Mumbai Attack 7 Suspects Charged by Pakistan

by Scott Wu | November 25, 2009 at 10:07 am

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Seven men were formally charged by Pakistan for the Mumbai attacks last year. The seven suspects allegedly attacked Mumbai and caused the death of 160 people. Indian government blames the Lashkar-e-Tayyiba militant group based in Pakistan. Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, whom Indian and Western officials accused to be the mastermind, is not charged. The next hearing will be on December 5.

The suspects pleaded not guilty according to a lawyer from the defense.

“The charges leveled against the accused are not supported by witness testimony and documentary evidence,” said Shahbaz Rajpoot, one of five lawyers representing the defendants. “These charges are being framed upon pressure from external forces.”

Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh was pleased to hear the news, but said Pakistan had not done enough:
“It is our strong feeling that the government of Pakistan could do more to bring to book people who are still roaming around in the country freely and to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism and I can only hope that there will be progress in that area.”

The suspects face the death penalty if convicted for the terrorism charges.