6 suspects convicted in 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts

An Indian court on Friday convicted six people of involvement in an attack in Mumbai in 1993 in which 12 powerful bombs packed in cars, scooters and suitcases killed 257 people and injured hundreds of others.

The court found the six Muslims guilty on charges of criminal conspiracy, transporting weapons and murder, which are punishable by a maximum penalty of death. The court is to announce sentences next week.

The six are the second group to be tried in the blasts. More than 100 people were found guilty in the main trial that ended in 2007. Eleven people were sentenced to death and the rest received various jail terms and fines.

Prosecutors said the bombings were an act of revenge for the demolition of a 16th century mosque by Hindu nationalists in northern India in 1992. That triggered religious riots in parts of India, leaving more than 800 dead, mostly Muslims.

The blasts hit a number of prominent targets in Mumbai, India's financial capital, including the stock exchange, Air India building, hotels, a cinema and shopping bazaars. Prosecutors said the purpose of the attack was to strike terror and foment violence against Hindus.

They said the attack was masterminded by underworld kingpin Dawood Ibrahim. India accuses Pakistan of sheltering Ibrahim, a charge Islamabad denies. India says he has been living in Karachi, Pakistan's financial hub, and has asked Pakistan several times to hand him over to face trial in India.