Headley lied to law enforcement agencies: Defence attorneys

CHICAGO: David Coleman Headley, co-accused in the Mumbai terror attacks, lied to the law enforcement agencies and implicated Tawahhur Hussain Rana in the plot in a bid to save his life, defence attorneys said today.

50-year-old Headley, a Pakistani-American, has been cross-examined by defence lawyers of Rana, a 26/11 co-accused and a Canadian of Pakistani-origin who is standing trial at a Chicago court here after being slapped with a dozen charges in connection with the Mumbai attacks in which 166 persons were killed.

Headley, who pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty and extradition, wrapped up testimony with prosecutors saying they expect to call up to eight more witnesses starting today.

The FBI agents and Rana's relatives will be the next witnesses in the trial.

The defence lawyers said Headley lived multiple lives and used his friend over the years. Rana and Headley, who are both 50, met as teenagers at a Pakistani military school.

Headley conceded that he was secretly researching on Internet at Rana's house.

"As expected this guy has a very troubled history and past," Patrick Blegen, Rana's attorney told reporters here after the trial at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse.

"It's my sense that he answered the questions affirmatively because we had a stack of papers to contradict him.

"He lied before in the past," Blegen said.