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Tuesday, Jan 19, 2010
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Four terrorists were Indians, says Kasab

Rahi Gaikwad

Mumbai: Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab dropped yet another bombshell on Monday when he stated that four of the terrorists who died in the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai were Indians. The special sessions court trying the case is recording the lone surviving gunman’s statement under Section 313 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Kasab told judge M.L. Tahaliyani that of the two bodies charred in the offensive, one was that of a Kashmiri and the other of a resident of Gujarat. He even gave the “Kashmiri’s” name as “Abu Ali.” As for Ismail, presumably his partner Abu Ismail, Kasab said he was from “Bombay.” He did not mention the location of the last remaining body.

“The police showed me the dead bodies. They found proof in their pockets of their being Indian. I was shown photographs. I learnt that the fourth one — Ismail — was from Bombay. Aap shakal se andaza laga sakte hai. [You can tell from the face],” he said.

Mr. Tahaliyani remarked to defence lawyer K.P. Pawar: “Find out someone who knows the deceased [terrorists], since your client says they were Indians.”

Dismissing Kasab’s reply as “false revelation,” Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told the media outside the court that it would not affect the prosecution’s case in the least.

The court pointed out that as per the prosecution’s case, seven of the nine bodies of alleged terrorists were part of the 11 identification parades conducted by the Mumbai Crime Branch. Of the two remaining bodies, “one was beyond identification and the other was excluded from identification.” According to the police, there were 10 attackers in all, Kasab being the only survivor.

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