India Hangs Lone Surviving Mumbai Gunman

[News_Editor]

Mohammed Ajmal Kasab during the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. (Photo: security footage)

MUMBAI, India—India secretly executed the lone surviving gunmen from the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, four years after Pakistani extremists blazed through India’s financial capital, killing 166 people and shattering relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors.

Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, a Pakistani citizen, was hanged early on Wednesday at a jail in Pune, a city near Mumbai, after Indian President Pranab Mukherjee rejected his plea for clemency.

News of the execution was widely cheered in India, with political parties organizing public celebrations and some people setting off firecrackers. But for those more deeply touched by the events of 26/11, as the attack is known here, the hanging offered only a partial catharsis.

“This is an incomplete justice as the masterminds and main handlers of 26/11 are still absconding,†said Kavita Karkare, the widow of Hemant Karkare, the chief of Mumbai’s anti-terrorism squad who was killed while pursuing Kasab. “They should also be hanged.â€

Indian officials accuse Pakistan’s intelligence agency of working with the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba to plan the attack—an allegation Islamabad denies. India and Pakistan, which have fought three wars since they were carved out of British India in 1947, suspended peace talks after the Mumbai attack.

Since 2011, the two countries have rekindled diplomatic negotiations, taken steps to bolster trade and signed a visa agreement to make cross-border travel easier, but New Delhi’s frustration with Pakistan’s failure to bring those responsible for the attack to justice has complicated efforts to mend relations.

The attacks were also a major embarrassment for India’s security establishment, which failed to stop 10 gunmen who entered Mumbai on a dinghy from running roughshod over the police and elite security forces for three days.

Indian authorities faced public pressure to execute Kasab quickly, and the government fast-tracked the appeal and execution process, which often can take years or even decades.

Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said the ministry sent Kasab’s mercy plea to Mukherjee on Oct. 16 and he rejected it on Nov. 5.

Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid said the government had attempted to inform Pakistani officials of the impending execution, but a fax sent to Pakistan’s foreign office went unanswered. He said the government had also informed Kasab’s next of kin.

Indian officials said Kasab was buried at Yerwada Central Jail, where he was executed. Some of India’s most famous freedom fighters including Mohandas Gandhi served time there.

News of the execution provoked little immediate comment in Pakistan. Pakistan foreign office spokesman Moazzam Ali Khan said Kasab’s family had not approached authorities about bringing his body home.

“We will look into this matter if the family of Ajmal Kasab contacts us to bring his body back, but so far they have not contacted us,†he said.

Kasab and nine other gunmen entered Mumbai by boat on Nov. 26, 2008. Carrying cellphones, grenades and automatic weapons, they fanned out across the city, targeting two luxury hotels, a Jewish center, a tourist restaurant and a crowded train station. The three-day attack was broadcast live on television, transfixing the nation and the world.

A photo of Kasab striding through Mumbai’s main train station, an assault rifle in hand, quickly became the iconic image of the siege.

All of the other attackers were killed during the siege. After Kasab was captured, an Indian judge sentenced Kasab to death in May 2010 for waging war against India, murder and terrorism, among other charges. Kasab cried as he heard the sentence.

In his confession, Kasab said he was recruited by Lashkar-e-Taiba after he left a low-paying job as a shop assistant in search of greater fortune as a bandit. The attackers were in regular phone contact with handlers in Pakistan during the siege.

Some in India felt Kasab should have been executed publicly. Others complained that the government had spent too much money on the care and feeding of a vilified criminal and said that for justice to be done, the attack’s masterminds—not just their foot soldier—must be punished.

Mukesh Agarwal, who was shot in his right arm during the attack, called Kasab’s execution “the best possible gift†from the Indian government. But he said “instead of secretly hanging him, they government should have hanged him publicly.â€

“I am sad and happy both,†said Sonu, an office clerk in New Delhi who uses one name. “Sad because I wonder what forced him do such things and happy because this will be a good example to all the terrorists in the future.â€

Source: Irrawaddy.org

[Credo]

I am not a big fan of the death penalty, but I have a hard time believing the world is any worse off with this guy gone.

[Payboy]

Guess he's busy with the 72 virgins now.

[Fozfromoz]

Landfill

[Steely Dan]

It's a good thing he didn't manage to evade capture and flee to the U.K. as he would likely never have been extradited due to some imbecilic European court intervening, leaving him to live out his life on benefits at the expense of the taxpayer. Good riddance.

[coma]

Good ending to a bad incident. Enjoy the after life of a Martyr.

[JemJem]

Death penalty is too good for fascists like this guy. They should be put in a tiny cell for the remainder of their lives, WITH NO CHANCE OF PAROLE !

It is sad to know that the white supremacist fascist Breivik might get out of prison after about 20 years and that he is now not enduring tough conditions in the prison in Norway.

European countries don't always get it right. Human rights, eh ? What about the rights of dozens of young people he killed ?!

I wish the Islamist fascists and the white supremacist fascists took on each other and destroyed one another. The world would be a better place.

Edited November 24, 2012 by JemJem

[Sing_Sling]

I am not a big fan of the death penalty, but I have a hard time believing the world is any worse off with this guy gone.

Same . . . no death penalty supporter, but it is difficult to feel sorry for this guy

[watcharacters]

I am not a big fan of the death penalty, but I have a hard time believing the world is any worse off with this guy gone.

MY feeling is the death tends to be quick and then it's all over. If punishment is the goal, keeping someone in a jail cell until they die a natural death is a severe and genuine punishment.

Imagine being locked in your bathroom/toilet/WC for the rest of you life.

I don't know about this case but for sure in some instances serious mistakes are made by both witnesses as well as with evidence ending up with an innocent person being found guilty.

Edited November 25, 2012 by watcharacters

[watcharacters]

Death penalty is too good for fascists like this guy. They should be put in a tiny cell for the remainder of their lives, WITH NO CHANCE OF PAROLE !

It is sad to know that the white supremacist fascist Breivik might get out of prison after about 20 years and that he is now not enduring tough conditions in the prison in Norway.

European countries don't always get it right. Human rights, eh ? What about the rights of dozens of young people he killed ?!

I wish the Islamist fascists and the white supremacist fascists took on each other and destroyed one another. The world would be a better place.

I don't disagree with your wish at all, but I'd rather they didn't do it on this planet.

"I wish the Islamist fascists and the white supremacist fascists took on each other and destroyed one another. The world would be a better place."

[MyFriend You]

Landfill

Pig Food feral hogs love human carcases

[lumply]

So where's the pic of him dangling?

[Scott]

So where's the pic of him dangling?

They are not on this thread, nor would I advise anyone to post them.

[theajarn]

Well, maybe some conspiracy theorists can rest well knowing that he wasn't given the sweet sentence of death and will indeed be living in a very cramp chamber filled with swine and forced to eat pork and nothing else for the rest of his pathetic life.

[Pimay1]

Guess he's busy with the 72 virgins now.

I was staying in this hotel and checked out one day before these idiots attacked. Happy to see this dude depart the living. Speaking of 72 virgins, would that be goats or camels?

[oldsailor35]

I am not a big fan of the death penalty, but I have a hard time believing the world is any worse off with this guy gone.

MY feeling is the death tends to be quick and then it's all over. If punishment is the goal, keeping someone in a jail cell until they die a natural death is a severe and genuine punishment.

Imagine being locked in your bathroom/toilet/WC for the rest of you life.

I don't know about this case but for sure in some instances serious mistakes are made by both witnesses as well as with evidence ending up with an innocent person being found guilty.

Well he did have 4 years to think about that rope, so i guess he got what he deserved ! By the way , there was no chance that he was an innocent person, so good riddance !

[oldsailor35]

Guess he's busy with the 72 virgins now.

I was staying in this hotel and checked out one day before these idiots attacked. Happy to see this dude depart the living. Speaking of 72 virgins, would that be goats or camels?

ha ha ha , i dont really know, but would it make any difference to them !

[Fozfromoz]

Guess he's busy with the 72 virgins now.

I was staying in this hotel and checked out one day before these idiots attacked. Happy to see this dude depart the living. Speaking of 72 virgins, would that be goats or camels?

Close call. Did you buy a lottery ticket after that?

[bigbamboo]

Death penalty is too good for fascists like this guy. They should be put in a tiny cell for the remainder of their lives, WITH NO CHANCE OF PAROLE !

It is sad to know that the white supremacist fascist Breivik might get out of prison after about 20 years and that he is now not enduring tough conditions in the prison in Norway.

European countries don't always get it right. Human rights, eh ? What about the rights of dozens of young people he killed ?!

I wish the Islamist fascists and the white supremacist fascists took on each other and destroyed one another. The world would be a better place.

I thought they already were.

[bigbamboo]

Guess he's busy with the 72 virgins now.

I was staying in this hotel and checked out one day before these idiots attacked. Happy to see this dude depart the living. Speaking of 72 virgins, would that be goats or camels?

ha ha ha , i dont really know, but would it make any difference to them !

More chance of a hump with a camel.

[Pimay1]

Guess he's busy with the 72 virgins now.

I was staying in this hotel and checked out one day before these idiots attacked. Happy to see this dude depart the living. Speaking of 72 virgins, would that be goats or camels?

Close call. Did you buy a lottery ticket after that?

No but maybe I should have. Now you have perked my interest. I have to find out what was my room number. Should be quite easy as I get an email from the hotel about every 4/5 months asking me to come back as they have now strict safety measures. I delete them immediately.

[Pimay1]

Guess he's busy with the 72 virgins now.

I was staying in this hotel and checked out one day before these idiots attacked. Happy to see this dude depart the living. Speaking of 72 virgins, would that be goats or camels?

ha ha ha , i dont really know, but would it make any difference to them !

Not one bit.

[Scott]

Enough off-topic comments. Please stick to reasonable responses to the OP.

[Pimay1]

Enough off-topic comments. Please stick to reasonable responses to the OP.

Noted. Just remembering my time in Afghanistan. Will return to the OP.

[ALFREDO]

I was staying in this hotel and checked out one day before these idiots attacked. Happy to see this dude depart the living. Speaking of 72 virgins, would that be goats or camels?

Close call. Did you buy a lottery ticket after that?

You think, a lot of "Good Luck" strikes twice in a short time?

[nikster]

Death penalty is too good for fascists like this guy. They should be put in a tiny cell for the remainder of their lives, WITH NO CHANCE OF PAROLE !

It is sad to know that the white supremacist fascist Breivik might get out of prison after about 20 years and that he is now not enduring tough conditions in the prison in Norway.

European countries don't always get it right. Human rights, eh ? What about the rights of dozens of young people he killed ?!

I wish the Islamist fascists and the white supremacist fascists took on each other and destroyed one another. The world would be a better place.

The innocent kids he killed wont come back whether he dies or not. Future madmen wont be deterred by a death penalty - that is not what will keep them from committing such a horrific crime. Breivik probably thought hed be gunned down.

Norway and the norwegian people have smartly decided that one crazy person cannot alter the rule of law and order. Why give him this victory. The severest punishment would be to make him truly understand his actions. Maybe he will someday.

The only thing that the death penalty has going for it in the Indian case - where there is not any doubt - is that there wont be a repeat offense.

[MaxYakov]

They should have cremated the body and, if there was confirmation that they supported the attack in any way, sent the ashes back to the Pakistan Intelligence Agency.

[JemJem]

Death penalty is too good for fascists like this guy. They should be put in a tiny cell for the remainder of their lives, WITH NO CHANCE OF PAROLE !

It is sad to know that the white supremacist fascist Breivik might get out of prison after about 20 years and that he is now not enduring tough conditions in the prison in Norway.

European countries don't always get it right. Human rights, eh ? What about the rights of dozens of young people he killed ?!

I wish the Islamist fascists and the white supremacist fascists took on each other and destroyed one another. The world would be a better place.

The innocent kids he killed wont come back whether he dies or not. Future madmen wont be deterred by a death penalty - that is not what will keep them from committing such a horrific crime. Breivik probably thought hed be gunned down.

Norway and the norwegian people have smartly decided that one crazy person cannot alter the rule of law and order. Why give him this victory. The severest punishment would be to make him truly understand his actions. Maybe he will someday.

The only thing that the death penalty has going for it in the Indian case - where there is not any doubt - is that there wont be a repeat offense.

Islamism is a dangerous and lunatic ideology but so is white supremacism and nationalism. Grey Wolves of Turkey, EDL of England, Golden Dawn of Greece and so many other similar ones in Europe preach nothing but hatred. As an international humanist, I say it's time these bigots should be fought against.

I can only hope that Anders Breivik will meet a similar end to what Jeffrey Dahmer met in prison (if you don't know about that incident, just search it) but I know that sadly the chances of that are very slim.

Why should I care for the human rights of a serial killer fascist, man ?

Humanists should be against fascism always !

[ikbenhet]

The only problem i have with this case is that again the real villains, the guys who made this attack possible, are not caught.

Most of the time the foot soldiers are poor and ignorant people from the madrases who have been indoctrinated their whole life.

They really believe that they are fighting for the good cause (whatever that may be) while the instigators, who usually have a high level western education, escape punishment.

As long as they are allowed to continue to spread their vile hatred and continue to use ignorant people to carry out these attacks, no real justice has been served.

Edited November 25, 2012 by ikbenhet

[philw]

What was his motive and what made him do this ??