Domestic arrest reveals terror networks’ global reach

David Coleman Headley, a 49-year-old Chicago man, was arrested two months ago in connection with a terrorist plot against the Danish newspaper Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten. The Copenhagen paper published cartoons of the prophet Muhammed back in 2005, angering Muslims around the world. Yesterday, it was revealed that Headley’s terror connections go much deeper; he now faces charges for his involvement in the 2008 massacre in Mumbai that left over 150 people dead.

According to police, Headley was born Daood Gilani and changed his name to more easily cross international borders and, allegedly, serve as an advance scout for the terrorist network Lashkar-e-Taibi. These charges make Headley not just an impressive and well-timed arrest for the Justice Department but, perhaps more importantly, a stark reminder of the wide reach of terrorist networks.

We are joined from Baghdad by Jane Arraf, correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor. We also speak with the Washington Post’s national security correspondent, Carrie Johnson, and Art Keller, a former case officer for the CIA who served in Pakistan in 2006.