Pakistan-based LeT wanted to invite Bal Thackeray for a fund raiser in the US, hoping he would make inflammatory comments to the benefit of the ISI, but they never planned to kill the Shiv Sena supremo, David Headley, the Pakistani-American terrorist has said.

Describing Shiv Sena as very influential in India, Headley, told the defence attorney during the Chicago trial of Tahawwur Hussain Rana that killing Thackeray would have been operationally a stupid thing to do and tantamount to killing the goose that lays the golden egg.

However, during his discussions with other Lashkar operatives, the 26/11 terror accused did joke about killing the Shiv Sena supremo, he has admitted.