Headley link to Pune blast: Home Secretary to NDTV

Pune: From the debris of what was a popular hangout in Koregan Park, to e-mails intercepted in America, investigators are piecing together, clue by clue, the details of who planned Saturday's terror attack in Pune. Nine people were killed and 57 injured, when the German Bakery was shattered by a bomb placed inside a bag. (Read: 9 killed, 57 injured in Pune blast)

The government believes that there is a clear link between the Pune attack and David Coleman Headley, who is in a Chicago jail after being arrested by the FBI in September. Headley's charges in the US include working as an operative of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) to plan and execute 26/11.

 Headley has reportedly told American interrogators about what's called "The Karachi Project" - where the Lashkar trains Indian jihadis and former Pakistani army officers against India. What now has to be worked out - is there a link between this Karachi project and the Pune attack? Speaking to NDTV, Home Secretary GK Pillai said that the Karachi Project uses Indian Muslims in terror attacks, and that Headley told American officials that the Karachi Project is connected to Pakistani's ISI.  

The early consensus seems to be that the blast was planned by the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and its off-spring, the Indian Mujahideen (IM), created by the LeT in 2005. The IM is a local terror network of Indian professionals. For now, what investigators would like most is to somehow find four underground IM leaders, including Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal, brothers who are founder members of the terrorist group. (Read and watch: My son is no terrorist, says a mother in Pune)

Advertisement

Clues so far reveal that the terrorists who planted the bomb at the bakery deviated at the last minute from their original plan. Investigating officers are looking into the possibility that the intended target was either the Jewish community centre Chabad House, or the Osho Ashram, both within a few feet of the bakery. When the terrorists noticed the high security at both places, they opted for the "soft target" of the German Bakery in Pune's Koregaon Park. (Read: Did terrorists pick German Bakery at last minute?)

By the time the terrorists planted the bomb, investigators say, many of the foreigners at the bakery had left for the Osho Ashram for their 7 pm meditation and prayer session. If the bomb had been planted earlier, the casualties would have been higher.

Advertisement

The reason that Chabad House and the Osho Ashram are heavily-guarded is because both were surveyed by Headley in 2008.

Since then, India has been working to connect the places and people Headley visited during multiple trips to the country. Sources say that based on Headley's survey, sleeper terrorist cells were planted in several small cities to execute Headley's suggestion: targeting Tier 11 cities like Nagpur and Pune and in particular, attacking places frequented by foreigners.

Advertisement

Sources say that Pune crops up in Headley's emails to the LeT, intercepted by US intelligence officials. In this exchange, 'Rahul' is not a person but a reference to Pune; 'North of Rahul' is code for Mumbai.

 
July 8, 2009
Headley to LeT
''I think when we get a chance we should revisit our last location again and say hi to Rahul.''

Advertisement

July 8, 2009
LeT To Headley
'To see Rahul is a good idea because have some work over there for you too. Matters are good  enough to move forward.''

July 9, 2009
Headley to LeT
''When you say move forward, do you mean in the North direction or towards Rahul?

Advertisement

July 9, 2009
LeT To Headley
I mean towards Rahul

Adding to the evidence of a joint operation between the LeT and IM, intelligence alerts that Headley has mentioned the Bhatkal brothers in his interrogation.  

The IM was first busted in 2008 with a series of arrests. Twenty-one members were jailed for all major blasts in India since 2005, including blasts in Munbai trains in 2006, and terror attacks in Jaipur, Ahemedabad and Delhi in 2008. Of the 21 men arrested, 11 were from Pune. The Bhatkals, however, escaped.  

Mansur Peerbhoy, the man who sent all the terror mails before the blasts, was among those caught in 2008. He told his interrogators that he was radicalised at Pune's Quran Foundation.  He also said IM activities are headquartered around Pune because of its proximity to Mumbai  but offers the cover of a small city to those plotting attacks.  

Investigators are also analyzing CCTV footage obtained from a hotel across the road from the bakery. The security camera footage has been shown to a waiter at the German Bakery who was at work when the bomb exploded.