Abu Jundal, one of the handlers of the 26/11 terrorists,today expressed his desire before a metropolitan court to confess hiscomplicity in the brazen attacks, a day after he was confronted with AjmalKasab, the lone surviving assassin in the case.
Thirty-year-old Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal madea verbal plea before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate P S Rathod thathe wanted to make a voluntary confession about his role in the attacks, sourcesin the Crime Branch, which is investigating the 26/11 case, said.
The magistrate explained to him the procedure of recordingthe confession and also informed him that his confessional statement could beused against him.
Jundal, sources said, replied in the affirmative when askedif he wanted to make his confession voluntarily.
In keeping with legal provisions, Jundal was told by thecourt that he would be given time to think whether he really wanted to giveconfession. He would be produced again before the court after two days and hisstatement will be recorded if he still wants to make the confession, sourcessaid.
Jundal, who was hitherto in the custody of the Crime Branch,would now be lodged in solitary confinement at Arthur Road Central to ensure heis not influenced by anyone.
Jundal, a native of Beed district of Maharashtra, wasarrested in the 26/11 case by Mumbai police after he was brought here fromDelhi where he had been apprehended in another case after being deported fromSaudi Arabia in June.
Kasab and Jundal were yesterday interrogated together for atleast one-and-a-half hours during which the lone surviving Pakistaniperpetrator of 26/11 identified the latter as one of the conspirators.
Police had decided to confront the two after Jundal madesome revelations during interrogation about training imparted to terrorists inPakistan.
Jundal had reportedly told the police that he had taughtHindi to the 10 Pakistani attackers.
He had allegedly issued instructions to two terrorists holedup inside Nariman House, a Jewish outreach centre, during the attack from acontrol room set up in Karachi and his voice had been intercepted by theintelligence agencies.
Jundal had also said that he had met LeT operative DavidHeadley, a co-accused in the 26/11 case who had done a recce of possibletargets.
Held on the charge of participating in 26/11 attacksconspiracy, Jundal was earlier brought to the Esplanade court amid tightsecurity and litigants and the media were asked to leave the courtroom.
