The defence for Tahawwur Rana, co-accused with David Headly in the 26/11 attacks, rested its case in a Chicago court after calling two witnesses but the Pakistani-Canadian himself did not testify. At the hearing of the terror trial, the defence said employees at Rana's Immigration offices in New York or Toronto did not remember working with Headley. The defence called in a computer forensic expert and an immigration attorney but Rana waived his right to testify.Closing arguments by the prosecution and defense are scheduled for Tuesday.After the presentation of witnesses, Judge Harry D Leinenweber asked Rana if he had consulted his lawyers and wanted to testify but a frail-looking Rana, dressed in a brown suit, said that he did not want to testify. Rana's lawyer Charles Swift said, the government could not prove beyond reasonable doubt that Rana was guilty. Earlier, a video recording produced by FBI before the court revealed that LeT operative Headley had approached the ISI to help Rana get back to Pakistan. Headley used his personal links to favour Rana, FBI agent Jeffrey Parsons said while deposing. Rana, 50, had served in the Pakistani Army as a doctor. He served in the Gulf War in Saudi Arabia and got injured there and recuperated in Germany. After that Rana was posted in the glacier region in Pakistan where he declined to go following which he was declared a deserter and could not travel to Pakistan again. In the video shown in court, Rana said he thought Lashkar-e-Taiba does not know Headley is with the ISI. Parsons also said that Rana mentioned his meeting with Al-Qaeda commander Ilyas Kashmiri, believed to have been killed in a US drone attack in South Waziristan last week. During previous hearings Headley had testified that ISI was linked to the 2008 Mumbai terror strikes.
News On AIR | June 7, 2011 11:49 AM
Tahawwur Rana did not testify in Chicago court