David Coleman Headley, the Pakistani-American who scouted targets for 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, was granted conditional pardon by a Mumbai special court on Thursday. He is now expected to make a full disclosure of the criminal conspiracy behind the attacks and will be made an approver and a witness in the case against plotter Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal. The Indian Express reported that his statement will be recorded by a Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act court on February 8, 2016.
Serving a 35-year jail term for his role in the attacks, Headley appeared before the court through video-conference from an undisclosed location in the United States. When he offered his testimony for pardon, the prosecution, headed by Ujjwal Nikam, consulted the police and accepted his plea.
Headley has been ordered by Judge GA Sanap to disclose full and true facts relating to the 26/11 attacks conspiracy, his role in the conspiracy and those of other co-conspirators, and “truthfully and correctly” answer all questions answers posed by the prosecution.
Headley was earlier convicted for planning and executing the Mumbai terror attacks on November 26, 2008, which killed 166 people. He reportedly visited India five times between 2006 and 2008, and drew maps, took video footage and scouted several targets for the attacks including the Taj Hotel, Oberoi Hotel and Nariman House in Mumbai.
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