Experts & Views
Not Death?
If an extremist enables a mass killing but later provides valuable information, what should his sentence be?
In the November of 2008, as world watched the horror unfold, more than 160 people were mercilessly killed and at least 308 were ruthlessly injured in the twelve coordinated shootings and bombing attacks in the India’s largest city, Mumbai from 26th to 29th. For these three days, as shock traveled up the nation’s spine, heavily armed band of terrorists outgunned and out-manoeuvred the Indian police. The state of affairs was bloodcurdling!
Only a few will be aware how the name ‘Daood Syed Gilani’ is associated with the attack. However, ‘David Coleman Headley’ will strike an instant chord! However, Headley, an American of Pakistani descent drew widespread global condemnation for being the conspirator behind the 2008 attacks. Gilani and Headley are no two persons! In 2006, Gilani changed his name to ‘David Coleman Headley’ in order to conceal his Muslim identity and make border-crossing between United States and other countries much easier.
Nearly two years ago in a Chicago federal courtroom, Headley described in detail, his pivotal role in 12 counts of conspiracy. But was he shaken by butchery on the innocents? Sadly no! Headley traveled to Britain to plan an attack against the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Postands, which had published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad. One ringleader "wanted the attackers to behead hostages and throw the heads on the street in order to heighten the response from Danish authorities," U.S. prosecutors said in a legal filing. Before he could fulfil that mission, Headley was arrested at the O'Hare International Airport.
The Chicago federal court has sentenced Headley to 35 years of imprisonment. His sentence has appalled many an Indians and Americans alike. Not death? Not life? Will 35 years size up to the carnage he caused? Aren’t his acts of an extremely heinous nature so as to license death penalty?
Yes, Headley pleaded guilty. He told prosecutors about the inner workings, organizational structure, recruiting and fundraising, and potential targets of Lashkar-e-Taiba. That information led to charges against seven terrorists. It is nobody’s case that his cooperation with the authorities was not valuable. The U.S District Judge Harry Leinenweber has clearly balanced out Headley’s evil with his assistance to authorities to combat international terrorism. Yet, it still doesn’t refute the fact that he was involved in a “very, very heinous crime” leading to unfathomable damage, as even Patrick Fitzgerald, the U.S Attorney and everyone else acknowledges. India should undoubtedly press for his extradition.
Headley had written to Leinenweber that he was a changed man, and that he was learning to imbibe ‘American values’. This is outright tomfoolery! Even if he has, how does it matter now? An entire city was terrorized and an entire nation was traumatized. People are dead and their families are grieved. He may have been sentenced to 35 years of jail term, but nothing that happened in the federal court on the sentencing day can limit his culpability. Nothing ever will!
His name means nothing to the Chicagoan and he could walk down the Michigan eve with much ease but Indians are crying for death penalty for him.