query from Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam whether he knew Kashmiri.

Asked whether he had discussed the terror attack with Kashmiri, he said, “I did” and when told to specify what was the latter’s reaction, he said, “he (Kashmiri) was very happy, he said ‘shabash’ (well done)”.

Asked where he met him, Headley said it was in Waziristan. Asked whether he was aware of the 313 Brigade operating the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), he said: “Thats the name of his group.”

He also identified the photo of Kashmiri and said that he was aware of the Jund al-Fida, the army of the fidayeen, which was part of Kashmiri’s network.

When asked whether he was aware what happened to Kashmiri, he said: “I think he passed away.”
When pressed further with a how, he said: “I am imprisoned, you may be having better information.”

He also specified as 2005-06 the period when his contact Major Abdul Rehman Pasha joined the al Qaeda.