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
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
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.
How a 25-year-old Bihari native impressed his bosses in the dreaded Lashkar-e-Tayiba.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Ejaz Naqvi, advocate for Sabahuddin Ahmed, who was acquitted by the special court in the 26/11 attack case, is an elated man. "I always said that my client was not involved and the court has upheld whatever I have said. I am happy that my client has been acquitted. I believed that he is innocent and being framed in the case."
The chilling tale of how a reasonably bright college student descended into the dark world of jihadi terrorism.
Kayani along with other ISI officials supervised my training programme in Pakistan. Kayani even gave me Rs 25,000 before I left Pakistan. He had sent his man along with me to the airport and ensured that I got out safe from Pakistan," Sabahuddin further revealed.
Sabahuddin Ahmed, who had been charged with providing maps of 26/11 terror targets to terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Tayiba, on Wednesday told the trial court in Mumbai that he was being falsely implicated in the case by the Mumbai police. "I have nothing to do with 26/11 terror attacks," Sabahuddin said.According to a witness, Ansari had given maps of likely targets of the Mumbai terror attack to Sabahuddin in Nepal for forwarding them to the LeT.
The Maharashtra police's Anti-Terrorism Squad on Tuesday obtained transit remand of a Lashkar-e-Tayiba militant, who had been arrested in connection with the attack on a Central Reserve Police Force camp in Rampur in Uttar Pradesh, to investigate his links with the terror attack on Mumbai last week.Special Judge (Gangster Act) Mohammad Hussain granted the transit remand of Sabahuddin on an application moved by a Maharashtra ATS team.
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
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.
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 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.
Sabahuddin's interrogation could provide investigators leads into the planning of the attack, the financial transactions and also if any local modules that helped in the attacks.
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.
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.
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
Pakistan's latest claim -- about the Bangladesh-based Harkat-ul-Jihadi planning the terror attacks in Mumbai -- may have a boomerang effect. Sabahuddin Ahmed has revealed that the HuJI carries out its operations with the patronage of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayiba. In his confessional statement, Sabahuddin clearly states that Lashkar operatives use the porous Bangladesh border whenever they are fleeing.
Ever wondered how terrorists make their exit after their operations? There is a clear-cut plan for terrorists to make their way to Pakistan after their operations, say the police after interrogating Sabahuddin, who is being grilled by the Mumbai Anti-Terrorist Squad.
The confessions of Sabahuddin indicate that the Lashkar-e-Tayiba has been improvising its techniques constantly and terrorists are trained to use 20 different guns. The list of guns used during the training process is only an indication that the Lashkar ensures that the Fidayeen attackers becomes complete commandos.
According to 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 -- the Pakistani army ensured that the new recruits had a safe passage into Lashkar camps. Sabahuddin, explaining his journey into jihad, told interrogators that he decided to tread this horrific path in the year 2002.
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.
Each terrorist, who participated in the Mumbai attacks would have received at least Rs 20 lakh, IB officials told rediff.com
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 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.
A special court conducting the 26/11 Mumbai attacks trial on Tuesday rejected a plea by one of the two Indian accused for examining film-maker Mahesh Bhatt's son Rahul and three others as defence witnesses.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
Inspired by the Al Qaeda's women fidayeens, the Lashkar-e-Tayiba is also training a group of female cadres in a camp in Pakistan, to carry out terror strikes in Bangalore, Delhi and Kolkata. A group of five women, trained by the LeT, will conduct a reconnaissance of Indian cities and gather information to carry out the strike.The women recruited by the LeT are in the age group of 19 and 23 years.
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