The assailant was even nabbed but gave the police the slip
Mumbai : In a shocking disclosure, Pakistani-American terrorist-turned-approver David Coleman Headley on Thursday claimed that an attempt was made on the life of late Shiv Sena founder-patriarch Bal Thackeray and the assailant was even arrested but he slipped out of the hands of the police.
“I believe an attempt was made on the life of the Shiv Sena chief… The man who made the attempt had escaped from police custody,” Headley said in the Special Court of Additional Sessions Judge G.A. Sanap.
His replies came on the second day of his cross-examination conducted by lawyer Abdul Wahab Khan, the defence counsel for Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari, alias Abu Jundal, who is facing trial in the 26/11 case.
During his examination-in-chief by Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam on February 12, Headley had first confirmed the Lashkar-e-Taiba’s plot to target Thackeray, but had said nothing on an unsuccessful bid made to kill him and the attacker having slipped away.
“The LeT wanted to target the chief of Shiv Sena. LeT wanted to kill him whenever a chance arose. I have no first-hand knowledge, but I think an attempt was made to kill him,” Headley said. He denied knowledge of how the attempt was made.
When Khan asked him how many times he visited the party headquarters Shiv Sena Bhavan in Dadar and what was the motive, Headley said he surveyed the building twice and reiterated that the LeT’s target was the late Thackeray.
