Story highlights The attack was the largest in history on Indian soil

The bombings were ordered by Islamic militants, prosecutors alleged

New Delhi (CNN) More than 20 years after the deadly Mumbai bombings that left 257 dead and more than 700 injured, an Indian special court has sentenced five of those convicted on charges of conspiring and carrying out terrorist activities.

Thursday's sentencing ends a 24-year legal process, which centered on the role played by Abu Salem -- who authorities accused of being a gangster -- in supplying weapons to the attackers.

Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikkam announced that Salem had been sentenced to life imprisonment.

The attacks, which occurred on March 12, 1993, remain the largest coordinated terror incident to have taken place on Indian soil in terms of the number of casualties, according to CNN affiliate News18

Beginning at 1:30 p.m., the city -- then known as Bombay -- was rocked by a series of at least 12 coordinated blasts. Those explosions ripped through the heart of India's financial capital, destroying the stock exchange, the Air India building and other notable locations.

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