Post by evp5O on Nov 26, 2008 17:50:27 GMT -5
Gunmen began an assault on various locations in Mumbai around 10:30pm, with reports indicating they were armed with AK-47s and grenades. Latest media figures suggest at least 80 dead and 250 or more injured. At least seven targets have been reported by constituents and media:
1. Mumbai CST Railway station
2. Oberoi Hotel
3. Taj Hotel located near Gate of India
4. Trident hotel
5. Café Leopold restaurant in Colaba
6. A taxi on Dockyard Road in Mazgaon (some reporting as Vile Parle Expressway)
7. Cama Hospital
According to some reports, the three hotels have all been evacuated and surrounded by police. Explosions and gunfire were reported at all three, and video footage has shown wounded being removed from the scene at one of the hotels. The Cama Hospital incident appears to have been a single gunshot fired, and the taxi incident appears to have been an explosion in a car that killed three people.
Multiple sources have reported that the police have cornered two gunmen armed with AK-47s in the CST railway station, where they are currently barricaded in. Other reports indicate a possible hostage situation involving at least some foreigners at the Trident, Oberoi, and Taj hotels. Further reports of unknown credibility indicate gunmen may be going door-to-door within hotels seeking U.S. and UK passport holders.
Other unconfirmed reports have mentioned the Ramada and the Mumbai airport as possible attack locations as well, but there has not been widespread corroboration.
Private and Public Reponses
Police have apparently blocked all roads and are not allowing travelers out of the airports. Non-residents at major hotels have been asked discreetly to leave, and police security presence has been increased around them. Some constituents have reported taking the following security precautions:
• Mobilizing police support around perimeters.
• Prohibiting the entries of taxis, delivery trucks, and public vehicles.
• Inspecting properties for any possible latent threats.
• Employees sheltering in place.
Assessment
Media has reported that a previously unknown group, Deccan Mujahadeen, claimed responsibility for the attack in an email. While little is known about this purported organization, the coordinated nature of the attack suggests a relatively sophisticated group. Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, an India-based militant group, used combinations of small-arms fire and explosives to storm the Indian parliament building in New Delhi in 2001.
The attack does not fit the typical modus operandi of the Indian Mujahideen terrorist group, which has recently used coordinated IED strikes in Bangalore, New Delhi, and Ahmedabad. Still, Mumbai was the one notable Indian city that Indian Mujahideen had yet to attack.
1. Mumbai CST Railway station
2. Oberoi Hotel
3. Taj Hotel located near Gate of India
4. Trident hotel
5. Café Leopold restaurant in Colaba
6. A taxi on Dockyard Road in Mazgaon (some reporting as Vile Parle Expressway)
7. Cama Hospital
According to some reports, the three hotels have all been evacuated and surrounded by police. Explosions and gunfire were reported at all three, and video footage has shown wounded being removed from the scene at one of the hotels. The Cama Hospital incident appears to have been a single gunshot fired, and the taxi incident appears to have been an explosion in a car that killed three people.
Multiple sources have reported that the police have cornered two gunmen armed with AK-47s in the CST railway station, where they are currently barricaded in. Other reports indicate a possible hostage situation involving at least some foreigners at the Trident, Oberoi, and Taj hotels. Further reports of unknown credibility indicate gunmen may be going door-to-door within hotels seeking U.S. and UK passport holders.
Other unconfirmed reports have mentioned the Ramada and the Mumbai airport as possible attack locations as well, but there has not been widespread corroboration.
Private and Public Reponses
Police have apparently blocked all roads and are not allowing travelers out of the airports. Non-residents at major hotels have been asked discreetly to leave, and police security presence has been increased around them. Some constituents have reported taking the following security precautions:
• Mobilizing police support around perimeters.
• Prohibiting the entries of taxis, delivery trucks, and public vehicles.
• Inspecting properties for any possible latent threats.
• Employees sheltering in place.
Assessment
Media has reported that a previously unknown group, Deccan Mujahadeen, claimed responsibility for the attack in an email. While little is known about this purported organization, the coordinated nature of the attack suggests a relatively sophisticated group. Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, an India-based militant group, used combinations of small-arms fire and explosives to storm the Indian parliament building in New Delhi in 2001.
The attack does not fit the typical modus operandi of the Indian Mujahideen terrorist group, which has recently used coordinated IED strikes in Bangalore, New Delhi, and Ahmedabad. Still, Mumbai was the one notable Indian city that Indian Mujahideen had yet to attack.