A Chicago court has given 60 days time to the FBI to complete its investigations and file an indictment into the foiled terror plot in India and Denmark by David Coleman Headley, a Pakistan-born American national, and his Pakistan-born Canadian associate Tahawwur Hussain Rana, apparently at the behest of the Pakistan-based Islamic terrorist outfit Lashker-eToiba (LeT).
Chief Judge James F Holderman has extended till next January 1, the date of filing indictment for the two. FBI agents arrested Headley October 18 from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport as he preparing to board a flight to Philadelphia, and subsequently arrested Tahawwur Hussain Rana, whose former name was Daood Gilani. The two intended to travel to Pakistan, apparently to firm up their latest terror designs.
The court has also put off further hearing on Rana's bail plea by a week after the FBI sought a rescheduling of the hearing and filed additional papers with the court, disclosing inflammatory videos of Al-Qaida, containing speeches by Osama bin-Laden and others, that had been recovered from Rana's Chicago residence.
"At the request of counsel, the hearing on Rana case before Magistrate Judge Nolan is re-scheduled from Tuesday to November 19," an official of the Department of Justice said.
The FBI vigorously opposed Rana's bid to secure bail on the grounds that he was "innocent" and had been "duped" by Headley, his schoolmate in Pakistan.
The development came a day after a team of Indian officials from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), the external intelligence agency, left the U.S. disappointed as its members were not able to question Headley.
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