7 guilty of US centre attack in Kolkata

The policemen were killed when two gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire with automatic weapons outside the American Centre that houses US trade and cultural offices.

Another 17 people, mainly policemen, were wounded.

"The seven accused were convicted on charges of waging war against the state...," Public Prosecutor Ashok Bakshi told reporters outside the high-security Presidency jail, where the men were held.

He said Judge Basudeb Majumder, who held court hearings inside the jail due to security concerns, would announce sentences today for the seven men. Within days of the attack, police gunned down two men who officials said were members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group, adding that one of dead men had taken part in the Kolkata raid. The other is still missing.

The seven men convicted Tuesday face either long jail terms or the death penalty under Indian law.