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Judge Orders Mumbai Trial to Continue, Despite Gunman's Confession


An Indian judge is proceeding with the trial for the sole surviving gunman from last year's terror attacks in Mumbai, despite accepting the defendant's guilty plea.

Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam says the judge ordered the trial for Pakistani national Mohammed Ajmal Kasab to continue because his confession only addressed some of the charges against him.

The prosecution says it believes Kasab confessed in order to get a more lenient sentence.

Kasab is charged with 86 offenses, including waging war on India, murder and possessing explosives. He faces the death penalty if convicted.

The defendant initially pleaded innocent when the trial began in May, but took both the prosecution and defense by surprise Monday by saying he was guilty and making a detailed confession.

Kasab says he wants no mercy and is ready to be hanged for his role in the three-day siege that killed 166 people.

In his confession, Kasab said he was one of the 10 gunmen who carried out the attacks. He said they split into pairs to strike at different targets.

Kasab said he and his accomplice attacked a train station, killing 52 people, then went to a hospital where they shot dead several guards. The pair then hijacked a car and drove to a popular beach, where Kasab was caught and his accomplice killed.

Kasab said he was recruited by the banned Pakistani-based Islamic militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The attacks severely strained relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors and brought India and Pakistan's slow-moving peace process to a halt.

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