Chicago: In an exclusive interview to NDTV, William Headley, maternal uncle of 26/11 accused David Headley, shares fascinating details on how his nephew turned to terrorism. Here is an excerpt from the interview:
NDTV: So, when he came to the US at 16, he was religious?
William Headley: Not fanatically. It was clear (he was religious) and he tried to follow the life as best as he could. But there was all this conflict since he could not drink alcohol etc. When he became devout, and he is truly a devout Muslim, he got arrested for drugs. He made a commitment to Allah that if he got cleared of this, he would follow the life, and that he did.
NDTV: And when did his religious leaning turn to fanaticism?
William Headley: When he got involved with this undercover work, he was thrown into that. I don't know the details, it's complicated. I would say that it was in those years where it all began. There was a marked difference. He became very serious and a fundamentalist. It was a very noticeable change.
NDTV: Was Sherrill worried about him?
William Headley: Yes, she was, as any mother would be. "I seemed to fill all the criteria of jihad," that much he told me in terms of the persecution of Islamic people and all that.
NDTV: When did he turn from working for the US to collaborating with the LeT?
William Headley: He was an ideal candidate to be recruited by a terrorist organisation. He was tall, very good-looking, very charismatic, a little confused. He has some vulnerability. He is a very good communicator. He could inspire people. He could go to India and be an Indian. He could go to Pakistan and be a Pakistani. He could come here and be an American. He was a chameleon that way. He could so smoothly slide between worlds, especially when he changed his name to Headley. He is the kind of person you would want to recruit. He was intelligent, informed.
NDTV: And yet, was he trying to fit in and gain acceptance?
William Headley: I think he needed something very strong to be part of and they keyed in on that too.
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Read: Full transcript of the interview with William Headley)