U.S. taking up issue of India’s access to Headley at highest level: Roemer

NEW DELHI - United States Ambassador to India Timothy J. Roemer on Monday said that the U.S. government is taking up the issue of India’s access to David Headley at the highest level.

Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting with Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram here today, Roemer said: “As I have said before, with regards to access for India to David Headley, this is an issue that is being taken up by the highest levels of the United States government, at a level day and night, constantly for our leaders,” Roemer said.

He said that it would be made sure that justice was done to all involved in the Mumbai terror attack.

“We empathise with what happened here in Mumbai, with the Indian people, the tragic loss of life there and I want to make sure that justice is brought forward to all those involved in that kind of attack,” Roemer said.

India wants to interrogate U.S. citizen David Coleman Headley, charged with scouting targets for the 2008 attacks in Mumbai.

The United States has so far refused to extradite Headley, and has said that it has not yet been decided whether India would get access to Headley or not.

Headley had pleaded guilty to all the 12 charges of conspiracy involving bombing public places in India and providing material support to foreign terrorist plots and Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, besides aiding and abetting the murder of six U.S. citizens in the Mumbai attacks.

Headley, 49, has been reportedly cooperating with the U.S. investigators since his arrest in October.

However, Headley had promised to cooperate and provide testimony in exchange for a pledge that he would not to be extradited to India, Pakistan or Denmark. (ANI)