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Court orders arrest of 22 Mumbai attack suspects
A special court on Tuesday ordered non-bailable warrants (NBWs) of arrest against 22 people who are believed to be in Pakistan and are wanted for suspected involvement in the 26/11 terrorist attacks here.
- IANS
- Published: 22:56 June 23, 2009
Mumbai: A special court on Tuesday ordered non-bailable warrants (NBWs) of arrest against 22 people who are believed to be in Pakistan and are wanted for suspected involvement in the 26/11 terrorist attacks here.
They include Jamaat-ud-Daawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) head of operations Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi.
Special Judge M. L. Tahilyani, who is conducting the 26/11 case hearings, directed the Mumbai Police commissioner and the Central Bureau of Investigation to initiate the process of issuing the NBWs through Interpol.
Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam on Monday submitted a list of the absconding accused before the Special Court and said that since the addresses of 22 of the 35 absconders were available, NBWs should be issued against them.
The prosecution had sought the NBWs nearly three months ago, but the court had then asked it to provide the complete addresses of the accused, a majority of them believed to be in Pakistan.
Nikam made a fresh plea after receiving the addresses of 27 accused absconders from the central government.
Currently, only one Pakistani citizen, Mohammad Ajmal Amir - alias Kasab, is in custody and undergoing trial for his role in the 26/11 attacks.
His nine accomplices, all from Pakistan, were gunned down during the 60-hour anti-terror operations by the combined security forces on November 26-28 last year.
More than 170 people had been killed in the attack.
Investigations by various Indian agencies, Kasab's confession and intelligence inputs pointed to the involvement of the Pakistan-based terror outfit LeT.
The 11,500-plus-page charge sheet filed by Mumbai Police in the 26/11 case also named 35 accused including LeT commanders Zarar Shah and Lakhvi.
Saeed, considered one of the masterminds of the attacks, had been put under house arrest in December 2008, but released on June 2 by a Lahore court for lack of evidence.
The other accused absconders against whom NBWs are sought include: Abu Hamza, Abu Al Kama - alias Amjid, Abu Kaahfa, Muzammil - alias Yousuf, Zarar Shah, Abu Fahadullah, Abu Abdul Rehman, Abu Anas, Abu Bashir, Abu Imran, Abu Mufti Saeed, Abu Umar Saeed, Mohammad Ishfaq, Javed Iqbal, Sajid Iftikhar, Khurram Shahdad, Abu Abdur Rehman, Abu Mavia and Abu Hanzla Pathan.
The NBW is sought to be issued also against a Pakistan army officer identified as Colonel R. Sadatullah.
Nikam told reporters that all the accused are presumed to be in Pakistan and the NBWs would be routed for execution through the central government and Interpol.
The Interpol too can issue Red Corner notices and if they fail to respond to the NBWs, they will be declared as proclaimed offenders, he pointed out.
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