KOCHI: A special National Investigation Agency ( NIA ) court on Tuesday found 13 accused guilty in the sensational Kashmir terrorist recruitment case but acquitted five others.

Those convicted include Lashkar-e-Taiba ( LeT ) operative Thadiyantavide Nazeer who is also an accused in 2008 Bangalore serial blasts.

The special court Judge S Vijayakumar will pronounce the quantum of punishment on Friday.

NIA is yet to nab two accused in the case, Abdul Rehman Alias Wali, a Pakistani national from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Mohammed Sabir.

The case relates to the recruitment of Indian youths by LeT in 2006 for carrying out terror acts after training them at different parts of the country.

In October 2008, four Malayalis — Fayas, Abdul Rahim, Mohammed Yasin and Fayis — were killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir while attempting to cross the border and reach a terrorist training camp run by LeT in PoK.

The judge held the 15th accused, Abdul Jabbar alias Anoop from Malappuram district, guilty of waging war against the country and committing terror acts under Section 121 of the IPC and Section 15 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention (UAP) Act.

Death penalty is the maximum punishment that can be awarded as per the sections under which Jabbar has been found guilty. Charges against the other 12 convicted, including Nazeer can invite a maximum of life imprisonment, according to legal experts. Five accused were acquitted by the judge by giving them the benefit of doubt.

The case, registered in 2012 in Edakkad police station, was soon taken over by NIA. As part of the probe, 186 witnesses were interrogated. The trial of 18 culprits, including Nazeer had started in February, 2012.

The full implications of the case which had sent shock waves across the country came to light after the identities of terrorists, who were killed in Kashmir, were revealed by the Army .

