You may recall that back in November, terrorists in Mumbai wrecked havoc on the city, killing 170 and laying seige to a few hotels, a train station, and a Jewish center. And now, in a surprising turn of events, it seems that the lone surviving gunman from the attacks has abruptly confessed to being a part of the terrorist plot during his trial. Not even his lawyer knew he was going to do so.

Ajmal Amir Kasab is one of ten men that attacked the city, and has been proclaiming his innocence since his trial began April 1. He had confessed to police, but in his trial claims he was tortured and coerced into his admission. Yet, all of a sudden, he changed his mind, says the Washington Post:

On Monday, the prosecution in Kasab’s case was calling a witness when the defendant announced he wanted to make a confession.

Kasab, who for months had professed his innocence, said the outlawed, Pakistan-based group Lashkar-i-Taiba was behind the attacks, and revealed the names of the leaders from the group who trained him.

He said one of the suspects who has already been arrested, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, was the mastermind behind the attack…Kasab did not accuse Hafeez Sayeed, the founder of Lashkar-i-Taiba, of involvement.

Kasab’s lawyer suspects that his client assumed he realized he couldn’t avoid conviction, and is trying to get a lighter sentence. Regardless, this should help to achieve some closure, and maybe more importantly, learn more about the terrorist cell and how they operate, so India can avoid such a tragedy happening again.