Mumbai, Dec 18 (PTI): Pakistani gunman Ajmal Kasab today went back on the confession he made before the magistrate, saying that he had not participated in the terror attacks at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) on November 26 last year. 

Kasab said that he was not at Badhwar Park along with ten other terrorists on the night of 26/11.  He denied that he arrived by dinghy from Pakistan adding that he saw the dinghy for the first time in court.

Kasab, in a statement to the court, also denied that he had planted a bomb in a taxi. Kasab told judge M L Tahiliyani that he had confessed before magistrate but it has been recorded wrongly

Kasab, who claimed that he was 20 years old, also denied that he was with Abu Ismail during the attack at CST (VT Station).

He rejected the evidence of a witness, Bharat Tamore, that he was seen with 10 terrorists at Badhwar Park when they got down from a dinghy there.

Kasab said that "do baatein bolkar katham karna chaahtha hoon, aaj bhi mujhe bolne ka mauka nahin mila tho..." (I want to finish by saying two lines, if I don't get a chance to speak then...)

The judge cut him short and told him that he had to answer questions the court put to him. Kasab disagreed with Tamore's version that he had seen the 10 terrorists at Badhwar Park wearing saffron jackets and carrying bags on their back and also a handbag.

Tamore had told the Judge in his evidence that he saw two of the 10 terrorists closely and that Kasab was one of them.

Several questions were put to Kasab based on the evidences given by witnesses.
Asked about the dinghy, Kasab said that he did not know anything about the dingy. "I saw the dingy for the first time in the Court," he said.

The case of the prosecution is that the terrorists had reached Mumbai via the dingy.
Asked whether he confessed before the Magistrate, Kasab said that he had confessed but it had been not recorded properly.

Kasab denied that he had told the Magistrate that he and Abu Ismail had hired a taxi to CST.

He also said that he had not told the Magistrate that Ismail was in the driver's seat and he himself was sitting behind and that he planted a bomb underneath the driver's seat while Ismail was talking to the driver.

"I did not tell the Magistrate that on reaching CST that they saw a lesser crowd than what was shown to them in a training camp in Pakistan," Kasab said.

"I did not contact Abu Hamza (absconding accused). My mobile Sony Ericsson was lost and I was not in a position to talk to anybody," he said.

To a question that witness Natwarlal, father of a 11-year-old girl, who was injured in the attack, had seen him and another terrorist at CST, Kasab replied that he was not present there.

"Maybe Natwarlal had said that there was firing on people but I was not there -- I don't know," Kasab said.

To another question that Natwarlal had recognised him in Court, he said that anybody could recognise him "by having seen my photograph in newspapers."
About Abu Ismail, Kasab said that "I don't know who he is. Ismail may have been involved in the attack but I don't know him."

Dressed in a white kurta, Kasab entered the court at 1130 hours and was not placed in the dock but was asked to sit in the witness box on a stool.
Kasab's medical report was perused by the Court and the Judge noted that he did not have any mental illness.

"There is nothing of adverse concern. He does not have any complaint (and) as such he is fit to give a statement," the Judge said.

A medical examination of Kasab was conducted because his lawyer, K B Pawar, had earlier told the Court that Kasab was not fit to give a statement.

When asked what his age was, Kasab said that he was about 20-years.

Enquiries were made about his age and it was found that he was not a juvenile at the time of the offence and, therefore, he was tried by the Court, the Judge said.

The Judge also noted that Kasab was not a juvenile when the crime was committed.

Kasab also referred to David Coleman Headley in court, calling himself a foot soldier. He claimed Headley met him in jail alongwith three officers. 

Headley, an American national, has been arrested by the FBI in Chicao and is accused of helping to plan and execute the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai last year.  Kasab's reference to Headley was snubbed by the judge.

Judge asked Kasab: Did you tell the magistrate that you hired a cab from Badhwar Park,  the witness says he saw you?

Kasab: My photo has gone all around the world, it's easy to recognise me. Atireki (militant in Marathi) who look like me went to Taj.

Judge: How do you know that?

Kasab: I recognised he looked like me when I saw the footage in court.
 
Judge: Witnesses also saw you at CST.
 
Kasab: I wasn't there.
 
Judge (Cuts-off Kasab): I'm asking about the magistrate confession.

Kasab has made three confessions after his arrest. One was admission of guilt before police soon after his arrest, the other confession was made before a Magistrate which is admissible as evidence and the third one was in the trial court when the accused accepted his guilt partially.

Kasab gave his entire training schedule in a Lashkar-e-Taiba camp in Pakistan during his confession to the police. He also named some of the trainers and the regimen he followed since his induction into LeT.

Before a Magistrate, Kasab had spelt each and every aspect of his training, the terror plan and voyage to Mumbai, killing of Amarsinh Solanki-- the navigator of Kuber trawler, and finally his role in the 26/11 terror attacks.

The most important part of his confession says Kasab was told by his masters and handlers that the aim of Mumbai terror attack was linked to Kashmir liberation.

Kasab, however, surprised everyone in the trial court when he suddenly announced that he would like to accept his guilt. The court heard him and recorded his statement, but reserved its judgement whether to accept it or not until the evidence was over.

In this guilt plea, Kasab accepted partially the charges framed against him. He, however, denied some portions of his earlier versions given to the police and the Magistrate.

During the trial, Kasab accepted in the court that he had participated in the terror attacks, had fired at public places, but said Abu Ismael was his leaderand that he was following  Ismael.Kasab said it was Abu Ismael who had inflicted heavy casualties at CST and Cama hospital by firing indiscriminately at people. He said he had not fired at police officer Hemant Karkare, Ashok Kamte and Vijay Salaskar and it was Abu Ismael who had shot them dead.

Kasab also denied having gunned down constable Tukaram Omble at Girgaum Chowpatty in an encounter with a police team on November 26 last year.