Judge: Mumbai massacre suspect to be tried as adult

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The only surviving suspected gunman from last year's terrorist attacks in Mumbai will be tried as an adult, which means he could face the death penalty, the presiding judge said. The defense lawyer representing Mohammed Ajmal Kasab said his client was 17 at the time of the November attacks and should be tried by a juvenile court. But Indian medical experts declared that Kasab is at least 20 after examining his teeth and X-rays of his bones. Judge M.L. Tahiliyani, who was presiding over his trial, ruled Saturday that the medical tests were enough to prove Kasab was an adult at the time of the attacks. Prosecutors say Kasab, a Pakistani, was one of 10 attackers responsible for killing 166 people and wounding 304 more during the three-day siege of India's financial capital. Nine other suspects were killed during the attacks. He will face the death penalty if convicted.