Pak court acquits Marriott Hotel bombers over lack of evidence

Rawalpindi, May 6 (ANI): In yet another instance where terror accused suspects have been set free due to the lack of evidence in Pakistan, an anti-terrorism court here has acquitted four people involved in the 2008 Marriott Hotel bombing in which about 60 people, including five foreigners were killed and over a hundred injured.

Justice Malik Muhammad Akram acquitted four persons namely Muhammad Usman, Rana Muhammad Ilyas, Muhammad Hameed Afzal and Tehsinullah Khan, who were accused of plotting and abetting the September 20, 2008 terror attack on the five star hotel, as police failed to present sufficient evidence against any of these alleged bombers, The News reports.

The attack on the Marriott Hotel, which is one of the most prestigious hotels in Islamabad, came just hours after President Asif Ali Zardari delivered his first speech in Parliament.

The hotel, situated near important government buildings and diplomatic missions, was targeted in 2007 also when a suicide bomber blew himself up killing a person and injuring several others at the main entrance. (ANI)