ISI's Maj Iqbal sought progress report on Mumbai terror plot

Chicago: Pakistan’s ISI kept tabs on the “progress” of the Mumbai terror attack plot with ‘Major Iqbal’ communicating through emails with the co-accused Tahawwur Hussain Rana, an FBI agent has testified. Prosecutors yesterday called seven witnesses, including five FBI agents, who verified email and phone communication between Rana, David Coleman Headley and ‘Major Iqbal’. [caption id=“attachment_19405” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“ISI’s Major Iqbal was keeping a tab the progress in Mumbai terror attack. Reuters”]  [/caption] In a July 7, 2008, e-mail, ‘Major Iqbal’ — who Headley says was involved in planning the attack and is connected to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency — allegedly asked Rana if there was any “progress made on the project.” Prosecutors claim he was referring to the planned attacks, but defence attorneys have said any discussion Iqbal had with Rana centred on their plans to work as partners in Rana’s immigration business, Chicago Sun Times reported. Rana, 50, is accused of providing a cover for his good friend Headley, who scouted and surveyed sites for the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks that claimed lives of 166 people. Rana’s attorneys maintained that Headley tricked Rana into using Rana’s Indian-based immigration office as a front while he schemed with others. Some of the testimony in today’s hearing was centred on calls and e-mails Rana purportedly exchanged with at least one of Headley’s Pakistani co-conspirators. Another email from Rana from addressed to an employee of Jyllands Posten, Lissobette Bus Anderson, in which Headley asked her details about advertising for First World Immigration and its future clients. The e-mail had Rana’s IP address that matched with another e-mail showing his business accounts and also through the Yahoo Account Management Tool that shows Rana’s birthday and matches with the IP address of Pan American Physical Services, a company whose CEO was Rana. Headley already has pleaded guilty to his roles in the overseas attack and a thwarted plot targeting the Danish newspaper that printed controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. Headley testified for the prosecution for five days. Rana, a Pakistani Canadian, on the other hand, said that he was duped by Headley. He was indicted by a federal grand jury under 12 counts on February 15 last year for planning out the attacks, providing material support to LeT to carry out the bombings, and guiding Headley in scouting targets in Mumbai in the process. PTI