Witness says drunk prince 'was the killer'

KATHMANDU, Nepal (CNN) - A witness to the massacre of Nepal's royal family has spoken for the first time about the deadly rampage that tore the royal palace apart last Friday night.

In a chilling account, Dr. Rajiv Shahi says a drunken Crown Prince Dipendra killed most of Nepal's royal family, in a spree that lasted less than two minutes.

Shahi is the son in law of Prince Direndra, the king's younger brother.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Shahi said Dipendra, 29, was responsible for the deaths of nine of his family members.

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"Crown Prince Dipendra was the murderer," Shahi said, of the prince who died several days after the Friday massacre.

Shahi told media assembled at a military hospital in Kathmandu that Dipendra had admitted to being intoxicated before the family's regular Friday night dinner began around 7:45 p.m.

Shahi said he and Dipendra's younger brother escorted the crown prince back to his room, but Dipendra returned, dressed in fatigues and carrying an assault rifle.

In a drunken frenzy Dipendra shot his father, King Birendra. Shahi attended to the king who bled from the neck and stomach.

Dipendra walked outside the room and continued firing.

A brief and violent incident

The rampage lasted some one and a half minutes, during which the crown prince walked in and out of the room where the royal family was gathered, firing his weapon continuously.

At one point, Shahi said, Dipendra aimed at his mother, Queen Aishwarya. The crown prince's younger brother stepped in the way, pleading for Dipendra to stop, but Dipendra instead shot his brother several times in the back and then fired the fatal shots at the queen.

After the massacre, the crown prince stepped outside and shot himself, Shahi said.

He was taken to the hospital in a coma and was pronounced king, despite being the prime suspect in the killings.

His reign ended when he died two days later.

New king pressured to reveal the truth

It was not clear why Shahi waited to speak out. But King Gyanendra, 53, who was crowned immediately after Dipendra's death, has been under pressure to reveal the truth behind the killings.

Gyanendra has ordered an official investigation into the massacre, and Shahi's account of the events came as the off-again-on-again inquiry appeared likely to begin Friday.

The original three-member team trying to determine the circumstances surrounding the palace shootings has been whittled down to two for the stalled investigation.

Kathmandu has been wracked by unrest since earlier this week, with thousands of Nepalese demanding an explanation.

Kathmandu police said Thursday there were no serious incidents of violence in the third night of a general curfew in the capital city.

Government in turmoil

Meanwhile, politicians and journalism organizations are condemning the arrest of the editor and two publishers of the city's largest newspaper, after it published an editorial critical of the country and the monarchy.

All three were being held in jail and are expected to be charged with sedition and treason. The charges carry at least three years in prison.

The editor said he was being held illegally because he had not yet been charged, according to CNN Correspondent Satinder Bindra, who visited the editor in jail.

Death of a popular monarch

The massacre has left a power vacuum in the tiny kingdom where the late King Birendra was hugely popular, particularly after he ceded absolute power in favor of a constitutional monarchy in 1990.

Many regarded him as an anchor of stability in the poverty-stricken kingdom, torn by political feuding and a bloody Maoist rebellion, and were doubtful about the ability of the new king to command the same respect.

Meanwhile, Kathmandu remains all but closed down by a combination of curfews and the mourning period announced for the slain royals has brought business to a standstill.

All government departments, all banks and most shops are closed. The few backpackers around complain that they can't find a travel agent open to book a trekking holiday -- a huge source of foreign exchange for the country.