Post by Anja Nieser on Sept 12, 2006 20:42:05 GMT -5
4 Found Guilty in 1993 Mumbai Bombings
4 family members were found guilty Tuesday in the 1st verdict in the
prosecution of India's deadliest terror attack, a string of bombings that
killed 257 people in Mumbai in 1993.
Brothers Yaqoub, Essa and Yusuf Memon were found guilty of all charges,
including conspiracy to commit terrorist acts and waging a war against the
country. They could receive the death penalty at sentencing, which was
expected Wednesday.
Rubeena Memon, the wife of another brother, Suliman, was found guilty of
abetting the attack.
3 other members of the Indian Muslim family were acquitted.
The powerful bombs detonated over 2 hours on the afternoon of March 12,
1993, ripping through the country's financial heart, and targeting the
Bombay Stock Exchange, Air India offices, hotels and a movie theater,
among other locations in India's commercial and entertainment capital.
The blasts appeared to be revenge for the demolition of a 16th century
mosque in northern India by Hindu nationalists. The mosque's demolition
sparked religious riots in many parts of the country that left more than
800 people dead, mostly Muslims.
A total of 123 men and women have been accused of involvement in the
bombings, allegedly orchestrated by a brother of the convicted men and an
accomplice, both of whom are believed to have fled the country.
The Memon family ran a meat export business and also have real estate
holdings. Yaqoub, an accountant, was one of the main financiers of the
plot, police said.
The judge has said the verdicts would be handed out in groups, over as
long as 2 months.
The accused include gangsters, housewives and a Bollywood movie star.
Judge Pramod Kode said the three family members acquitted Tuesday were not
entirely innocent.
"I have concluded that I will give them the benefit of the doubt. It is
not a clean acquittal but it is short of being guilty," he said.
After the verdicts were read, Yaqoub Memon attacked the judge in a fiery
outburst laced with expletives.
"Innocent people have been made into terrorists," he shouted. He was the
only family member held in prison since being arrested in 1994. The others
were released on bail.
One of India's lengthiest trials, the prosecution began June 6, 1995, and
hearings ended in January 2003 after 686 witnesses gave testimony that
filled 13,000 pages. The delay in the judgment was largely over procedural
matters.
(source: Associated Press)
4 family members were found guilty Tuesday in the 1st verdict in the
prosecution of India's deadliest terror attack, a string of bombings that
killed 257 people in Mumbai in 1993.
Brothers Yaqoub, Essa and Yusuf Memon were found guilty of all charges,
including conspiracy to commit terrorist acts and waging a war against the
country. They could receive the death penalty at sentencing, which was
expected Wednesday.
Rubeena Memon, the wife of another brother, Suliman, was found guilty of
abetting the attack.
3 other members of the Indian Muslim family were acquitted.
The powerful bombs detonated over 2 hours on the afternoon of March 12,
1993, ripping through the country's financial heart, and targeting the
Bombay Stock Exchange, Air India offices, hotels and a movie theater,
among other locations in India's commercial and entertainment capital.
The blasts appeared to be revenge for the demolition of a 16th century
mosque in northern India by Hindu nationalists. The mosque's demolition
sparked religious riots in many parts of the country that left more than
800 people dead, mostly Muslims.
A total of 123 men and women have been accused of involvement in the
bombings, allegedly orchestrated by a brother of the convicted men and an
accomplice, both of whom are believed to have fled the country.
The Memon family ran a meat export business and also have real estate
holdings. Yaqoub, an accountant, was one of the main financiers of the
plot, police said.
The judge has said the verdicts would be handed out in groups, over as
long as 2 months.
The accused include gangsters, housewives and a Bollywood movie star.
Judge Pramod Kode said the three family members acquitted Tuesday were not
entirely innocent.
"I have concluded that I will give them the benefit of the doubt. It is
not a clean acquittal but it is short of being guilty," he said.
After the verdicts were read, Yaqoub Memon attacked the judge in a fiery
outburst laced with expletives.
"Innocent people have been made into terrorists," he shouted. He was the
only family member held in prison since being arrested in 1994. The others
were released on bail.
One of India's lengthiest trials, the prosecution began June 6, 1995, and
hearings ended in January 2003 after 686 witnesses gave testimony that
filled 13,000 pages. The delay in the judgment was largely over procedural
matters.
(source: Associated Press)