[Excerpt:  "As per the agreement and assurances that Headley would continue cooperating with investigators, federal prosecutors, as authorized by the Attorney General, asked the court for a lesser sentence for the accused."]

(RTTNews) -  David Coleman Headley, a Pakistan-born US citizen charged with criminal conspiracy in connection with 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and a planned attack on a Danish newspaper that never took place, pleaded guilty to the charges pressed against him during a hearing at the Federal Court in Chicago on Thursday.

In his appearance before U.S. District Judge Harry D. Leinenweber in Chicago Thursday afternoon, Headley changed his plea to guilty from his earlier not guilty plea, in line with an agreement reached with federal prosecutors. Headley’s guilty plea is in exchange for avoiding the death penalty and a promise not to be extradited to India, Pakistan or Denmark.

As per the agreement and assurances that Headley would continue cooperating with investigators, federal prosecutors, as authorized by the Attorney General, asked the court for a lesser sentence for the accused. The Judge, however, refused to provide any guarantees and said Headley could still be jailed for life despite the request.

Headley on Thursday pleaded guilty to all 12 counts that were brought against him in December and January in a separate indictment. He also admitted making several surveillance trips to India ahead of the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and plotting an attack on a Danish newspaper that published cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in a statement after Thursday’s hearing said Headley’s “guilty plea is a crucial step forward in our efforts to achieve justice for the more than 160 people who lost their lives in the Mumbai terrorist attacks.”

“Not only has the criminal justice system achieved a guilty plea in this case, but David Headley is now providing us valuable intelligence about terrorist activities. As this case demonstrates, we must continue to use every tool available to defeat terrorism both at home and abroad,” Holder added.

Holder also pledged to continue working with “our domestic and international partners, we will not rest until all those responsible for the Mumbai attacks and the terror plot in Denmark are held accountable.”

Earlier, U.S. prosecutors had filed conspiracy charges against Headley, alias Daood Gilani, over his alleged involvement in November 2008 terror attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai, which left over 174 people dead, including six Americans. He is the first American to be charged in connection with the Mumbai terror attacks.

The charges pressed against Headley, an alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba operative, include six counts of conspiracy to bomb public places in India, to murder and maim persons in India to provide material support to foreign terrorist plots and to provide material support to Pakistani-based terror organization Lashkar-e-Taiba. In addition, Headley was also charged on six counts of aiding and abetting the murder of US citizens in India.