Headley cooperating with FBI to avoid death penalty

I / Washington December 14, 2009, 12:20 IST

Pakistani-origin US national David Coleman Headley, a LeT operative charged with criminal conspiracy in the 26/11 terror attacks, now appears to have turned into informant to FBI to avoid death penalty.

Headley, 49, was arrested on October 3 by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and has been charged for being involved in the Mumbai terror attacks, in which 166 people, including six US nationals, were killed.

Given the strong case against him, Headley is unlikely to come out of the jail and faces death penalty.  "But by talking this time, Headley might escape the death penalty," Philadelphia Inquirer said.

However, Headley, with the experience of having been informant to federal prosecutors at least twice as a result of which his sentence was reduced, has again turned out an informant this time so as to avoid death penalty.

The FBI charge-sheet filed against Headley gives an indication of it, in which the federal prosecutors say that he is cooperating in the investigation. He has pleaded not guilty.

Court records indicate that Headley, earlier known as Dawood Gilani, was arrested twice on drug charges and on both the occasions, his sentence was reduced and was able to leave the jail early as he turned out to be a good informant to the drug enforcement agencies and helped them in unearthing of some of the major drug cartels.