Friday, November 13, 2009

Headley's 'Rahul' may have Mahesh Bhatt link

nov 13th, 2009

then again, it might actually be rahul maino.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Shahryar


http://news.rediff.com/report/2009/nov/13/headleys-rahul-may-have-mahesh-bhatt-link.htm

Headley's 'Rahul' may have Mahesh Bhatt link


November 13, 2009 10:09 IST

The man named 'Rahul', who is said to be one of Lashkar-e-Tayiba operative David Headley's targets in India, may not have been Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi nor superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who has played characters named 'Rahul' in some of his films.

According to the Mumbai Mirror newspaper, Pakistan-born United States citizen Headley's 'Rahul' was apparently Rahul Bhatt, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt's only son.

Headley, who was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Chicago last month, is said to have told his interrorgators that he met Rahul Bhatt during one of his trips to Mumbai.

Headley -- who was born Daood Gilani -- befriended Rahul at a gymnasium near Breach Candy in south Mumbai, according to the Mirror report -- and told him he was searching for a flat in Mumbai. Earlier reports mentioned that Headley stayed at a friend's mother's home in Breach Candy during trips to Mumbai.

The FBI found Rahul's name mentioned in Headley's e-mails; he had informed his Lashkar minders in Pakistan that Rahul was a Bollywood star and could be a likely target.

When rediff.com contacted Rahul's father on Friday morning, Mahesh Bhatt said, "I have been out of town and have just landed in Mumbai" before terminating the telephonic conversation.

Rediff Entertainment Bureau


8 comments:

sands said...

The S.O.B B that is mahesh bhatt was the guy who went with the beard guyz to laloo and requested the banerjee commsison for goadhra train burnings he is always there on TV defending you know who after every terror attack

witan said...

The free run Headley had in our country revives some questions about another US national, one Kenneth Haywood, whose wireless connection was allegedly used by terrorists to transmit a message to Indian news networks before the Ahmedabad blasts in 2008. Was his Internet connection really “hacked”, or was it used with his full knowledge? Rather, did he himself send the email messages? It is significant that he fled the country while the Mumbai police investigations were going on. It is common knowledge that Haywood has a dubious record, which is revealed, for example, in "Kenneth Haywood" (Wikipedia) and "Kenneth Haywood flees, but mystery stays" (rediff news). The Mumbai police have a lot of questions to answer. It may be advisable to take the investigations of 26/11 out of the hands of Mumbai police — which has in the past shown great alacrity only in blaming and framing Hindu religious organizations rather than conduct a genuine investigation — and entrust it entirely with a central agency, and also to get Kenneth Haywood, Rahul Bhatt, and Mahesh Bhatt investigated thoroughly, with help from US FBI.

Shahryar said...

I expect Mumbai police is still infested with people who have been on police constable's son, ranked 50th on the Forbes ‘Most Powerful People in the World’ list, Dawood Ibrahim's payroll from his days as Mumbai's top gangster running 'D-Company.'

Anonymous said...

Hi Rajeev,
Great Blog!

Though I visit your blog quite often, this is my query.

If you know, Could you please provide details on Mr. David Headley? Somewhre, I read he was known as "phorein Pakistani" or "White Pakistani". If he is really a white (Caucasian) Pakistani, how come he was born in Pakistan? Any idea why he changed his name from Daood Gilani to David Headley? Upon whose request?

I searched google and yahoo for his picture, background, but didnt find any. If you know any details about Mr. David Headley aka Daood Gilani aka "phorein Pakistani terrorist" please let us know.

What I am worried about his visit to Kochi. Kerala is becoming a transit point for the Jihadis and plotting center for future attacks in India. And so far none of them has been nabbed by intelligence. The Indian intelligence say they are not intrigued by his visit to Kochi. All my inner feelings say, he has sent up something in Kerala.

Thank you.
Keep posting.

Shahryar said...

Extract from Headley mapped all ‘26/11 targets’ – US suspect posed as Jew: Police

Between 2006 and 2009, Headley ran a firm called Immigration Law Centre out of Tardeo AC Market in south Mumbai with the help of a local Parsi woman. Late last night, officials of the federal National Investigating Agency, which has now joined the probe with Mumbai police, visited Headley’s immigration firm.

“A lot of facts have emerged from the interrogation of his co-worker/partner at the firm. She has been very co-operative. We now know Headley rarely used mobile phones and computers; but he did have a Tata Indicom landline number that he used while operating this immigration business. His mobile number is also with us and is leading us to some of his local contacts/acquaintances,” the source said.

Officially, Headley’s job was to facilitate US and Canadian visas for semi-skilled and unskilled workers. The investigators are trying to find out whether he had any contacts in local consulates.

Headley preferred to pay salaries, or make other payments, in cash. He rarely used banking channels and spent limited time at the office —“hardly two hours in the morning and a couple of hours in the evening”, the source said. (News sourced from The Telegraph)

Shahryar said...

Extract from Danish terror plot: 2 Chicago friends accused of scheming to attack Danish newspaper over cartoons about Muhammad

Federal authorities say operation linked to al-Qaida

As boys, David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana studied military strategies at one of Pakistan's most storied cadet colleges.

As men, they reunited in Chicago to conspire with international terrorists plotting to take revenge on a Danish newspaper for publishing cartoons about the Prophet Muhammad that outraged the Muslim world, federal prosecutors charged Tuesday.

Federal authorities say they foiled the childhood friends' plan -- an al-Qaida-linked operation code-named "the Mickey Mouse Project" -- before it was set to be carried out.

Headley, 49, traveled to Denmark twice this year to conduct surveillance missions on the Copenhagen and Aarhus offices of the Jyllands-Posten newspaper, prosecutors said in criminal complaints unsealed in U.S. District Court in Chicago.

During at least one of his scouting trips, Headley claimed to be a consultant for a North Side business owned by Rana called First World Immigration Services, prosecutors said. Headley, who changed his name from Daood Gilani in 2006, allegedly to avoid raising red flags when he traveled, was charged with conspiracy to commit terrorist acts. Rana, 48, was accused of financially supporting Headley, arranging his overseas travel and discussing potential targets with him.

Authorities said Headley was to attack the Jyllands-Posten office or launch a more focused attempt at killing cartoonist Kurt Westergaard and an editor there. The drawings depicting Muhammad with a lit bomb for a turban touched off violent riots after being published in 2005.

The alleged plot called for "a combined arms attack" involving firearms and explosives, a source familiar with the investigation said. Authorities believe planning for the attack was in its final stages.

Shahryar said...

Extract from Headley's father was a Pakistani diplomat, mother ran a pub in US: report

Washington, Nov 20 (IANS) Suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative David Coleman Headley's father was a prominent Pakistani diplomat while his mother belonged to Philadelphia. Born Daood Gilani, Headley changed his name in 2006 taking on the surname of his mother Serrill Headley, says a media report.

Serrill Headley, who grew up in Bryn Mawr, split with her husband, and lost custody of her children in Pakistani courts. After 10 years in Pakistan, Serrill Headley moved to Philadelphia, bought a 100-year-old tavern in 1973, and turned it into a bustling nightspot, writes The Philadelphia Inquirer.

She founded the Khyber Pass pub/restaurant at 56 S. Second St.

In an interview in 1974, she said: "In Pakistan, men own the children. There are no rights for women,"

After two earlier attempts to get her son out of Pakistan failed, she succeeded in 1977.

Headley was 16 when he, then named Daood Gilani, was taken out of Pakistan where he attended a military school. Family members in published reports have described his striking eyes - one blue and one brownish-green.

In Philadelphia, however, he suffered from culture shock. Raised as a Muslim, he was having trouble adjusting to the idea that his mother ran a bar, the Inquirer said.

"He has never been alone with, much less had a date with, a girl, except the servant girls of his household," an Inquirer column said in 1974.

At the time, the Khyber was a slice of exotica on the Philadelphia bar scene, with Pakistani wedding tents and 180 brands of beer.

Eventually, Serrill Headley turned it over to her son.

"His mother owned it and gave it to him around 1985," said Stephen Simons, current owner of the bar, now called the Khyber. "He ran it for about a year and ran it into the ground," Simons said. Simons' brother bought the bar in 1988.

Shahryar said...

Extract from NIA team may question Bollywood people who met Headley

As Indian and American investigators dug deeper into the David Headley case, some Bollywood stars who had reportedly interacted with the American terror suspect during his stay in Mumbai in 2007-2009, are likely to be questioned.
India's National Investigation Agency might record statements of actors Emraan Hashmi and Aarti Chhabria who reportedly had come in contact with Headley, sources said.

The NIA move came even as Mumbai-based gym instructor Vilas Varak said he was instrumental in introducing filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt's son Rahul to Headley and that he had informed police about Headley, a Lashkar-e-Tayiba operative.

About his link with Headley, Vilas said, "I never went to meet Headley...he came to me." He claimed he has now lost his job at 'Moksha' gymnasium at Napean Sea Road where he was working for eight years because of the Headley affair.

In Pune, police said Headley had stayed at hotel 'Surya Villa' near Osho Ashram on March 16 during his visit to the city this year. The hotel manager was also questioned.

It was through Rahul that Headley established contacts with some Bollywood figures, sources said, adding NIA has been recording the statements of persons with whom the terror suspect had interacted during his stay in city.

Police said Rahul is a witness in the case. When contacted, actor Hashmi stated through a text message, "All questions regarding the case should be directed to the NIA."

Chhabria's lawyer Hitesh Jain denied his client's links with Headley. "There is absolutely no connection whatsoever between Chhabria and Headley. This is a mischievous and malicious rumour alleging links between the two," Jain said.

Headley along with his Pakistani-Canadian associate Tahawwur Hussain Rana are currently in Federal Bureau of Investigation custody for allegedly plotting terror attacks in India. NIA has registered a case against the two.

In Pune, the manager of 'Surya Villa' hotel furnished details of Headley's stay in Room No 202 along with a copy of the passport given by him while booking the accommodation.

Headley had visited the Osho ashram for 'meditation' during his visits to the city. "We are scrutinising the documents submitted by Headley, a US citizen, to hotel manager to confirm whether they are genuine," Deputy Commissioner of Police Ravindra Sengaonkar, told PTI.

Headley who paid two visits to Pune in 2008-2009 had not registered himself with Foreigners Registration Office on his arrival as required under the law.

Gym instructor Vilas Varak claimed that Headley met him at 'Moksha' gymnasium and befriended him during his 'body-building' sessions. Vilas who knew Rahul later introduced Headley to him and three became very chummy with each other, going out for coffee and spending a lot of time together, sources said.

"I happened to see news about Headley's terror links on TV and was shocked. I informed about it to Rahul and we subsequently told Mumbai police crime branch about our interaction with Headley," the fitness instructor said.