NEW DELHI — The lone surviving gunman from the November attacks in Mumbai was charged Wednesday with “waging war against India” along with murder and 12 other crimes — the first formal charges in the deadly three-day rampage in the country’s financial capital.
Pakistani citizen Ajmal Amir Kasab, 21, has become the public face of the attacks, his grim stare caught on security cameras as he and a fellow assailant sprayed the crowded Chhatrapati Shivaji train station with bullets. Now Kasab could face the death penalty if found guilty.
Two Pakistan army officials accused of training the gunmen were also among those charged, said Rakesh Maria, the chief Indian investigator in the case. Maria said the two Pakistani army officials would be investigated by the Pakistani government but did not give their names or ranks.
India has linked Pakistani security agencies to the attacks, a charge Pakistan has denied. The attack led to renewed tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, which have fought three wars since 1947.
The 60-hour siege of two popular hotels, a cafe, a Jewish center and other sites left more than 170 people dead, including six Americans. Waving the massive 11,280-page report, special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told reporters that the charge sheet contains accounts of more than 2,000 witnesses. It names 37 other people who allegedly helped plan and abet the attacks.
The charge sheet contains evidence provided by the FBI, which aided Indian police with the probe. Indian analysts say that the FBI would be a likely go-between for India and Pakistan during the investigation.
