The Pakistani-American Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist David Headley has been sentenced to 35 years in jail by a US court for his unquestionable role in the killing of 166 people in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

Under a plea bargain, death sentence for Headley was already knocked down. But many were left surprised when the US prosecutors did not seek life sentence for Headley who was sentenced on 12 counts. These included conspiracy to aid the Pakistani terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which attacked the Taj Hotel and other targets in Mumbai.

Headly confessed that he had undertaken numerous scouting missions for his handlers in Pakistan. He had videographed a number of targets in India, including the Taj hotel. According to security agencies, the detailed videos made by Headley was the prime source on which the Mumbai attacks were planned and carried out.