India Begins Trial of Surviving Mumbai Gunman

The trial of the surviving gunman from last year's Mumbai terror attacks began today with Mohammed Ajmal Kasab addressed the court via video link from prison because of concerns he poses too great a security risk to appear in person. He indicated to an Indian court today he would accept a government-provided attorney and repeated that he was from Pakistan.

Kasab, 21, was charged last month with 12 criminal counts, including murder and waging war against India; he could face the death penalty if convicted. The judge said that he expected the trial to conclude within six months—unusually swift for India, where the legal process can drag on for decades. The trial in India's deadliest terror attack, the 1993 Mumbai bombings that killed 257 people, took 14 years to complete. (More Mumbai attacks stories.)