Latest news with #terrorattack
Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Times
‘Total failure of justice': all convicted of Mumbai train blasts acquitted
When bomb blasts ripped through the carriages of packed commuter trains and two stations during Mumbai's evening rush hour on July 11, 2006, India's prime minister vowed to defeat the terrorists and secure justice for the victims. But 19 years on from the carnage of the attacks, which left 189 dead and more than 800 injured, justice remains elusive. On Monday, 12 Muslim men who were convicted of planting the bombs were acquitted after the prosecution case against them was found to be based on forced confessions and unreliable evidence. The suspects, who were accused of being Pakistani separatists, were convicted in 2015 for one of India's worst terror attacks. Five of the men were sentenced to death, while the other seven were given life imprisonment, pending an appeal. A decade on from the conviction, judges at the Bombay High Court found the prosecution had 'utterly failed to prove their case against the accused'. 'It is hard to believe that the accused committed the crime. Hence their conviction is quashed and set aside,' Justices Anil Kilor and Shyam Chandak said. The men were ordered to be released from jail 'if they are not required to be detained in any other case'. During the 2006 attacks, seven bombs placed inside pressure cookers to maximise the intensity of the blasts went off within minutes of each other, causing horrific casualties. One surgeon described his hospital in the aftermath of the attacks as 'bloodier than an abattoir' in a report published on the front page of The Times the next day. Prosecutors said the devices were assembled in Mumbai and deliberately placed in first-class coaches to target the city's wealthy Gujarati community. They said the bombings were intended as revenge for the riots in the western state of Gujarat in 2002, which left some 2,000 people dead, most of them Muslims. Prosecutors accused the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba of being behind the attacks, although a little-known outfit called Lashkar-e-Qahhar later claimed responsibility. • Times report, 2006: 7 bombs, 10 minutes, 160 dead On Monday the judges spoke witheringly of police failures to prove what kind of bombs were used. The explosives and arms presented as evidence appeared 'unrelated to the blasts,' they said. Eye witnesses presented by the prosecution were also deemed unreliable, as many of them made statements to the police months or even years after the bombing. The judges observed that it was unlikely they would remember the accused after such a long period. 'The defence had raised serious questions about the test identification parade. Many witnesses remained silent for unusually long periods, some over four years, and then suddenly identified the accused. This is abnormal,' the judges noted. Apparent confessions by the accused, they concluded, were likely to have been obtained through coercion. One of those convicted, Kamal Ansari, died in 2021 from coronavirus while in jail. The remaining 11 have spent 19 years behind bars. Monday's acquittal does not mean the saga is over, as the prosecution can appeal against the order to the Supreme Court in Delhi. Given that cases move very slowly through India's judicial system, and that it took a decade for the convictions to be overturned, the men are likely to remain behind bars for months if not years. Rebecca Mammen John, a lawyer at the Supreme Court, said the investigation and prosecution did 'a disservice both to the people framed who spent years behind bars and to the families of the victims who are left without justice'. 'When you don't have a robust investigation and you have fabricated evidence, you are letting down an entire community of people who deserve better than this,' she added. 'This is a total failure of the justice delivery system.'
France 24
2 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Sri Lanka Catholics seek prosecution of sacked spy chief
Church spokesman Cyril Gamini Fernando said they welcomed the dismissal days ago of Nilantha Jayawardena, who was head of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) when jihadist suicide bombers attacked three churches and three hotels. "This (sacking) is for the negligence part of it, but we want the authorities to investigate Jayawardena's role in the attack itself," Fernando told reporters in Colombo. "We want a criminal prosecution." He said evidence presented before several courts and commissions of inquiry indicated that the SIS, under Jayawardena, had attempted to cover up the actions of the jihadists in the lead-up to the April 21 attacks. "Six years on, we are still looking for answers. We want to know the truth about who was behind the attack," he said. Jayawardena, 52, was dismissed Saturday from the police department, where he was the second most senior officer in charge of administration and on track to become the next inspector-general. Court proceedings have revealed that both military and police intelligence units were closely linked to the home-grown jihadists, and some had even been on the payroll of the intelligence services. The current ruling party, led by Anura Kumara Dissanayake, had while in opposition accused Gotabaya Rajapaksa of orchestrating the attacks to win the 2019 presidential election. The once powerful Rajapaksa family has denied the allegations. The attacks occurred despite a warning from an intelligence agency in neighbouring India, which alerted Jayawardena 17 days before the devastating bombings. He was found guilty of ignoring a series of alerts. More than 500 people were also wounded in the bombings, Sri Lanka's worst jihadist attack on civilians. Jayawardena was removed from his position as SIS chief in December 2019 but was later promoted to deputy head of the police force, overseeing administration. However, he was placed on compulsory leave a year ago, pending the disciplinary inquiry, following repeated judicial orders to take action against him. © 2025 AFP
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
2006 Mumbai train bombings: India court acquits 12 men
A court in India has acquitted 12 men previously convicted in the 2006 Mumbai train bombings that killed 187 people and injured over had in 2015 sentenced five of the accused to death and the remaining seven to life Monday, a two-judge bench of the Bombay High Court overturned the earlier order, ruling that the prosecution had "utterly failed" to establish that the accused had committed the offences for which they had been prosecution can appeal against the order in a higher court. On 11 July 2006, seven blasts ripped through the busy commuter trains during the evening rush hour in one of India's deadliest terror bombs, packed into seven pressure cookers and put in bags, detonated within six minutes of each blasts took place in the areas of Matunga, Khar, Mahim, Jogeshwari, Borivali and Mira Road, with most on moving trains and two at bombs appeared to have targeted first-class compartments, as commuters were returning home from the city's financial security agencies blamed the attack on Islamic militants backed by Pakistan, an allegation the country accused, who were arrested shortly after the blasts, have been in jail since then. One of them, Kamal Ansari, who had been sentenced to death, died of Covid in 2015, a special court convicted the men of murder, conspiracy and waging war against the country. The prosecution appealed to confirm the death sentences, while the defence sought July 2024, the Bombay High Court formed the two-judge bench to expedite the hearings. Reports say that over the next six months, the court conducted more than 75 sittings and examined 92 prosecution witnesses and over 50 defence the 667-page order on Monday, the court noted that the defence had questioned the credibility of the witnesses produced by the prosecution, as well as the confessional statements made by the accused. It also acknowledged the defence's contention that the recovered evidence was not maintained in a "sealed condition throughout".Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, X and Facebook
BBC News
5 days ago
- BBC News
Islamic extremist, 18, admits planning gun attack
A teenage Islamic extremist has pleaded guilty to planning a terrorist gun Billal, 18, was arrested on 11 February and charged with two counts of preparation of terrorist acts, relating to an alleged gun attack plan and travelling to defendant, from Nelson in Lancashire, was also charged with four counts of collecting information likely to be of use to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism relating to possession of issues of an Islamic State group online propaganda magazine, between last April and who was not represented by a lawyer, admitted all the charges against him during a hearing at the Old Bailey. The court heard his terror attack planning involved researching "accessible shooting ranges" and the purchase of "chest rigs" designed to hold ammunition between February and October last also conducted online reconnaissance of potential attack locations, and sought to illicitly buy a went on to take steps to travel to Somalia between 7 October and 20 November. Extreme material Billal sought advice and guidance on how to leave the UK without arousing suspicion, changed his appearance, deleted extreme Islamic material from his mobile phone, bought clothes, equipment and online also obtained a visa to enter Ethiopia in order to facilitate crossing into Somalia, the court defendant was offered the chance to be represented but declined, saying he would take up the opportunity when he is Justice Cheema-Grubb told him: "I will sentence you at this court some time in the autumn."Given your age I want to order a pre-sentence report so I know as much as I can about you."The senior judge said the report would include details of why he committed the offences and assess the danger the defendant remanded Billal into custody until a further hearing at the Old Bailey on 17 October. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
Times of Oman
5 days ago
- Politics
- Times of Oman
US designates Lashkar's proxy TRF as 'Foreign Terrorist Organisation'
Washington DC: US Department of State on Thursday (local time) designated The Resistance Front (TRF), group behind the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, as a terrorist organisation. In a statement issued by the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the statement acknowledged the fact that the organisation claimed responsibility for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir which claimed the lives of 26 civilians. The US, therefore, accorded the TRF as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). "Today, the Department of State is adding The Resistance Front (TRF) as a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). TRF, a Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) front and proxy, claimed responsibility for the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam attack which killed 26 civilians. This was the deadliest attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks conducted by LeT. TRF has also claimed responsibility for several attacks against Indian security forces, including most recently in 2024," the statement read. The statement said that this action demonstrated the US President Donald Trump administration's commitment of countering terrorism. "These actions taken by the Department of State demonstrates the Trump Administration's commitment to protecting our national security interests, countering terrorism, and enforcing President Trump's call for justice for the Pahalgam attack," the statement said. "TRF and other associated aliases have been added to LeT's designation as a FTO and SDGT pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and Executive Order 13224, respectively. The Department of State has also reviewed and maintained the FTO designation of LeT. Amendments to FTO designations go into effect upon publication in the Federal Register," the statement added. What This Designation Enables The FTO and SDGT designations give the U.S. government legal and financial powers to disrupt TRF globally: Material support is now a crime. Under U.S. law, providing money, weapons, training, technology, or services to TRF is punishable by up to 20 years in prison or life if deaths result. TRF-linked assets can be frozen. Any funds that touch the U.S. financial system can be seized. This includes shell companies, crypto accounts, and any channel connected to global banking networks. Secondary sanctions apply. Any entity or individual doing business with TRF can be penalized. This affects banks, suppliers, media platforms, and anyone who enables the group's operations. TRF members are blocked from entering the United States. Those already present are subject to removal. Intelligence targeting can escalate. TRF is now a legal priority for surveillance, watchlisting, international coordination, and counterterror action. Extraditions and criminal cases can be pursued globally. The designation allows the U.S. to work with allies on arrests and prosecutions. A Strategic Win for India India designated TRF a terrorist group in 2023, but international recognition lagged. That changed today. The U.S. designation supports India's case at the United Nations and gives momentum to the push for TRF's listing under the UN Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee. This move must not be the final step. It should now lead directly to a United Nations designation of TRF as a global terrorist entity. That would impose binding obligations on all member states to freeze TRF assets, block travel, and cut off arms flows. The U.S. designation gives India the strongest possible platform to press for that action. Operation Sindoor Changed the Game India did not wait for global consensus. It acted. Following the Pahalgam attack, India launched Operation Sindoor, a limited war targeting the very infrastructure used by groups like TRF and LeT. The operation was precise, swift, and decisive. India demonstrated that it would no longer rely on restraint alone. It unveiled a new doctrine that prioritizes deterrence through dominance and punishment through credible force. This was not just a counterterror response. It was a signal. India revealed its ability to combine intelligence, precision airpower, and indigenous technology into a short, high-intensity campaign that achieved clear strategic effects. TRF was not just named. It was hit. Now the United States has followed with the diplomatic and legal strike. The designation makes TRF radioactive. Anyone associated with it, whether a fundraiser in Dubai, or a supplier moving weapons into Kashmir, can now be hit with sanctions, criminal charges, and global blacklisting. This is not just about the men pulling the trigger. It is about the network that equips, funds, and protects them.
