Sometimes breaking into laughter, the man accused of being the lone surviving gunman in last years Mumbai attacks told an Indian court on Monday that he was from Pakistan and wanted legal assistance, officials said. The trial of Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, whom police formally charged in February with "waging war" against India, began on Monday via a video link with his prison in Mumbai.
A bearded Kasab smiled and looked composed when the judge asked him whether he had received a copy of the charges and if he wanted an attorney, a government lawyer said. "I dont have a lawyer," special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam quoted him as telling the judge. "He was smiling throughout and said that he was from Faridkot in Pakistan," Nikam said. "He started laughing when the judge asked him if he understood everything in the charge sheet."
"He had earlier requested legal assistance from Pakistan. We need some more time to appoint a lawyer to defend him," Nikam told the judge. The case will be heard again on March 30. Police and jail officers have said Kasab, who on Monday was wearing a black T-shirt and blue jeans, has been co-operating.
"He has confessed that he is from Pakistan and has also asked the court for legal assistance," Rakesh Maria, the chief investigator in the case, told Reuters. Two Indians - Fahim Ansari and Sabauddin - accused of being members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group and of scouting Mumbai landmarks before the attacks also appeared in court by video conference.