New Delhi: Timothy J Roemer, the US ambassador to India, yesterday brushed aside New Delhi's assertion that they did not get specific information about detained Lashkar-e-Taiba operative David Coleman Headley that could have averted the terror attack on Mumbai two years ago.
"It's not true. The information was generic in nature. Whatever [information] was there was shared, prior to the Mumbai attack and after the Mumbai attack. We gave access to Headley when India asked for it," Roemer said on the sidelines of a function here yesterday.
Indian Home Secretary G.K. Pillai had expressed New Delhi's disappointment over what he said was the failure of the US authorities to provide timely information which would have helped India apprehend Headley.
"We could say that we were disappointed that the name of David Headley was not provided, if not pre-26/11 at least post 26/11," Pillai said.
"So that when he came subsequently in March 2009 to India at least at that time we could have nabbed him here."
Countering Pillai's statement, the US envoy asserted that Washington took counter-terrorism co-operation with New Delhi very seriously.
Roemer said: "Our respective intelligence and law enforcement professionals work very closely together on terrorism issues of mutual concern.
"I can say that it is our policy and practice to share terrorism-related information promptly with our foreign partners, when we deem that information potentially credible and relevant to their national security," the US ambassador added.
"We do exactly that with partners around the world every day, including India.
"The US and India signed a memorandum of understanding on counterterrorism cooperation in July 2010 that includes new collaboration areas such as maritime security, forensics training, megacity policing and a wide range of other activities.
"We have also provided Indian authorities with access to Headley in US custody so that the Government of India could put questions directly to him."
Warning: Civilians in danger
Indian Home Secretary G.K. Pillai has said India believes some Pakistan terrorist organisations could attack civilians during the upcoming visit of US President Barack Obama.
"I think at the moment we do not have any intelligence of any attack. But definitely we do believe that the visit of the US President to India is... from the publicity point of view, large enough to try and create something even if it is not in any place nearby where President Obama would be. "But it could be somewhere else and therefore we would take all precautions," Pillai said.
"It's not true. The information was generic in nature. Whatever [information] was there was shared, prior to the Mumbai attack and after the Mumbai attack. We gave access to Headley when India asked for it," Roemer said on the sidelines of a function here yesterday.
Indian Home Secretary G.K. Pillai had expressed New Delhi's disappointment over what he said was the failure of the US authorities to provide timely information which would have helped India apprehend Headley.
"We could say that we were disappointed that the name of David Headley was not provided, if not pre-26/11 at least post 26/11," Pillai said.
"So that when he came subsequently in March 2009 to India at least at that time we could have nabbed him here."
Countering Pillai's statement, the US envoy asserted that Washington took counter-terrorism co-operation with New Delhi very seriously.
Roemer said: "Our respective intelligence and law enforcement professionals work very closely together on terrorism issues of mutual concern.
"I can say that it is our policy and practice to share terrorism-related information promptly with our foreign partners, when we deem that information potentially credible and relevant to their national security," the US ambassador added.
"We do exactly that with partners around the world every day, including India.
"The US and India signed a memorandum of understanding on counterterrorism cooperation in July 2010 that includes new collaboration areas such as maritime security, forensics training, megacity policing and a wide range of other activities.
"We have also provided Indian authorities with access to Headley in US custody so that the Government of India could put questions directly to him."
Warning: Civilians in danger
Indian Home Secretary G.K. Pillai has said India believes some Pakistan terrorist organisations could attack civilians during the upcoming visit of US President Barack Obama.
"I think at the moment we do not have any intelligence of any attack. But definitely we do believe that the visit of the US President to India is... from the publicity point of view, large enough to try and create something even if it is not in any place nearby where President Obama would be. "But it could be somewhere else and therefore we would take all precautions," Pillai said.
