India will seek Headley's extradition: G K Pillai

New Delhi, Dec 10 (ANI): Union Home Secretary G K Pillai today said India would seek the extradition of US terror suspect David Coleman Headley, who attended a hearing in a Chicago court on Wednesday.

Headley's charge sheet provides his links in Pakistan. The Indian government has asked Islamabad to investigate Headley's links in Pakistan. Headley is supposed to have close links with LeT, Huji and Al Qaeeda outfits in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Headley's case is being heard in Chicago court. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Chicago arrested him in October on terror charges.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has charge sheeted Headley, alias Daood Gilani, for conducting "extensive surveillance of targets in Mumbai for more than two years" preceding the 26/11 terrorist attack in Mumbai in which 166 people were killed.

Pakistani-American jihadist David Headley also hoped to bomb the offices of Danish newspaper Jyllands Posten, whose publications of cartoons of Prophet Mohammad in 2005 offended many Muslims across the world.

Headley's arrest compelled the Lashkar to drop its plans to attack the National Defence College.

Headley was using US as a base to plan future attacks outside the country and because he was a US citizen his travel at least based on entry and exit did not raise suspicions.

According to the US investigating agencies, Headley is cooperating with the investigators.

Headley who made his first appearance in an open US court on Wednesday pleaded no guilt to the criminal charges against him in connection with the November 26 Mumbai attacks and the terror plot against Denmark.

The next hearing in this case is scheduled for January 12 and Headley's appearance at that hearing is likely to be waived.

As for India's interest in having Headley extradited, his lawyer John Theis has said he has not been notified of any such request, and that in his experience, if a person is convicted, the US would expect him or her to serve out their sentence here before considering an extradition request by another country.

Till now, the Indian authorities have not been allowed access to Headley or his accomplice Tawahar Rana.

Despite 26/11 Mumbai attacks being the core of the FBI's chargesheet and an extradition treaty in place between India and US, the question that crops up is that with Headley co-operating with the US investigating agencies, will he be sent to stand in a trial court in India. (ANI)