RAWALPINDI, March 31: The special anti-terrorism court number-II on Wednesday awarded death sentence to three persons and exonerated one in the Murree Missionary School terrorist attack case.

Judge Safdar Hussain Malik announced the verdict in Adiala Jail amid tight security. However, the court acquitted two of the three convicts, Saifur Rehman and Abu Bakar, in the Islamabad Church suicide case on account of insubstantial evidence. Five people, including a US diplomat's wife and his daughter were killed and 41 others injured in a grenade attack on the church on March 17, 2002.

In the attack on Murree Christian School on August 4, 2002, seven people, including three security personnel of the school, were killed. More than 100 foreign students were studying in the school at the time of the incident.

The court handed down capital punishment to Saifur Rehman, Abu Bakar and Attaullah and imposed Rs100,000 fine on each of the convicts. The fine would go as compensation to the heirs of the victims.

In case of default, the convicts would undergo another one year in jail each. The court exonerated Tabarak Abbassi by giving him the benefit of doubt.

The court also awarded life imprisonment to the three convicts under sub-section C of the 7 ATA (Anti-Terrorism Act). The court also imposed Rs100,000 fine on each of the convicts. The fine would go as compensation to the clerk of the school, William John, who had sustained bullet injuries in his both legs during the incident.

The court also awarded an additional three years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs100,000 to each of the three convicts for stopping a constable, Mohammad Manzar, from performing his duties outside the church. In case of default, they would undergo five-year jail each.

In the same case, the court also awarded life imprisonment and a fine of Rs100,000 each to two other persons, Asif and Abdul Qadeer. In case of default, the convicts would undergo one-year jail each.

For possessing weapons used in the Murree incident, the court awarded life imprisonment to Mohammed Asif, Abdul Qadeer, Mohammad Izhar and Attaullah and ordered confiscation of their movable and immovable property.

For the same crime, the court awarded life term plus ten-year rigorous imprisonment to the convict Saifur Rehman and also ordered confiscation of his movable and immovable property.