MUMBAI: The alleged gunman in the 2008 bloody siege of Mumbai said Monday he should be tried by an international court because he does not expect justice in India.
Mohammed Ajmal Qasab, 21, told a special court that police had falsely implicated him in the case.
“I should be tried in an international court,” he told Judge M.L. Tahiliyani.
Ten gunmen rampaged through India’s commercial capital Mumbai in a commando-style attack on two luxury hotels, a busy train station and a Jewish center in November 2008. The three-day siege left 166 people dead, and nine of the gunmen were killed.
Last month, Qasab retracted his confession that he sprayed gunfire into a crowd at the railroad station. He also said police tortured him into admitting having a role in the attacks.
Qasab also said he wanted to call witnesses from Pakistan for his defense, and that he should be allowed to meet Pakistani officials. Witnesses would include a passport officer, he said.
The judge asked him to file a petition through his attorney.
Qasab could face the death penalty if convicted. Murder and conspiracy to wage war against India are among the charges he faces.
Qasab told the judge he came to Mumbai as a tourist and was arrested 20 days before the siege began.
On the day of the attacks, Qasab said police took him from his cell because he resembled one of the gunmen. They shot him to make it look as if he had been involved in the attacks and re-arrested him, Qasab said.
