Mumbai terror attack defense lawyer alleges client was tortured, wants trial for juvenile court

The lawyer for the accused gunman on trial in India for the November 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks moved Friday to suppress his client’s confession, arguing it was the product of torture. It will be up to the judge to weigh the evidence at the trial and decide whether the confession should be taken into account. The prosecution had read out parts of his confession as the trial began and accused him of killing 166 people.

The lawyer also argued that the trial of Mohammed Ajmal Qasab should be moved to juvenile court because Qasab was 17 at the time of his arrest. Judge M.L. Tahiliyani ordered medical tests, including bone and dental tests, to determine the age of the leading suspect. Later CNN reported that the medical tests showed that the lone surviving suspect in last year’s Mumbai terrorist attacks is not a juvenile, and thus could be tried as an adult.