Chicago, June 1 (IANS) Pakistani-American terrorist David Headley testified Tuesday that he has talked to relatives about writing a book or movie script about his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks.
As Headley took the stand for the fifth day in his best friend Pakistani Canadian Tahawwur Rana’s trial here, defence attorneys tried to paint him as an opportunistic charlatan who deceived close friends and family, Chicago Sun Times reported.
Rana’s attorneys also said that Headley underwent psychological treatment in 1997 and was diagnosed with having a ‘mixed personality’ disorder in 1992, the daily said.
Headley, who has pleaded guilty to helping the militant Pakistani-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, with carrying out the Mumbai attack, even spoke of cashing in on his experiences following his 2009 arrest, Rana’s attorney Patrick Blegen said.
‘Didn’t you tell your wife, ‘If I write a book, I’ll make huge amounts of money?” Blegen asked. Headley, 50, didn’t deny it.
Headley also didn’t deny that Rana ever watched footage of the surveillance videos Headley took in Mumbai and Denmark, where Headley plotted with others to target the newspaper that printed the controversial Prophet Muhammad cartoons.
Rana also never took any money Headley was given by his cohorts to fund the attacks, Headley said.
Rana’s attorneys reiterated that Rana was duped by Headley, who has used Rana’s account on a listserve to post his inflammatory views, the Times said.
Headley knew he needed a ‘Hail Mary pass’ or ‘homerun’ to take some of the weight off him after his October 2009 arrest, Blegen said showing Headley’s animated videotaped confession.
When Blegen suggested to Headley that he was only remorseful because he was required to do so by the plea agreement, Headley replied: ‘I feel bad for the methods that I’ve employed.’
‘Do you feel bad for the Indians who were killed?’ Blegen asked.
‘Yes,’ Headley replied.
