Indian police on Wednesday charged a man identified as the lone surviving gunman in last year's Mumbai attacks with "waging war" against India, drawing up the first formal charges in the case, local television channels said.

Two national television channels said the the charge sheet named 19 other people, including Indians and Pakistanis, with planning and abetting the attacks that killed 179 people and revived tensions between India and Pakistan.

The charge sheet, which runs into thousands of pages, contains accounts of more than 100 witnesses as well as other evidence provided by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which helped Indian police with the probe.

Police on Tuesday said evidence also included transcripts of phone calls between the attackers and their "handlers" in Pakistan, video footage from attack sites, and what police say is the confession of Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the surviving gunman.

If found guilty, Kasab and those charged with waging war with India could face the gallows.

Kasab was captured during the attacks while nine other gunmen.

The charges of "waging war" with India mean there is almost no chance Kasab would be handed over to Pakistan for trial.


Reuters

Güncelleme Tarihi: 25 Şubat 2009, 15:35