string of Bollywood actors have become embroiled in the aftermath of the Mumbai terrorist attacks amid claims that one of the key suspects befriended them as a cover for gathering intelligence on potential targets.
David Coleman Headley, an American of Pakistani origin, was reported to have made the acquaintance of stars including a former Miss India.
He was arrested by the FBI at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport last month accused of plotting terrorist attacks in India and Denmark in collaboration with al-Qaeda.
It has since been disclosed that he had been a regular business traveller to India and detectives believed that he played an intelligence-gathering role for bomb attacks throughout the country in the past three years.
Indian detectives have now discovered that Mr Headley visited Mumbai’s Trident and Taj Mahal hotels and the Leopold Café bar eight months before they were attacked by terrorists linked to the Lashkar-e-Taiba group, in an assault that killed 160 people.
He allegedly visited each of the targeted sites with Rahul Bhatt, a young actor from one of Bollywood’s leading families — his father Mahesh is a director and his sister Pooja an actress and director.
Last night a parade of Bollywood stars issued strong denials that they even knew Mr Headley amid reports that he met a number of top actresses and worked out with leading men at a gymnasium in the city.
Stars including Aarti Chhabria, a former Miss India, Emraan Hashmi, the star of current hit Tum Mile, Kangana Ranaut, a model and actress who appeared in Life in a Metro, and Soha Ali Khan, the actress daughter of Tiger Pataudi, who once captained India’s cricket team, have all strongly denied reports that they had met Mr Headley.
In a statement issued yesterday, Hashmi said: "These allegations are baseless and are causing harm to my image and day-to-day life."
According to detectives, Mr Headley, who changed his name from Daoud Gilani when he applied for American citizenship, used his contacts with Bollywood stars as cover for his reconnaissance missions.
He met Rahul Bhatt when he started working out at a gymnasium in Mumbai’s fashionable Breach Candy neighbourhood. Mr Bhatt contacted police to say he had been in contact with Mr Headley after his arrest was reported last month.
Police said they believed Mr Headley had befriended Mr Bhatt because he thought his Bollywood connections would shield him from suspicion as he worked on the plot.
Political leaders have since urged cinema owners to stop showing Tum Mile, directed by Mahesh Bhatt, following the accusations. In a statement issued yesterday, Emraan Hashmi said the allegations were “baseless” and were “causing harm to my image and day-to-day life”.
Jag Mundra, a leading Indian film director said Rahul Bhatt had been the victim of an association with a man he took at face value.
“I don’t think Rahul had any idea what Headley’s agenda really was,” he said.
via:www.telegraph.co.uk
David Coleman Headley, an American of Pakistani origin, was reported to have made the acquaintance of stars including a former Miss India.
He was arrested by the FBI at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport last month accused of plotting terrorist attacks in India and Denmark in collaboration with al-Qaeda.
It has since been disclosed that he had been a regular business traveller to India and detectives believed that he played an intelligence-gathering role for bomb attacks throughout the country in the past three years.
Indian detectives have now discovered that Mr Headley visited Mumbai’s Trident and Taj Mahal hotels and the Leopold Café bar eight months before they were attacked by terrorists linked to the Lashkar-e-Taiba group, in an assault that killed 160 people.
He allegedly visited each of the targeted sites with Rahul Bhatt, a young actor from one of Bollywood’s leading families — his father Mahesh is a director and his sister Pooja an actress and director.
Last night a parade of Bollywood stars issued strong denials that they even knew Mr Headley amid reports that he met a number of top actresses and worked out with leading men at a gymnasium in the city.
Stars including Aarti Chhabria, a former Miss India, Emraan Hashmi, the star of current hit Tum Mile, Kangana Ranaut, a model and actress who appeared in Life in a Metro, and Soha Ali Khan, the actress daughter of Tiger Pataudi, who once captained India’s cricket team, have all strongly denied reports that they had met Mr Headley.
In a statement issued yesterday, Hashmi said: "These allegations are baseless and are causing harm to my image and day-to-day life."
According to detectives, Mr Headley, who changed his name from Daoud Gilani when he applied for American citizenship, used his contacts with Bollywood stars as cover for his reconnaissance missions.
He met Rahul Bhatt when he started working out at a gymnasium in Mumbai’s fashionable Breach Candy neighbourhood. Mr Bhatt contacted police to say he had been in contact with Mr Headley after his arrest was reported last month.
Police said they believed Mr Headley had befriended Mr Bhatt because he thought his Bollywood connections would shield him from suspicion as he worked on the plot.
Political leaders have since urged cinema owners to stop showing Tum Mile, directed by Mahesh Bhatt, following the accusations. In a statement issued yesterday, Emraan Hashmi said the allegations were “baseless” and were “causing harm to my image and day-to-day life”.
Jag Mundra, a leading Indian film director said Rahul Bhatt had been the victim of an association with a man he took at face value.
“I don’t think Rahul had any idea what Headley’s agenda really was,” he said.
via:www.telegraph.co.uk
