Mumbai attacks: Kasab remanded by court via videolink

[Naveed Yaseen]

MUMBAI (March 10 2009): The sole surviving gunman captured during the Mumbai attacks appeared before an Indian court via videolink (Naveed asks: release the footage, whats the security risk in releasing footage of this videolink?) on Monday and was remanded in custody for a further two weeks, the chief prosecutor said. Mohammed Ajmal Amir Iman - also known as Kasab - was not present in person at Mumbais Metropolitan Magistrates Court but followed proceedings from a high-security jail.

The Pakistani national, an Urdu speaker, spoke in Hindi only to confirm his full name and to say that he did not understand the charge sheet filed against him, Ujjwal Nikam told reporters outside the court. His co-accused - Fahim Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed - also applied for the lengthy document to be translated from the local language Marathi into Urdu but their request was denied, he added.

"I strongly opposed the applications as an attempt to delay the trial," Nikam told AFP. "There are 12,000 pages required to be translated into Urdu. This will take a long time."

The lawyer said it was a "principle of natural justice" for the trial to take place as soon as possible. Ansari and Ahmed have both engaged local lawyers who can explain the charges, he said. Iman, arrested on November 26, is still without legal representation but can be given a court-appointed lawyer, Nikam said.

Iman, 21, is accused of being part of a 10-strong extremist commando unit that killed 165 people and injured more than 300 in a 60-hour killing spree in Mumbai last November. He faces charges of murder and "waging war against India," and could be given the death penalty if convicted. Ansari and Sabauddin are also suspected of being members of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) said to have trained, equipped and financed the operation.

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