Friday, September 11, 2015

Mumbai blasts 2006: India court finds 12 men guilty

Media captionThe aftermath of the train attacks in 2006
A court in India's western Mumbai city has found 12 men guilty for their roles in the 2006 bombings of commuter trains.
The 12 men were accused of waging war against the nation, conspiracy and murder. One man was acquitted.
The serial bombings on 11 July 2006 killed 189 people and injured more than 800.
The attack was blamed on Islamic militants backed by Pakistan, an allegation that Pakistan has denied.
Sentencing is expected to be pronounced on Monday after judge Yatin D Shinde hears arguments from the prosecutors and defence lawyers. The guilty face the death penalty or life in prison.
"Justice has been done for the people of Mumbai. I will ask for the strictest punishment when I argue for their sentences," public prosecutor Raja Thakre told reporters.
During the attack, seven blasts ripped through trains in the evening rush hour.
The mangled compartment of one of the blast affected local trains stands at a railway station in Mumbai, 11 July 2006. Seven explosions ripped through commuter trains during evening rush hour in India's financial capital Mumbai, killing 140 people in an attack quickly blamed on terrorists.Image copyrightAFP
Image captionThe bombings killed 189 people and injured more than 800
Indian police escort a suspect (C) accused of involvement in serial commuter train blasts in 2006 at a court in Mumbai on September 11, 2015Image copyrightAFP
Image captionThe convicted men were accused of waging war against the nation, conspiracy and murder
Rescue workers search for bodies inside the mangled compartment of one of the blast affected local trains at Mahim railway station in Mumbai, 11 July 2006.Image copyrightAFP
Image captionThe bombs appeared to have targeted first-class compartments
Commuters walk past the blast site at Mahim railway station in Mumbai 12 July 2006.Image copyrightAFP
Image captionThe bombs were packed into seven pressure cookers and put in bags during the evening rush hour
An unidentified person who was injured in a bomb blast at the Mahim railway station walks away from the site, in Bombay, India, Tuesday, July 11, 2006.Image copyrightAP
Image captionThe blasts took place on moving trains and at stations
The bombs were packed into seven pressure cookers and put in bags. The co-ordinated explosions were detonated within 15 minutes of each other.
The blasts took place in the areas of Matunga, Khar, Mahim, Jogeshwari, Borivali and Mira Road, with most on moving trains and two at stations.
The bombs appeared to have targeted first-class compartments, as commuters were returning home from the city's financial district.
More than 200 witnesses were examined during the eight-year-long trial, which concluded in August last year.
Prosecutors say the attack was planned by Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI, and carried out by operatives of Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba with help from the Students' Islamic Movement of India, a banned Indian group.
Pakistan had rejected the allegations and said India had given no evidence of Pakistani involvement in the attacks.
Mumbai's suburban train system is one of the busiest in the world, carrying more than more million commuters a day.

History of Mumbai attacks

  • March 1993: Series of explosions kill 257 people and injure 713
  • August 2003: Four bomb attacks kill 52 people
  • July 2006: Seven bombs go off on crowded trains within 11 minutes, killing 189 people and wounding 817
  • November 2008: Gunmen carry out a series of co-ordinated attacks across seven high-profile locations, including two luxury hotels, city's main commuter train station, a hospital, a restaurant and a Jewish centre, killing 165 people.
  • July 2011: Three near-simultaneous explosions during Mumbai's evening rush hour kill 18 people and injure 131
Reporting by Menaka Rao
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