New Delhi:
Not only did Lashkar terror suspect David Headley visit India several times between 2006 and 2009, but he also came once after the 26/11 attacks, Home Minister P Chidambaram said on Thursday.
"It is true that David Headley visited several times before 26/11 and once after 26/11, and we are investigating," Chidambaram said.
He also said that inquiries were being conducted in cities Headley visited. There is a fresh terror alert after sources said on Wednesday that Headley had visited five cities in India and that there was the threat of multiple and simultaneous attacks in these cities.
Chidambaram said government agencies were probing Headley's Lashkar-e-Taiba links.
Recruitment of cadresOfficial sources said that Headley, arrested by FBI in Chicago last month, travelled to Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Agra and Delhi between 2006-09.
The sources said Headley had done a reconnaissance of National Defence College and vital installations in other cities.
He was also conducting recruitment of cadres for Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Toiba, to send them to a Gulf country using the services of his immigration business set up in Mumbai.
Headley, 49, was arrested last month for allegedly hatching a conspiracy with LeT to carry out strikes inside and outside the US.
Investigators have said he was also planning a major terror strike in India at LeT's behest.
He was arrested at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport as he prepared to board a flight to Philadelphia, intending to travel to Pakistan.
FBI also arrested his accomplice Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 48, a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin.
American investigators have said US national Headley was a frequent flyer who made multiple trips to Pakistan where he spent "substantial time" undergoing training from the terror group.