Balasaheb Thackeray Dead
Bal Thackeray, waves towards the media as he arrives to cast his vote at a polling centre during the Maharashtra elections in Mumbai October 13, 2009. Reuters

Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist David Headley said Thursday the group had attempted to kill Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray. Headley was deposing before a Mumbai court in the 2008 26/11 terror attack case, via video-conference. 

Headley, who turned approver and revealed the role of the Pakistani army and the country's intelligence unit ISI in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, said he was sent to Sena Bhavan in Mumbai to target the fiery leader. 

"LeT had made an attempt to kill Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray but the person was arrested," Headley said in court, according to the Press Trust of India. He added that the arrested LeT operative later escaped from police custody. 

"I visited Sena Bhavan twice on instructions of my supervisor Sajid Mir. The target was to kill the Shiv Sena chief," he said. 

Headley, however, said he did not have "first-hand knowledge" of the LeT plot to kill Thackeray. 

"LeT wanted to kill him [Thackeray] wherever a chance arose. I knew that Bal Thackeray was the head of Shiv Sena. I have no first hand knowledge but I think an attempt was made by LeT to kill Bal Thackeray," he said. 

Thackeray was the founder of the right-wing Shiv Sena political party, which has often taken a critical stand against Pakistan and Pakistani nationals. He died in 2012. 

Headley told the Mumbai court he was not aware of other LeT targets apart from the Shiv Sena leader.

Last month, Headley had revealed the LeT's plan to target the late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray as well as the Shiv Sena Bhavan in Mumbai, and had confessed to having videographed the party's headquarters.

Headley is serving a 35-year jail sentence in the United States for his role in the Mumbai terror attacks.