NEW DELHI: David Coleman Headley, the Pakistani-American terrorist jailed in the US over his role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror strike, is fighting for his life after being attacked in prison, say media reports that US authorities have refused to confirm. Headley is said to be in the ICU after being attacked by other prisoners at a detention centre, allegedly on July 8. The Pakistani-origin US national, an operative of the terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, was sentenced to 35 years in prison by a US court for the 2008 attack in Mumbai in which more than 160 people were killed.
"We are not able to locate information about this individual," the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago said in a brief email response. Reports said he had suffered serious injuries and was rushed to North Evanston hospital, where he was admitted to the critical care unit. Headley - who recced various Indian cities before the 26/11 attacks - was arrested in 2009. He had testified before a court in Mumbai through video conferencing from his prison in the US during the trial of Mumbai attacks mastermind Abu Jundal.
The trial against Abu Jundal has been on for over a year. The statement of Headley, who had visited the spots in Mumbai that were attacked on November 26, 2008, was recorded last year. Headley had stayed at the Taj Hotel, which was one of the terror targets. He had testified under a plea bargain and had told the court that he had met Jundal too.
