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Mumbai attacks trial closes, verdict due May 3
[Dawn] The trial of a Pakistani accused of being in a 10-man team of gunmen who killed 166 people during a rampage through Mumbai in 2008 closed on Wednesday after a year of dramatic courtroom testimony.The judge will deliver a verdict on May 3 on 22-year-old Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, considered the lone surviving gunman from the 2008 attacks which traumatised India and led to a spike in tension with Pakistan. The prosecution has called for him to be put to death and has presented evidence it considers overwhelmingly proves his guilt, including a photo of him carrying an AK-47 machine gun through the main train terminal in Mumbai. Kasab stands accused on scores of charges, including waging war against India and murder over the three days of carnage which targeted luxury hotels, a tourist restaurant, the railway station and a Jewish centre. "The trial has ended and the prosecution has presented the links between Kasab, LeT (militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba) and the Pakistani army," state prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told reporters outside court. During his final arguments, state prosecutor Nikam had called Kasab a "conniving, depraved murderer" who was trained by the Pakistan-based Islamist group Lashkar-e-Taiba. Kasab initially pleaded not guilty when the trial started in April, but in July made a shock confession, admitting being one of two gunmen who opened fire at the train station. He also detailed how the group was trained by the banned LeT, and he then asked for swift justice. "Please go ahead and hang me," he said at the time - however in December he retracted his confession, saying he had been framed by the police after coming to Mumbai to seek a career in the Bollywood film industry. Kasab and an accomplice who died are alleged to have committed the bloodiest episode in the 60-hour reign of terror, opening fire with AK-47 assault rifles and throwing grenades in the station. Some 52 people died and 109 others were wounded there. The trial began last April and has heard live evidence from nearly 300 people. The psychological impact of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on Indians is often compared by local commentators and media to the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. Millions watched in horror over three days as ill-equipped security forces struggled to stem the killing in a city that is the country's financial capital and showbiz centre. Seven alleged Pakistani planners of the November 2008 attacks are on trial in their home country, where the case has been regularly delayed and adjourned. Among the suspects is the alleged mastermind of the operation, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, and alleged LeT operative Zarar Shah. Recent events in the United States have also shed light on the planning of the assault after the arrest of a man born of US and Pakistani parents who has pleaded guilty to assisting the Mumbai attackers. Last week, David Headley pleaded guilty to 12 charges of conspiring in the attacks after making numerous visits to Mumbai where he photographed and drew up detailed plans of the eventual targets. The United States has said it had not yet decided whether to give India direct access to Headley despite repeated requests from New Delhi. Posted by: Fred 2010-04-01 |
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