The defendants charged in separate criminal complaints unsealed today in US District Court in Chicago are David Coleman Headley, 49, and Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 48, also known as Tahawar Rana. Headley, a US citizen who changed his name from Daood Gilani in 2006 and resides primarily in Chicago, was arrested on October 3, 2009, by the Chicago FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force at O’Hare International Airport before boarding a flight to Philadelphia, intending to travel on to Pakistan. Rana, a native of Pakistan and citizen of Canada who also primarily resides in Chicago, was arrested on October 18, 2009, at his home by federal agents.
According to both complaints, since at least late 2008 until October 3, 2009, as part of the conspiracy to murder and maim persons abroad, Headley allegedly identified and conducted surveillance of potential targets of a terrorist attack in Denmark on two separate trips to Denmark in January and July 2009, and reported and attempted to report on his efforts to other conspirators in Pakistan.
As part of the conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism, Rana allegedly helped arrange Headley’s travels overseas and conceal their true nature and purpose to survey potential terror targets overseas, and discussed potential targets for attack with Headley.
Headley allegedly reported and attempted to report on his overseas surveillance to other conspirators including Ilyas Kashmiri (identified as the operational chief of the Azad Kashmir section of Harakat-ul Jihad Islami — HUJI — a Pakistani-based terrorist organisation with links to al Qaeda); “Individual A” (identified as Individual A in the Headley affidavit and as Individual B in the Rana affidavit and who is associated with Kashmiri, as well as with Lashkar-e-Taiba — LeT — another Pakistani-based terrorist organisation); an individual identified as “Lashkar-e-Taiba Member A” (who has substantial influence and responsibility within the organisation and whose identity is known to the government).
Postings to an internet group for graduates of a military school in the Pakistani town of Hasan Abdal (a group that refers to itself as “abdalians”), reflect that both Rana and Headley have participated in the group and referred to their attendance at that school.
THE DENMARK PROJECT
Beginning in late 2008, Headley corresponded extensively with Individual A and LeT Member A regarding what they referred to in coded communications as the “Mickey Mouse Project,” “mmp,” and “the northern project,” according to the affidavit. The Mickey Mouse Project allegedly involved planning for one or more attacks at facilities and employees of Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten, a Danish newspaper that in 2005 published cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed, to which many Muslims took great offense. In October 2008, Headley allegedly posted a message to the “abdalians” internet discussion group stating: “I feel disposed towards violence for the offending parties,” referring to the Danish cartoonists and others who he identified “as making fun of Islam.”
In July and August 2009, Headley exchanged a series of emails with LeT Member A, including an exchange in which Headley asked if the Denmark project was on hold, and whether a visit to India that LeT Member A had asked him to undertake was for the purpose of surveying targets for a new terrorist attack.
These emails reflect that LeT Member A was placing a higher priority on using Headley to assist in planning a new attack in India than on completing the planned attack in Denmark. After this time, Headley and Individual A allegedly continued focusing on the plan with Kashmiri to attack the newspaper, rather than working with LeT, the complaint alleges.
According to the affidavit, Headley stated in conversations last month that he intended to travel to Pakistan in early October to meet with Individual A and Kashmiri, and he was arrested on October 3 as he prepared to board a flight from Chicago to Philadelphia, intending to travel on to Pakistan.
During a search of Headley’s luggage, a memory stick was recovered that contained approximately 10 short videos of Copenhagen.
(Excerpts from a US Department of Justice press release about a complaint by the Federal Investigation Bureau filed in the Chicago District Court where Headley and Rana were charged on October 27, 2009)
