India to seek access to American who admitted role in 2008 Mumbai attacks

India seeks to question US terror convict

NEW DELHI — Indian authorities will ask the United States to let them question a Chicago man who pleaded guilty to scouting targets for the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, the government said Friday.

David Coleman Headley pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court to making surveillance videos in preparation for the siege of India’s financial capital and for involvement in a plot to attack a Danish newspaper over cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad.

As part of his plea deal, Headley will not face execution if he continues to cooperate with U.S. prosecutors’ terrorism investigation.

Indian Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said India had yet to receive permission from U.S. authorities to speak with Headley or his wife.

“We will continue to press our request for access to interrogate him,” Chidambaram told reporters.

Chidambaram said he also planned to continue to push a request to extradite Headley to face charges in India but had little hope of success because the plea agreement expressly forbade his extradition to India, Denmark and Pakistan.

The 60-hour Mumbai siege left 166 people dead. Nine attackers — all of whom were based in Pakistan — were killed, while a tenth suspect is on trial in Mumbai.