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A case pertaining to 26/11 terror attacks has been registered in USA in which some Pakistani nationals have been interrogated, a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent said in his testimony before a special court in Mumbai on day, but refused to disclose the names of people quizzed during the probe.
The case has been registered in Los Angeles as six Americans had been killed in the 26/11 attack in Mumbai, the witness, whose name has been withheld, told special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam.
The witness said investigations were still on and some Pakistani nationals have been interrogated. However, he refused to divulge the names of Pakistani nationals who have been interrogated. Prosecutor Nikam told PTI that investigations in the case filed by FBI in Los Angeles would cover conspiracy and role played by conspirators in the terror attacks.
Nikam said the case was registered in USA because six Americans were killed in the attacks. The US laws provide for initiating investigations in case of murder of American nationals outside the country, he added.
The lone surviving gunman from Pakistan, Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, smiled all through out when the FBI officer deposed. The prosecution has alleged that conspirators in Pakistan had opened accounts with Callphonex, a service provider in New Jersey, in fictitious name of Kharak Singh to make telephone calls to terrorists through Voice over Internet Provider (VoIP).
Two instalments were paid by Mohammed Ashfaq and Javed Iqbal via e-mail id kharak_telco@yahoo.com. The witness, who is investigating the case registered in USA pertaining to 26/11 attack, said FBI has carried out probe on how the money was transferred from people in Pakistan to Callphonex owner through Moneygram and Western Union. The witness also said FBI had interrogated some persons in Pakistan and further disclosed that Yahoo Inc had provided information on the Kharak Singh's e-mail sent from Pakistan.
Public Prosecutor Ujwal Nikam told PTI that the same e-mail was used by conspirators after the 26/11 attack to send a mail to a TV channel threatening that more such attacks will be engineered. This witness was the fifth US national to depose in the trial being conducted before the court here. The other four have indicated Pakistan's links to the November 26 attack. One of them said terrorists had used GPS to come from Pakistan, while another said they had used Yamaha engine purchased by a Pakistan-based firm to power the dinghy in which they arrived. A Nokia official said mobile phones sold to Pakistani dealers were used by terrorists.
The witness said FBI had received a letter of Regoratory from a magistrate in Mumbai on February 10 to provide certain information regarding 26/11 terror attacks. In this regard, the witness said FBI had received some articles such as mobile phones, Global Positioning System and a satellite phone, which were sent to FBI laboratory for forensic tests. The reports of these tests were then forwarded to US Department of Justice, who in turn handed over to Indian Embassy. The Embassy then sent the reports to Indian government which gave it to the Mumbai Police.
To a question by Kasab's lawyer Abbas Kazmi, the witness expressed his inability to state whether the USA-based owner of Callphonex was suspected by FBI to be involved in this case, saying he was personally not involved in the probe. The witness further said that he did not know the name of the FBI officer who had interrogated the Callphonex owner and denied a suggestion that he (Callphonex owner) was detained in USA. He also denied that he was deposing falsely at the instance of Mumbai Police or FBI. Nikam told reporters outside the court that the testimony of the witnesses in the trial here can be used in investigations being carried out in USA in the 26/11 terror attack case.