Chicago:
Pakistani-Canadian terror suspect Tahawwur Hussain Rana, charged with conspiring in the Mumbai attacks, will not change his 'not guilty' plea and will go ahead with the trial, his lawyer said on Monday.
Rana, dressed in an orange-coloured jump suit, appeared before a US court here for a pre-trial conference to discuss classified information relating to his case. US attorney in Chicago Patrick Fitzgerald was also present during the hearing before Judge Harry Leinenweber in the District court, Northern District of Illinois.
Later speaking to reporters, Rana's lawyer Patrik Blegen said his client will not change his 'not guilty' plea and they will go ahead with the trial. He said he was not surprised that co-accused and Pakistani-American LeT operative David Coleman Headley had pleaded guilty and he thinks Rana still has a "strong case".
In the brief hearing, prosecutors and the defence attorney set out further dates for scheduling the handling of classified information in the case. Next hearing has been set for May 11.
49-year-old Rana, a Chicago-based businessman, is also accused of plotting an attack on a Danish newspaper which published cartoons of Prophet Mohammad. This is Rana's first court appearance after Headley pleaded guilty on March 18 to plotting the Mumbai attacks. Rana has pleaded not guilty since his October 2009 arrest and claimed that he was duped by Headley.
However, according to Headley's plea agreement, he shared with Rana details of his trips to Pakistan and his association with LeT. In turn, Rana extensively helped him carry out the attacks in Mumbai. Rana also allowed Headley to use his immigration office - First World Immigration Services - as a cover while he scouted for terror targets in Mumbai, the plea agreement stated. Rana has also repeatedly been denied bail on the grounds that he is a flight risk.
The government has indicated that there exists voluminous discovery in the case, much of which is covered by the Classified Information Procedures Act, which is essentially a procedural tool for a court to address the relevance of classified information before it may be introduced for trial.