USA v. Headley, David Coleman
Chicago, IL

Lashkar-e-Taiba, Harkat-ul-Jihad-e-Islami

[NDIL] Two Chicago men, David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana, were arrested on federal charges for their alleged roles in conspiracies to provide material support and/or to commit terrorist acts against overseas targets, including facilities and employees of a Danish newspaper that published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in 2005. New charges filed in December 2009 allege strong connections between Headley and the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008 that were carried out by the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT). More than 166 people were targeted in the attacks, including six Americans. A Jewish Chabad House was among one of several high-profile targets of the attacks. Soon after the Mumbai attacks, Headley was instructed by his Pakistani handlers to conduct surveillance on Chabad Jewish community centers across India. David Headley pleaded guilty in March 2010 to his role in plotting the Mumbai attacks and the plot to attack a Danish newspaper. In June 2011, a federal jury found Rana guilty of plotting an attack on a Danish newspaper and support for the LeT. Rana was acquitted on the charge of plotting the Mumbai attacks. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison in connection with the Mumbai attacks and the Danish terror plot. In 2013, Headley was sentenced to 35 years in prison for his role in the Mumbai and Danish terror plots. On August 10, 2023, the court denied Tahawwur Rana's Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus. On August 18, 2023, a judge in Los Angeles ruled that Rana may stay in the U.S. during appeal of his extradition to India where he would face certain conviction and the death penalty for his role in the 2008 Mumbai massacre.