Mumbai, February 13: Eminent Mumbai based lawyer Shahid Azmi who was defending one of the co-accused of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks besides handling Mumbai train blasts and other terror related cases in which Muslim youths were arrested, has been shot dead friday late in the evening.
According to the sources, 4-5 men arrived to his office near Taximen’s Colony in Kurla East, Mumbai pretending as clients and shot at him point blank.
“Some unidentified persons barged into his office in Taximen’s Colony in Kurla, a north-eastern Mumbai suburb just before 9 p.m. and opened fire at him”, says the police.
He was immediately rushed to Rajawadi Hosiptal in Ghatkopar where he was declared dead.
Shahid Azmi came to the limelight after he began handling the 7/11 Mumbai blast case and other terror related cases in which Muslim youths were detained.
He was handling these cases as defence lawyer on behalf of Jamitul Ulema Maharashtra.
His petition filed on behalf of Jamiatul Ulema challenging the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) is pending for judgment in Supreme Court.
Besides handling the cases of the accused in Malegaon 2006 blasts and arms haul case in which Muslim youths from Malegaon and Aurangabad were detained, Shahid was also representing Fahim Ansari, a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) activist, charged with preparing the groundwork to help the perpetrators of the Mumbai 26/11 terror attacks.
-IANS