Arraignment of Headley, Rana Rescheduled, to Be Held Next Week
Suspected Lashkar operatives David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana, who have been indicted on charges of plotting terror strikes in Denmark and India and being involved in 26/11 terror attacks, would be arraigned next week, said reports.
The arraignment of Rana and Headley, which was scheduled for Wednesday, has been re-scheduled now.
Rana will be arraigned on January 25 while Headley on January 27 before US Magistrate Judge Arlander Keys in US District Court, Northern District of Illinois, US Attorney’s Office spokesman Randall Samborn was quoted as saying.
Samborn said that even a status hearing slated to take place on Wednesday in Rana’s appeal of detention had been cancelled, with next date yet to be decided, said reports.
A federal grand jury had indicted Headley and Rana on January 14 on charges of being involved in the Mumbai attacks and planning a terror strike against a Danish newspaper in Copenhagen.
The 12-count superseding indictment contains the identical charges that were filed against Headley on December 7 while adding Rana as a defendant in three of the counts charging material support of the terrorism plots in Denmark and India, as well as in support of terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Tayyiba.
Ilyas Kashmiri, an allegedly influential terrorist organisation leader in Pakistan who is alleged to be in regular contact with leaders of al Qaeda, and Abdur Rehman Hashim Syed (Abdur Rehman), a retired major in the Pakistani military were also indicted.
Headley had in December pleaded not guilty to the charges filed against him. Rana has been in custody since his arrest last year and has been denied bond.
(Based on internet reports)
