Mumbai Gunman Says He's Ready for Gallows

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.

Kasab unexpectedly confessed Monday to taking part in the November attack that left a trail of carnage across downtown Mumbai. "If I am hanged for this, I am not bothered. I don't want any mercy from the court. I understand the implications of my accepting the crime," he said, responding to a prosecutor's accusation that he was trying to downplay his role in the attacks to avoid the death penalty. The judge has yet to accept the confession. (More Mumbai attacks stories.)