Mumbai case hearing put off till Sep 5; another suspect nabbed

Rezaul H Laskar

Islamabad, Aug 29 (PTI) Pakistani authorities have
arrested another suspect in the Mumbai terror attacks case, as
the anti-terror court conducting the trial of five accused
Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives Saturday adjourned the
hearing till September 5.

Sources said a newly-arrested suspect, identified only
as Yunus, was produced in the court today by the Federal
Investigation Agency, which is probing the Mumbai attacks. The
judge remanded Yunus to the custody of police for 10 days.

Shahbaz Rajput, a lawyer representing some of the
accused, told PTI that Judge Baqir Ali Rana had adjourned the
case till September 5 for the completion of certain legal
formalities.

Jamil Ahmed, another LeT-linked suspect who was arrested
earlier this month for allegedly facilitating the Mumbai
attacks, too was produced in the court.

The judge ordered the FIA to submit his complete
records. Ahmed's petition to be granted bail was put off by
the court till September 1, sources said.

The five LeT operatives being tried by the
anti-terrorism court are operations commander Zakiur Rehman
Lakhvi, communications expert Zarar Shah, Abu al-Qama, Hamad
Amin Sadiq and Shahid Jamil Riaz.

Journalists are barred from being present during the
proceedings and the blackout created confusion this morning.
Earlier reports had said the hearing was adjourned till
September 1.

They have been charged under the Pakistan Penal Code,
Anti-Terrorism Act and a cyber crimes law. They have been
accused of providing training, financial support,
accommodation, equipment and communications gear to the 10
terrorists who attacked Mumbai in November last year.

Earlier, Judge Rana, who is conducting the trial in the
high-security Adiala Jail in the garrison city of Rawalpindi,
ordered a blackout on media coverage of the proceedings,
citing national security concerns.

Though the order itself was not made public, sources
told PTI it stated that the proceedings would be kept totally
secret and "not published" in any manner as the case had
implications for national security and national interests.

The order said the media blackout was also necessary for
the security of witnesses and the judge. PTI RHL
DDC