Mumbai:
Now that David Coleman Headley has been charged with being a key conspirator in the 26/11 terror attack, the big question is - will this delay the verdict on Ajmal Kasab's trial?
Headley and Kasab are two men key to unraveling the 26/11 terror attack.
With the FBI naming Headley as the key plotter who surveyed the terror targets, will this new dimension delay the verdict in the case?
Those connected with the investigation say it's unlikely. Police sources say that once the Mumbai police receive evidence from the FBI, they could file a supplementary chargesheet on Headley. They also say that if Headley is extradited, his trial could be separated from the 26/11 trial, citing the example of the trail of Abu Salem, whose trial was conducted separately from the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts.
But if David Headley was the man who surveyed the terror targets so extensively, then this could weaken the case against Fahim Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed, who are till now accused of conducting the local surveillance. This could have been the reason why the Mumbai police were reluctant to link Headley to the attack, even though the Union Home Ministry saw a link.
Investigators say given the secrecy surrounding such operations, it's unlikely that Kasab knew about Headley or his role.
But this was the deadly outcome of their collaboration, a day India can never forget.