Hailing the conviction of Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab for the Mumbai terror attacks, Special Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam on Monday said the acquittal of two other accused in the case will be challenged in a higher court. "I am very happy (about the conviction of Kasab). But I regret the acquittal of two other accused Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed. The court has given them the benefit of doubt. We will challenge their acquittal," Nikam said.
The option these two men have as of now is to seek the release order from the Mumbai court and then seek bail before the Uttar Pradesh court
Former Mumbai Police Commissioner M N Singh, while sharing his thoughts on the verdict with rediff.com, said that at this stage the judgment looked very categorical and that one would have to read the judgment completely to give a fair view.
There is a long legal battle ahead of these two men. In both the Rampur and the IISc cases, charges are yet to be framed and the trial would commence once this is done. In addition, the two will also have to defend themselves against the special leave petition that will be filed by the Maharashtra government, before the Supreme Court.
On Monday, special public prosecutor Ujwal Nikam said that he would be recommending the state to initiate appeal against the acquittal of Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin Ahmed before the Supreme Court.
The Maharashtra government's decision to appeal against the acquittal of Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin largely depends on India's interrogation of Lashkar operative David Headley.
A team from the Mumbai Anti Terrorist Squad is in Uttar Pradesh to seek the transit remand of Fahid Ansari and Sabahuddin, the two Lashkar-e-Tayiba operatives arrested in connection with the attack on the Central Reserve Police Force camp in Rampur, which claimed 20 lives.Both Ansari and Sabahuddin were arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Anti Terrorist Squad. During interrogations, Ansari had reportedly confessed to providing sketches and videos of key targets in Mumbai to the LeT
The Maharashtra government on Monday decided to appeal against the Bombay high court's decision to acquit Sabahuddin and Fahim Ansari, who, according to the police, were the men who conducted a survey for the 26/11 Mumbai attacks
Sabahuddin, the prime accused in the attack on the Central Reserve Police Force camp in Rampur and the attack on the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, has confessed to playing a pivotal role in the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai. Ansari, a Lashkar-e-Tayiba operative, had conducted the recee before the actual attack, Sabahuddin told the interrorgators. He also confessed that the attack was carried out by the LeT and launched from Pakistan.
Lawyers representing seven Pakistani suspects currently being tried by an anti-terror court for alleged involvement in the Mumbai attacks have claimed that their lives are in danger and no security is being provided to them despite a court order in this regard.
A sessions court in Mumbai has issued warrants against Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed asking the Uttar Pradesh police to produce the duo on September 23, as the Bombay high court has admitted state's appeal against their acquittal in the 26/11 terror attack case.
The Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad has failed on three occasions to get Sabahuddin and Fahim Ansari a conviction in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks case.
Fahim Ansari and Mohammad Sabahuddin Ahmed might have been let off by the Mumbai special court in the 26/11 terrorist attacks case on India's commercial capital, but they were clearly not off the hook in Uttar Pradesh, where cops were all set to nail them in an earlier attack on a Central Reserve Police Force camp in Rampur city, about 300 km from Lucknow.
The 26/11 trial is expected to take an interesting turn with the counsel for Fahim Ansari contemplating the inclusion of Pakistan army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani's name as the main conspirator.
Though the Mumbai police have sought for the custody of Sabahuddin first, Ansari's interrogation will be the key to the Mumbai terror attack case. While Sabahuddin played the role of a financer more than a plotter, Ansari is the man who did the recce in Mumbai and also prepared sketches of the locations that were attacked on 2/11/2008.
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India is not entirely satisfied with Islamabad's version of the case, says Vicky Nanjappa
The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear the plea of Maharashtra government against the acquittal of two accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack. A bench headed by Justice Aftab Alam, however, made it clear to the state government that it is a weak case.
Although Headley has confessed to the FBI that he had conducted a recce of the targets in Mumbai, this is will not be enough to nail him in India. Only if Headley confesses the same details to Indian agencies can the confessions be used in the 26/11 case in India, said investigators
Special Court Judge Madan Lakshmandas Tahilyani stunned the Mumbai police and public prosecutor Ujawal Nikam when he acquitted two Indian nationals Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin of all the charges in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case.
In a shocking move, the Anti-Terrorist team has sent just two police officers to bring two hardcore Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists -- Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin-- from Uttar Pradesh to Mumbai as part of the investigations into the Mumbai attacks case.
Ejaz Naqvi, counsel for Sabahuddin, told rediff.com that he would be filing a petition before the Supreme Court to make Headley a party to the proceedings before the Bombay high court, which is hearing a set of three appeals in connection with the 26/11 case.
The sensational acquittal of 26/11 Mumbai terror accused Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin Ahmed have raised many eyebrows. But for Fahim's family, the decision has simply reinforced their belief that he was innocent. Rediff.com's Krishnakumar P visits Fahim's house in Mumbai, and brings forth their reactions.
Sabahuddin and Fahim Ansari, who are in the Mumbai Anti-Terrorist Squad's custody, have revealed that the attacks were delayed because of fears that the operation had been compromised by Ansari's arrest and confessions, and also, because the terrorists could not procure enough weapons in time.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation team, which has sought access to all the 26/11 accused arrested by Pakistan, will try to cull more information about a key Lashkar-e-Tayiba operative called Yusuf Muzzamil.Muzzamil's role in the terror attack in Mumbai last November was revealed by Fahim Ansari, Sabahuddin, and Ajmal Kasab.They described Muzzamil as a being extremely tech-savvy, adding that he had pointed out possible terror targets using Google Earth.
Sabahudin, a LeT operative arrested for the CRPF camp attack in UP, reveals how the ISI helps the Lashkar train terrorists.
The Maharashtra government, in its appeal againgst the acquittal of Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin, spells out various points but does not make a single mention about the role of David Headley in the case. It is extremely clear today that he had a big part to play in this horrific attack.
The most important factor is commitment to the Lashkar's ideology. When the Lashkar recruits youth the latter are told they will undertake a military operation and there is absolute need to be committed to the organisation's ideology in order to succeed.
A course in accent training is something usually associated with Business Processing Outsourcing. However, investigations have now revealed that the Lashkar-e-Tayiba has been imparting accent training too to potential terrorists.
Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam handed over a sealed envelope to Judge M L Tahiliani during the ongoing trial into the Mumbai terror attacks. He sought the judge's permission to keep the identities of six FBI agents, who are likely to depose during the trial, a secret.
The Mumbai police's crime branch says that Imran Shehzad also helped Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin Ahmed conduct a survey of likely targets in Mumbai.
The Lashkar-e-Tayiba runs a dedicated technology laboratory in Muzzafarabad, Pakistan occupied Kashmir. The lab has been operational for the past six years. It has a dedicated team, which imparts training to men chosen for terrorist operations.
Souces point out that Abdul Al-Hooti could have done more than just providing SIM cards which were used during the Mumbai attack. With evidence against Al-Hooti in the Mumbai attack increasing, the Indian agencies say that apart from interrogating Headley on these lines, they would also be building a case to seek Al-Hooti's extradition from Oman.
The Jamaat-ud-Dawah on Monday claimed the acquittal by an Indian court of two suspects linked to the Mumbai attacks had shown that Indian authorities had 'no proof of Pakistan's involvement' in the 26/11 terrorist carnage.
The induction of David Coleman Headley, the arrested American national and a Lashkar-e-Tayiba operative, in the 26/11 case has given a whole new dimension to its ongoing trial. Legal experts say that there will be no delay in the ongoing trial against lone surviving gunmen Ajmal Kasab, and other terror accused Sabahuddin and Fahim Ansari.
The mammoth chargesheet has been filed and the Mumbai police can proceed and try three people with immediate effect -- Ajmal Kasab, Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin Ahmed. However, what would happen to the likes of Yusuf Muzzamil and Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhwi who find a mention in the chargesheet as the key conspirators? The satellite phone transcripts and various confessional statements prove their role in the case.
Intelligence Bureau officials said barring Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin Ahmed, they have not found a direct local link to the Mumbai terror attacks. IB sources added that although not directly involved, there are several people who had information about the attacks.
Lashkar operatives have disclosed to interrogators that Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence arranged their fake passports. IB officials have listed the guidelines that terrorists follow while dealing with passports, record books and identification cards.
An investigating officer told rediff.com that Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorists Sabahuddin and Fahim Ansari -- whose names are likely to figure in the 26/11 attack chargesheet -- confessed before interrogators in Mumbai that the Rampur attack was aimed at distracting security agencies to enable the smuggling of arms into Mumbai for the big attack.
Mohammad Omar Madani's links to the 26/11 Mumbai attack and also other terror strikes in the country are getting more and more evident. The Delhi police and the Intelligence Bureau have been grilling Madani after he revealed that he had links with Hafiz Saeed, Abu Hamza, Sabahuddin and Fahim Ansari all of whom have were involved in the Mumbai terror attack.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has decided to question Sabahuddin and Fahim Ansari -- the prime accused in the attack on the Central Reserve Police Force camp in Rampur in January last year-- who are currently being probed for their links with the terror attack on Mumbai in November last year.The FBI will try to glean out crucial information about the working of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba in South Asia by interrogating the duo.
