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.
The attacks have been accelerating for the past three months.
The Amish.
Yep, that tsunami was the work of Cheney also, with the top secret weather machine Halliburton built in his basement. Jeb Bush had no business letting that hurricane get past Florida. Now this...
The Hindus share an interesting culture and very friendly lifestyle.
I feel physically ill when I read the stories about what has happened today.
Prayers for India. This is horrific.
Allah's minions.
Yes, quite right,
....and we should remember, if our nationals were targeted, it was Indians going about their everyday lives that took the brunt of the killing and wounding.
DU`ers are claiming The One needs to take over the Presidency immediately so he can handle this.
With the help of Blackwater and Halliburton all rotting democrats will be placed in double secret detention camps and water boarded two times a day.
Great idea. Don’t think twice a day will be necessary. Once is all it will take for the reeducation process. PS, All spelling on porpoise.
I agree the Pak Intell services is involved !
In Pakistan they speak urdu .
Urdu and hindi however are same except the script is different .
But I read reports that they were speaking Arabic and that they were Nigerian or somali
With so many Clintonistas surrounding him, will history repeat itself?
After 8 yrs of President Bush kicking the muslim terrorist ass, I'm sure they are happy to see another Democrat in the White House.
Our leftist state television here in Canada (the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) are falling all over themselves in desperation to not use the words ‘Muslim’ or ‘Islam’ whilst covering this story.
Darn those Christian zealots!
I noted the same on CNN in my hotel lobby. Very striking.
With what? hyperbole. Funny how “The one” who said anything, and paid a large sum of money, to steal the office, has reversed his direction on a lot of issues since becoming the elect. Maybe he is discovering that reality is a bit bigger than his grand illusion.
Are the vermin controlling Zimbabwe muslims? Was Idi Amin muslim?
Seems to me there are madmen the world over.
America is the one beacon of hope in the world, which is why we are so hated.
Bu wait.....muslims are peaceful.
sarc needed?
Rogue Amish...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.