NIA team foxed by wily Headley

After much delay and discussions, the interrogation of Lashkar-e-Tayiba operative David Headley by a team of the National Investigation Agency has come to an end.

Sources close to the members of the investigating team told rediff.com that the Pakistani-American terror operative proved to be a tough nut to crack.

Headley was well prepared to face the NIA team's questions and throughout the interrogations, he stuck to responses he had given to the officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said sources.

Headley had anticipated the kind of questions that the NIA team would ask, said sources, adding that the terror operative used his knowledge of American laws to his advantage.

The first time the NIA interrogators met Headley, he told them that the plea bargain did not permit him to answer the questions posed to him, as it might implicate him further. But the Indian agencies sought legal counsel over the issue and managed to convince Headley that this provision would not stand in the way of the interrogation.

Headley even demanded a questionnaire from the NIA team, which refused to give him one. But the LeT operative didn't venture beyond the answers or the information he had already given the FBI.

According to Indian security agencies, the exercise was not too fruitful overall. Headley spoke about his activities in India, his handlers in Pakistan and the role of the Inter Services Intelligence in planning the Mumbai terror attacks. But he refused to reveal too much information about his local links in India.