It is clear Rana knew something of what Headley was doing: he exchanged e-mail with ‘Major Iqbal,' which refers to gathering intelligence.
Headley claims he also briefed his friend on the surveillance operations he had conducted, as well as the Lashkar's plans to attack Mumbai by sea.
There is some reason to doubt that claim. Rana visited Mumbai with his wife and daughter in November, 2008 — an odd decision, his defence lawyers pointed out, for a man alleged to know an attack was imminent.
Rana, his wife Samraz, and their teenage daughter Zoya travelled using their real names, and even visited relatives in Hapur and Meerut.
Put another way, Rana not only exposed his family to danger, but left a long trail of evidence recording his presence — actions that fit ill with the idea he was a Lashkar operative on a covert mission.
Even Headley did not allege, though, that Rana had ever been consulted on decisions to do with the actual planning of 26/11.
Questions remain about Rana's conduct.
