India hands life-term to key suspect in Sonepat bombing

By Shuriah Niazi

NEW DELHI (AA) - A court in northern India on Tuesday handed down a life sentence to the alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba operative Abdul Karim for his involvement in the 1996 Sonepat bomb blast.

The sessions court in Haryana's Sonepat city convicted Karim for attempt to murder and conspiracy, local daily Hindustan Times reported.

In December 1996, a series of bomb blasts hit a cinema hall in Sonepat, killing at least 12 people.

Karim was named as the main accused in the case, and a bounty of $1500 was imposed on him.

Karim, who according to Indian agencies is suspected to be involved in 40 blasts across the country, was arrested in August 2013 from Banbasa near the India-Nepal border by the Delhi Police.

He was among the 20 terrorists that India had asked Pakistan to hand over after the 2008 Mumbai attacks.