Chicago: Alleged Lashkar-e-Toiba operative David Headley, who was arrested by Federal Investigation of Bureau (FBI) on charges of planning Mumbai terror attacks, was produced before a court in Chicago on Monday.
Headley, who has been charged with criminal conspiracy in 26/11, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
He is an American citizen of Pakistani-origin and was arrested in October for allegedly plotting terror attacks in Mumbai and Denmark.
The next hearing of the case has been scheduled for January 12.
Headley has been charged with six counts of conspiracy to bomb public places in India, murder and maim persons in India and Denmark, providing material support to foreign terrorist plots and providing material support to terror group LeT.
The 49-year-old is also facing six counts of aiding and abetting the murder of US citizens in India.
The charges filed in the Federal Court in Chicago said Headley allegedly conducted extensive surveillance of targets in Mumbai for more than two years before executing 26/11 attacks.
He is also charged with taking pictures and videotapes of various targets and supplying them to the perpetrators of the assault.
The charges were announced on Monday by US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Patrick J Fitzgerald and Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the FBI Robert D Grant.
Headley also allegedly attended terror training camps in Pakistan run by LeT and conspired with its members and others in planning and executing the attacks both in India and Denmark, the charges filed by federal law enforcement officials said.
A retired Pakistani army Major Abdur Rehman Hashim Syed, played the central role in communicating with Headley and facilitating contacts with other co-conspirators in Pakistan, including LeT members, they said.
After the arraignment hearing, Headley's attorney John Theis told reporters that his client had pleaded not guilty to the charges pronounced against him.
"Over the next several weeks and months we will give the evidence," he said outside the court.
On being asked whether Indian authorities can get access to Headley, he said, "If they make any such request, we will deal with it when it comes to us".
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