Pakistani Colonel Linked to Mumbai Attacks

Kasab gets new lawyer; trail begins after delays

(NEWSER) - The sole surviving gunman and top suspect in the Mumbai massacre has retracted his confession, which his new lawyer says was coerced, the BBC reports. Now, the judge must decide whether the confession will count in the case, in which Pakistani Mohammed Ajmal Kasab is accused of killing 166 people and waging war on India in November. The trial got moving today, CNN reports, after a number of hiccups, including the barring of Kasab’s original lawyer. More»

Concession comes after India shares 100-page evidence dossier

(NEWSER) - The Pakistani government finally admitted today that the lone surviving gunman from November’s Mumbai attacks is its citizen, the BBC reports. It’s the first time India’s rival conceded a connection to the terrorist siege, despite weeks of heavy US pressure to comply. The foot-dragging was partly to appease Pakistanis, who resent India’s haste to blame them, adds the Los Angeles Times. More»

India braces for fresh attacks that could spark war

(NEWSER) - The Pakistan-based terror network that organized the slaughter of 163 people in Mumbai last year is still thriving, and security officials on both sides of the border fear it's only a matter of time before operatives attack India again. Lashkar-e-Taiba enjoys broad support within Pakistan, its top leadership remains intact despite a wave of arrests following the Mumbai attack, and it's poised to strike again, current and former militants tell the New York Times. More»

(AP) - The lone surviving gunman in the Mumbai attacks said today that he is ready to go to the gallows and wants no mercy from the court for his role in terrorist assault, which left 166 people dead. "Whatever I have done, I have done in this world. It would be better to be punished in this world. It would be better than God's punishment. That's why I have pleaded guilty," Ajmal Kasab, a Pakistani, told the court. More»

(NEWSER) - The only surviving gunman of the deadly terror attacks in Mumbai admitted his role in the November rampage in a dramatic courtroom confession today, reports the Times of India. "Sir, I plead guilty to my crime," Ajmal Kasab told the presiding judge, before describing how the attacks were carried out. The Pakistani national also named the terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba as the organizer of the attack. Until today Kasab had denied any role in the attacks, and it was unclear why he suddenly made the statement. More»