Washington, June 11 (IANS): The United States has said that it would consider providing India access again to confessed Pakistani-American terrorist David Headley now that the trial of his friend Pakistan-born Canadian Tahawwur Rana is over.
"We've said in the past we've granted that access (to Headley) and, obviously, there was the trial that took place. But in the future we would consider providing that access again," State Department Spokesperson Mark Toner told reporters on Friday.
Headley, aka Daood Gilani, who has pleaded guilty to his role in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, was the star prosecution witness in the case against his Pakistani military school friend Rana, on charges of to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), blamed for the Mumbai attack.
A team of Indian officials had questioned Headley in Chicago last year.
Asked to comment on a Chicago jury's verdict clearing Rana of helping in the Mumbai attack, but holding him guilty of providing material support to LeT, Toner said: "It was clearly a judicial proceeding."
"The jury announced its verdict. I don't have any comment on the verdict other than to say he is going to jail for 30 years possibly, and it's an indication that we will hold these people accountable."
"Thursday's verdict sends a clear message that all those who help terrorists will be brought to justice, and all those who seek to facilitate violence abroad, as Rana did, will be held accountable," he added echoing US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, who led the US case against Rana.
