Terrorists Strike Mumbai...Yet Again

Terrorists have hit Mumbai, India again. Watch Live Coverage here.


At the current time, the Butcher's Bill stands at 21, with 113 injured. More from India:


Mumbai--  In a seemingly coordinated attack, three explosions took place in Mumbai one after the other on Wednesday between 6.54 and 7.06 in the evening - the first at Zaveri Bazaar in South Mumbai, the second at kabutar khana in Dadar West, central Mumbai and the third again in South Mumbai at Opera House. The Maharashtra home secretary has said 20 people have died 113 are injured. The death toll may rise. (Watch: This is an attack on the heart of India, says Maharashtra CM) 

In Delhi, the Home Ministry has confirmed that this was a terrorist attack and Mumbai has been sealed and is on high alert. Mr Chidambaram said his ministry would make a statement every two hours or sooner. The next statement will be made at 11 pm today. (Watch: A coordinated attack by terrorists, says Chidambaram)
 
Mumbai Police sources say the Indian Mujahideen is suspected to be behind the attack. Union Home Ministry sources too say that the hand of the IM working closely with the Lashkar e Taiba is suspected. (Read) 

Two members of the IM were arrested in Maharashtra yesterday by the Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad.  However, sources confirm there was no intelligence alert or input that warned of today's terror attack.

Mr Chavan said the blast at Opera House was of the highest intensity.

All blasts took place during rush hour and in crowded places.The Zaveri Bazaar blast took place in an umbrella kept at the crowded Kahu Gali, a street of eateries. (Watch: Eyewitness accounts of the blast in Zaveri Bazaar)

The Dadar West explosion took place in a meter box on an electric pole near a bus stop.The Opera House blast took place at Prasad Chamber building.

Dadar, a middle class area also houses the Shiv Sena Bhawan and the famous Shivaji Park. The Home Ministry has said that Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were used.(Read: Find out who is behind the blasts, Shiv Sena tells Govt)

There were also unconfirmed reports of an unexploded bomb being found in Dadar and a bomb hoax in Santacruz.

Early reports said a police control room had received a call claiming that there were serial blasts in Mumbai. 

A National Investigation Agency (NIA) Team has rushed to Mumbai from Delhi to investigate. A National Security Guards (NSG) team and forensic experts have also been airlifted on a BSF plane and are bound for Mumbai. The police have appealed for calm. 

Zaveri Bazaar has been hit before -  over 50 people were killed in twin blasts in 2002. 

Read more at: NDTV

Previously:

Mumbai Terrorists Used Internet Resources During Attack

The Media In India Still Loves Their Soldiers

Terror Strikes in Mumbai, Again

At least 80 people are killed and 250 wounded in India terror attacks as gunmen 'hunt for Brits and Americans'

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A Reason for President Obama's Trip to India: Countering the Chinese Military Buildup

Peter Brookes of the Heritage Foundation discusses the buildup of the Chinese Military and its implications for the US and the rest of the world. I think that is part of the reason that President Obama has gone to India and is offering military aid to them, it is a counter-weight to the Chinese. It is very gratifying to me to see Obama follow the Neoconservative line on this foreign policy issue.

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Cell Phones Used by Terrorists in Mumbai Traced to United States

The suspect, named as Javaid Iqbal, sent the funds via Western Union to pay for five cell phones with Austrian country codes -- three of which were used by the attackers, ‘Corriere’ said, citing the Indian dossier.

Iqbal, a former resident of Barcelona, has been arrested in Pakistan and Italian authorities were attempting to understand how he arrived in Brescia and whether he had support from anyone there.

The cell phones were activated in the United States by a US company, ‘Corriere’ reported, and registered to another man, who identified himself as an Indian citizen.

India, in its intelligence dossier, highlighted the importance of cell phone communication between the plotters and terrorists carrying out the attacks.

It offered partial transcripts of the conversations detailing orders given by phone to kill hostages, and how the plotters relayed the media impact of the assault in real-time.

"Everything is being registered by the media. You must inflict the maximum damage. Fight to the end. Don't leave any survivors," read one of the excerpts, in a call to an attacker at the Trident-Oberoi hotel, reported by ‘Corriere’.

"Kill the hostages, except the Muslims. Take the telephone and activate it so we can hear the shots," a terrorist says, according to ‘Corriere’.

Source: Express India

I found the original article in the Italian Paper, Corriere Della Sera, and the page as translated by Google Translate.

I suppose most people would be surprised at how a lot of criminal and terrorist activities cross international borders in order to avoid detection by law enforcement and intelligence agencies that are hampered by lefty lawmakers from going after them.

In the same manner, many cell phones were purchased in the USA, and transported to Iraq to be used in remote detonating mechanisms on road side bombs that killed many people, including American soldiers.

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Mumbai Terrorists Used Internet Resources During Attack

The Mumbai terrorists used an array of commercial technologies -- from Blackberries to GPS navigators to anonymous e-mail accounts -- to pull off their heinous attacks.

For years, terrorists and insurgents around the world have used off-the-shelf hardware and software to stay ahead of bigger, better-funded authorities. In 2007, former U.S. Central Command chief Gen. John Abizaid complained that, with their Radio Shack stockpile of communications gear, "this enemy is better networked than we are." The strikes that killed at least 174 appears to be another example of how wired today's "global guerrillas" can be.

As they approached Mumbai by boat, the terrorists "steered the vessel using GPS equipment," according to the Daily Mail. A satellite phone was later found aboard.

Once the coordinated attacks began, the terrorists were on their cell phones constantly. They used BlackBerries "to monitor international reaction to the atrocities, and to check on the police response via the internet," the Courier Mail reports.

Source: Danger Room (be sure to read the whole thing)

Commentary

The police cut local cable, satellite and Television broadcasts during the attacks, but were still unable to stop the terrorists from accessing the resources of the Internet...and they were foolish to think that they could.

I wonder how many free or freely available Wi-Fi networks were available to the terrorists to use (aside from their satphones) that the police could not even shut down even if they wanted to?

There is one thing that could have lessened the carnage. A citizenry self-armed and willing to defend themselves.

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Muslim Terrorists Should Not Be Suffered To Live...

Here is a little stream of consciousness blogburst focusing on Islamic Terrorism:

Gavriel Holtzberg managed to cover his wife Rivka with a prayer shawl just moments before he was killed by the despicable terrorists in Mumbai.

If that does not impress upon you the evil nature of the Islamic terrorists we face, then you are under suspicion yourself. 

I didn't even know this type of terrorism had a name. I should have realized that my devious mind wasn't the first to come up with such a strategy. Now, some of the training our local SWAT team has undergone makes little more sense, especially as to why they need all those shiny new killing tools.

Even when former Muslims flee, they are still held prisoner by dhimmi governments. 

I thank God that some of us still get it that we are fighting a war against an evil purer than that of Nazi Germany.

How long will the people of the West be so willingly blind?

What will it take for us to gird up our loins and erase this evil from our planet? 

How many people must they murder before we act?

How long must we tolerate the existence of leaders who don't get it? 

**11.27am** One more piece of evidence:

"Bombay has a long history of terror. I have seen bodies of riot victims, gang war and previous terror attacks like bomb blasts. But this was entirely different. It was shocking and disturbing," a doctor said.

Asked what was different about the victims of the incident, another doctor said: "It was very strange. I have seen so many dead bodies in my life, and was yet traumatised. A bomb blast victim's body might have been torn apart and could be a very disturbing sight. But the bodies of the victims in this attack bore such signs about the kind of violence of urban warfare that I am still unable to put my thoughts to words," he said.

Asked specifically if he was talking of torture marks, he said: "It was apparent that most of the dead were tortured. What shocked me were the telltale signs showing clearly how the hostages were executed in cold blood," one doctor said.

The other doctor, who had also conducted the post-mortem of the victims, said: "Of all the bodies, the Israeli victims bore the maximum torture marks. It was clear that they were killed on the 26th itself. It was obvious that they were tied up and tortured before they were killed. It was so bad that I do not want to go over the details even in my head again," he said.

Source: The Jawa Report.

I still think that this planet would be a better place if we killed every terrorist we could find, as well as those who give them support or political cover. The Jewish people are the canaries of world conditions...when they are extinguished...evil approaches.

WAKE UP.

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The Media In India Still Loves Their Soldiers

I just witnessed the arrival of Commandos at the Trident House where terrorists are still holding hostages...and the crowd of onlookers cheered the soldiers, along with the Indian Reporters.

I wish our media were capable of the same thing.

My prayers are with the people of India during this time.

I have a live-stream at West Carolina Report of the ongoing operations against the terrorists as commandos are clearing the buildings of terrorists...which the India Times carried live. You can also read my Google Reader Shared Items Page for links to articles I am reading and sharing, many of them regarding the Mumbai Terror Strikes.

It has also been reported that officials in India are requesting people in the area to be not too specific in their twitter coverage because the terrorists may be monitoring twitter. You can search twitter your self manually, or view hot tags clouds on TwitScoop. You can see the latest twits by rolling your mouse pointer over the tag, and see a trend chart by double clicking on the tag. 

And for those of you not on twitter, here is a list of twitter tools to entice you by showing the utility of the service.

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Terror Strikes in Mumbai, Again

I have been watching live video streaming coverage of the coordinated attacks by Muslim terrorists "seeking to cause mayhem", according to police officials who have been briskly interrogating captured terrorists.

There is an ongoing hostage situations in the Trident Hotel and the Taj Motel. Just now, at 3.16 am Eastern Time, it is being reporting that a Greek millionaire has been shot dead by the terrorists at the Taj Motel.

Here is a synopsis from the BBC:

At least seven high-profile locations were hit in India's financial
capital, including two luxury hotels where dozens of hostages are being held.
The buildings are now ringed by troops. Gunmen are also said to be holding people captive in an office block.
Police say four suspected terrorists have been killed and nine arrested.

As day broke in Mumbai, the situation on the ground was still confused
with reports of gunfire and explosions at between seven and 16 locations.
The city's main commuter train station, a hospital, a restaurant and two hotels - locations used by foreigners as well as local businessmen and leaders - were among those places caught up in the violence.

Source: BBC

As I write this, the Maha DGP is reporting the hostage crisis at the Taj Hotel is over, and all hostages held there have been rescued by commandos. Reporters are still seeing people in the windows of the hotel. Shivraj Patil, Home Minister, is giving a Press Conference as I write [3.26 am Eastern]. He is expressing his sorrow and condolencses for the victims and the policemen who laid down their lives in service of the nation.

200 Cmmandos have been provided to the state police, and they have been working together to kill the terrorists and free the hostages.

According to UTVi, these places have been attacked:

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Railway Station - shootings, grenades
South Mumbai Police Headquarters - shootings
Leopold Cafe, Colaba - shootings
Taj Mahal Palace & Tower Hotel - shootings, six explosions, fire on top floor, hostages
Oberoi Trident Hotel - shooting, explosions, hostages, fire
Mazagaon Docks - explosion, boat with armaments seized
Cama Hospital - shootings, hostagesNariman House - siege, hostages
Vile Parle Suburb, North Mumbai - explosions

On the live coverage I am watching, the terrorists came by sea and had at least two boatloads of weapons and explosives, and that they were directed by Sat Phone from Pakistan. I could not understand what the name of the group was.

[4.30 am Eastern The terrorists are being called Mujahideen. I had trouble understanding the accent. --TP]

There are intermittent explosions taking place in the Mariman House as Commandos work to clear the building of terrorists.

I have moved my live streaming coverage to the Live Page on West Carolina Report.

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Live Coverage From India of Terror Attack Aftermath

The volume is started at zero...so you will have to slide the volume bar to the right to get sound:
I have moved the live streaming player
to my live page on West Carolina Report for the duration
of the coverage from the Times of India.

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