Those like Headley

Terrorists and their target societies evolve in response to each other. What the David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana investigation and trial have done is connect Indias terror narrative with global trends in terrorist recruitment and their increasing sophistication. The other refrain of this narrative is the complex response of a pluralistic society and democratic state to persistent terror. If we have known since 9/11 that jihadi recruits used against Western targets could be from educated,assimilated and affluent immigrant families,it still is worrisome that the Lashkar-e-Toiba which is specifically designed and programmed against India too has now demonstrated its graduation to indoctrinating and recruiting educated and intelligent individuals with identities that may not arouse suspicion.

In brief,and as detailed in this newspaper,Daood Gilani,alias David Coleman Headley,visited India nine times between September 2006 and March 2009,used local contacts and undertook extensive surveillance,devastatingly used in 26/11. He did similar work in Delhi and other cities. Together,Headleys multiple and Ranas single visit connect many dots on how the November 2008 attack was planned and executed,and how difficult it remains for the state to prevent recurrences. Perhaps Indian authorities could have done more an American citizen of a Pakistani father,travelling Pakistan International Airlines who subsequently was found to have used false references and quick switches of residence,should have been flagged by immigration.

Nevertheless,how should a democratic state and open society respond? Steve Coll,journalist and Pulitzer-winning author,argues that the jihadi threat India faces is greater than other countries,and implies that India will not find it as easy to continuously meet it. The post-26/11 revamp of Indias security apparatus is ushering in changes which should,in the long run,significantly improve our detection and apprehension capabilities. Yet,groups like Lashkar are now capable of spectacular game-changing attacks,as Coll puts it,drawing on a resource pool that has expanded and diversified to include scientists and others from the so-called intellectual professions. Tying together 26/11,Headley-Rana,and Indias security alerts is our vulnerability to an omnipresent threat. But there is a lot that policing and diplomacy can do. For the authorities,there must be investment in constant and comprehensive vigilance. Indias terror problem may be largely externally engendered,but the challenge is to build,and constantly upgrade,defences from within.