India executed convicted bomb plotter
Yakub Memon on Thursday for conspiring
in the nation's deadliest attack a series of
blasts that killed hundreds in Mumbai
more than two decades ago,
Memon was hanged at Nagpur jail in
the western state of Maharashtra on his
53rd birthday after India's president and
Supreme Court reected 11th-hour appeal
for clemency.
"It is complete ,Yakub Memon was hanged
today at 7.00am (01.30 GMT)" Nagpur
police sud inspector R.V. Halami told
AFP
Memon a former accountant,was convicted
of plotting a series of co-ordinated bomb
attacks that rocked India's financial capital
Mumbai in March 1993 ,killing 257 people
and inuring around 700 more,
They were believed to have been staged
by Mumbai's Muslim dominated under world
in retaliation for anti Muslim violence that
had killed more than 1,000 people a few
months earlier.
Security was tight near the targets and at
sensitive areas across Mumbai on Thursday
with heavily ,armed police outside Memon's
former home and at a cemetery for burial
ate in the afternoon.
Memon and two of his brothers were convicted
in 2006 by a specially -designate court using
controversial ant-terror legislation that was
introduced after 1993 attacks and is no
longer on the statute books,
Memon was the only one of 11 people found
guilty over the atrocity to have his death
sentence upheld on appeal.
The others had their sentences commuted
to life imprisonment .
He denied any involvement in the blasts
during a staggered trial and appeal process
that bitterly divided opinion in India
and ed to calls from rights activists and an
ex-judge for his life to be spared,--AFP
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