New Delhi, May 01: In what is being seen as a major step forward in the Mumbai attacks probe, reports claimed on Saturday that the United States has finally agreed to allow India direct access to 26/11 accused David Coleman Headley.
It is believed that while allowing India direct access, Washington has attached no pre-conditions for questioning Headley, who is currently under FBI custody.
The Indian government is now likely to set up a special team which will interrogate Headley in the US very soon, said government sources.
Reports also said that officials will today brief Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P Chidambaram on the latest developments in getting direct access to Headley.
The breakthrough comes after Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium travelled to the US to hold talks on getting access to Headley, the Lashkar-e-Toiba operative who has admitted to his role in planning the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Subramanium returned to India late last night.
While presenting the monthly report of the Home Ministry, Home Secretary GK Pillai had spoken of the US’ assurance that Indian investigators would be given direct access to Headley.
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Click here for VideoThe US authorities had on Wednesday said that it was just a “matter of working out modalities” before access to Headley was given. The remarks followed a meeting between Subramanium and US Attorney General Eric Holder.
US President Barack Obama had recently assured Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that India will get access to Headley, who confessed to his role in the Mumbai terror attack in a bargain plea to avoid the death penalty.
Obama had told Singh during a meeting on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit last month that he was aware of the legal issues, but India will get access to Headley.
–Agencies