Posted on 11/27/2008 12:59:42 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Mumbai - Militants armed with automatic weapons and grenades attacked luxury hotels, hospitals and a famous tourist cafe in India's commercial capital Mumbai late on Wednesday, killing at least 86 people.
* WHO IS BEHIND THE ATTACKS?
Witnesses say the attackers were young South Asian men speaking Hindi or Urdu, suggesting that they are probably members of an Indian militant group rather than foreigners.
The attacks were claimed by a previously unknown group calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen in an e-mail to news organisations. Deccan is an area of southern India.
Analysts say that while it is not clear whether the claim is genuine, the attacks were most likely carried out by a group called the Indian Mujahideen.
The name used in the claim of responsibility suggests the attackers could be members of a south Indian offshoot or cell of the Indian Mujahideen.
* WHO ARE THE INDIAN MUJAHIDEEN?
Indian police say the Indian Mujahideen is an offshoot of the banned Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), but that local Muslims appear to have been given training and backing from militant groups in neighbouring Pakistan and Bangladesh.
SIMI has been blamed by police for almost every major bomb attack in India, including explosions on commuter trains in Mumbai two years ago that killed 187 people.
Police said the Indian Mujahideen may also include former members of the Bangladeshi militant group Harkat-ul-Jihad al Islami.
* WHY ARE THEY SUSPECTED OF BEING BEHIND THE MUMBAI ATTACKS?
The Indian Mujahideen have made credible claims of responsibility for most of the recent major attacks on civilian targets in India over the past two years.
The Mumbai attacks appear to have been carefully co-ordinated, well-planned and involved a large number of attackers.
A high level of sophistication has also been a hallmark of previous attacks by the Indian Mujahideen.
The Mumbai attacks also focused clearly on tourist targets, including two luxury hotels and a famous cafe.
In May, the Indian Mujahideen made a specific threat to attack tourist sites in India unless the government stopped supporting the United States in the international arena.
The threat was made in an email claiming responsibility for bomb attacks that killed 63 people in the tourist city of Jaipur.
The email, signed by "Guru Al-Hindi", declared "open war against India" and included the serial number of one of the bicycles on which the bombs were left.
Witnesses in Mumbai say the attackers in Mumbai singled out Americans and Britons in their attacks.
* WHAT OTHER ATTACKS HAVE INDIAN MUJAHIDEEN CARRIED OUT?
The group first emerged during a wave of bombings in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh in November 2007, sending an email to media outlets just before some of the bombs exploded.
Their next attacks were the Jaipur blasts.
On 25 July, eight small bomb attacks in the IT city of Bangalore on 25 July that killed at least one person and wounded 15. There was no known claim of responsibility.
But a day later, at least 16 bombs exploded in Ahmedabad in the state of Gujarat, killing 45 and wounding 161.
Shortly before the blasts, an email in the name of the Indian Mujahideen was sent to local media warning that people would soon "feel the terror of death" in the name of Allah.
It said the attacks were revenge for the Gujarat riots of 2002, when around 2 500 people, most of them Muslims, were killed by Hindu mobs.
A later email accused several state governments of harassing, imprisoning and torturing Muslims and threatened consequences if they did not stop.
In September, at least five bombs exploded in crowded markets and streets in New Delhi, killing at least 18 people.
The Indian Mujahideen sent out an e-mail moments after the first blast in New Delhi, saying the explosions were to prove its capability to strike in the most secure of Indian cities.
* WHAT WAS DIFFERENT ABOUT THE MUMBAI ATTACKS?
All previous incidents in which the Indian Mujahideen are suspected of involvement involved co-ordinated serial bombs.
The Mumbai attacks also show clear signs of coordination but were carried out by gunmen, some carrying grenades.
The tactics - a military-style assault on soft targets, singling out foreigners, and taking hostages - are rare and do not fit the usual methods of militant attacks on civilian areas.
However, similar attacks have been carried out before, notably the May 2004 attacks in the eastern Saudi city of Khobar.
Gunmen attacked two oil industry installations and a foreign workers' housing complex in the city, taking more than 50 hostages and killing 22 of them.
The attackers asked hostages whether they were Christian or Muslim before deciding whom to kill.
Well - in all fairness, this is from South Africa. Nowadays I imagine they are still a bit confused on who the bad guys are.
Bump
Stuning question!
It’s BUSH’s fault i tell you!
Dick Cheney is behind these terrorists attacks. He is doing it so the chosen one cant be inagurated because Bushitler will impose martial law and void the Nov election. With the help of Blackwater and Halliburton all rioting democrats will be placed in double secret detention camps and waterboarded two times a day.
Uh our local Daily is reporting that the attackers were somali and nigerian .
Thanks. Perhaps there IS a Somali/ Pirate link. (Along with their use of boats to bring stuff in, etc.)
Thank you for your many posts over the last 24 hours and glad that you are safe. Hopefully this will be it and things can calm down in your area.
You might want the “/sarc.” Although it is fairly obvious, such a thing would pass for serious and normal at the DU
LOL... I could have copied that post from the DUmp word for word and it would be treated as gospel truth over there. They really are a sick group. Remember Bushitler is the biggest terrorist in the world.
We need to prepare for serious negotiations now, while there's still time.
The latest memo says three times a day.
Remember to stock up on car batteries and jumper cables.
Just on Aljazeera Europe - the Jewish quarter was also targeted.
They targeted Brits, Americans and Jews .... who’s fingerprint it that?
Dreadful, barbaric stuff.
The more I think about it, I now think the Chechens via Pakistan maybe behind it. Of course this is speculation on my part but their signature is all over it if you look at recent events. If not them, Iran but my money is on the Chechens. Their main goal wasn’t to harass Americans but to take out the tourist and financial area of India since India is truly the only stable government in that region and has been rapidly emerging from poverty. They went to the top of the tourism industry too at a five star hotel to convey a message. Knock out India and they got what they want. Also Chechens have been playing with the Taliban lately and have crossed into Pakistan many many times. I could go own as to why I think it is them but I would hijack the purpose of the post.
I can’t type this morning, haven’t had my coffee yet. I meant I could go on not own, sorry
Daily News & Analysis (DNA) Paper is reporting that the gunmen were well built and spoke in arabic . There were also Somali and Nigerian . Its got ot be AQ
It’s the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
I thought some of the gunmen were speaking in your local language?
What do they speak in Pakistan?
Probably any India (not partial to the green flag with white crescent) would tell you so.
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