Atacuri teroriste in Mumbai, soldate cu morti si raniti

Capitala financiara a Indiei, Mumbai, cunoscuta anterior sub denumirea de Bombay, a fost miercuri dupa-amiaza tinta unor atacuri teroriste, in cele trei explozii care au avut loc in zone foarte aglomerate pierzandu-si viata cel putin 13 persoane, alte peste 100 fiind ranite.

Ministerul indian de Interne a precizat ca a fost vorba de atacuri teroriste care au avut loc in zone foarte aglomerate, in apropierea unui templu hindus, a unei gari si intr-o piata pentru comercializarea bijuteriilor, relateaza CNN.

Prim-ministrul statului indian Maharashtra, Prithviraj Chavan, a afirmat ca cel putin 13 persoane au murit si alte aproximativ 100 au fost ranite in cele trei explozii produse miercuri dupa-amiaza. Oficialul a anuntat ca numarul mortilor ar putea creste.

Atacurile teroriste s-au produs in zone comerciale aglomerate si au avut loc la cateva minute unul de altul, iar "zgomotul a fost asurzitor", a afirmat Hemant Mehta, care se afla in cladirea Operei, situata in apropierea bazarului de diamante din Mumbai. Autoritatile au plasat orasul Mumbai in stare de alerta ridicata, iar echipele de anchetatori au inceput cercetarile.

Indian police to charge Mumbai attacks gunman

MUMBAI (AFP) — Indian police Wednesday were due to charge Wednesday the lone surviving gunman involved in last year's devastating Mumbai attacks which rocked the country's financial hub and soured ties with Pakistan.

Pakistani national Mohammed Ajmal Amir Iman -- also known as Kasab -- was the only member of the hardline Islamist commando-type unit captured alive during the November 26-29 siege.

Some 165 people were killed and 308 injured when Iman and nine others, allegedly from the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), attacked a string of targets including luxury hotels, a crowded railway station, a cafe and a Jewish centre.

Nine of the attackers were killed, leaving Iman to face a massive charge sheet detailing a string of murders, terrorism, conspiracy, weapons and immigration violations.

If convicted Iman, 21, could face the death penalty.

"We will file the charge sheet in a city court. It is a mammoth document," Mumbai's joint commissioner of police Rakesh Maria said.

Chief public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said the charge sheet, which was more than 5,000 pages long, contained "comprehensive evidence against the LeT."

"We have got clinching evidence that the conspiracy was hatched in Pakistan," he told AFP.

"We also know the terrorists were trained in Pakistan."

Other evidence includes security camera footage of the gunman attacking a railway station, where scores of people died.

Indian law requires that a charge sheet be filed in court against a suspect within 90 days of detention. Iman was arrested on November 28.

Two other suspected LeT members are also in custody in Mumbai, accused of providing support to the attackers.

The trial is expected to again focus attention on how the gunmen were selected, trained and armed.

Pakistan admitted for the first time this month that the Mumbai strikes were partly planned on its soil, and have acknowledged the surviving gunman is a Pakistani.

Media reports have said Iman is from the poor rural district of Okara in Punjab province.

With the filing of formal charges, the Indian judicial system will have to grapple with the question of Iman's defence in the light of a refusal by lawyers to represent him.

India's constitution provides for the right to legal aid and representation, as well as a "fair, just and equitable procedure" in court for any defendant, regardless of nationality.

But the honorary secretary of the Bombay Bar Association, M.P. Rao, told AFP in December that the unprecedented nature of the attacks meant normal rules should not apply.

"He has waged war on the country. If he's waged war, the basic requirement of giving him a fair trial doesn't really become justified," he said.