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| Afghanistan-Pak-India |
| Man Suspected in India Bombings Fears Mob |
| 2005-11-23 |
| BOMBAY, India (AP) - One of India's most wanted men, suspected of terrorizing Bollywood and plotting bombings that killed hundreds, told a court Wednesday he feared he might be murdered by Bombay's mafia for spilling secrets. Abu Salem was extradited last month from Portugal after more than a decade on the run, a prime suspect in 1993 bombings of Bombay's stock exchange along with trains, hotels and gas stations, killing 257 people and wounding more than 1,100. "There is a threat to my life from the underworld," Salem said. "I fear being tortured by the police." The judge ordered him to be held until his next hearing on Dec. 7 and instructed police to increase security at the prison. Police also suspect Salem in several high-profile killings, including attacks on Hindi film personalities, extortion and the 1997 murder of Indian music industry czar Gulshan Kumar. Salem is facing charges of committing a terrorist act, criminal conspiracy and supplying arms and ammunition. He could face life in prison if convicted. The Bombay bombings are believed to have been revenge attacks for the December 2002 demolition of a 16th-century northern Indian Muslim mosque by Hindu extremists. The incident triggered riots that killed at least 2,000 people, mostly Muslims. Police say Salem fled India after the Bombay blasts, but he says he left to elude other Indian mobsters chasing him over unpaid debts. He was arrested in Lisbon in September 2002, but was extradited only this October, because the two nations don't have an extradition treaty. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #1 Sounds like he's having an exciting life. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-11-23 13:55 |