David Headley Says He Stopped Lashkar From Attacking Naval Station, Siddhivinayak

Mumbai: Terrorist David Coleman Headley today said the terror group Lashkar e Taiba was unhappy that the Mumbai airport was not one of the targets in the 26/11 attack on Mumbai.

Continuing his revelations in a Mumbai court while deposing via video link from the US, Headley also said he had discouraged Lashkar from attacking the Naval Air Station and the Siddhivinayak Temple as both were heavily guarded.

Headley began testifying this week on the November 26 2008 attacks in which 166 died in a three-day siege by 10 terrorists.  He told the court that he had bought red and yellow sacred threads from the Siddhivinayak temple as a cover for the attackers, so people would think they were Hindus.

He also revealed to the court that he had visited and taken videos of the Bhaba Atomic Research Centre (BARC) as a possible terror target, and handed the footage to Major Iqbal of Pakistani intelligence agency ISI.

"Major Iqbal said in future I should recruit for the ISI people from BARC who collect classified information," said Headley.

One of the 26/11 targets was the Chabad House which, Headley said, was selected as it was "an international location where Jewish and Israeli people were staying".

The US national, who has detailed in court how he conducted reconnaissance of the landmarks in Mumbai that the Lashkar planned to attack, has earlier said he was ordered to open a business in India by his Lashkar handlers.

The terrorist is serving a 35-year prison term in the US.

In the past few days, Headley has revealed details about the ISI's collaboration with terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which he said planned and executed the 26/11 attack.

Headley said Lashkar commander Zaki Ur Rehman Lakhvi had emphasized that surveillance for the Mumbai attack "should be done properly as this is a chance to take revenge for all bomb blasts India had done in the past" in Pakistan.