Flintlock
ELITE MEMBER
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2007
- Messages
- 6,176
- Reaction score
- 0
Arms smuggled into hotels before raids, claims commando
By Joe Leahy in Mumbai, James Lamont in New Delhi and,James Blitz in London
Published: November 29 2008 02:00 | Last updated: November 29 2008 02:00
As police removed the covered body of a terrorist from the Chabad House Jewish community centre last night, the people of Mumbai got one of their few glimpses of the small band of attackers.
The terrorists staged a well-planned attack on India's financial capital. They devastated two key business hotels - one of which was a historic Indian landmark - and struck at its most popular tourist cafe.
It was a sophisticated propaganda exercise aimed at hitting India where it hurts most: its emerging status as an economic power. But beyond their competence in executing their aims, little is known of the estimated two dozen men who attacked the city of some 18m people.
The thing that is most clear is that they planned the operation to the last detail. Ratan Tata, the industrialist whose group owns the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower hotel, said the gunmen knew every detail of the complex, which combines a 105-year old structure with a newer high-rise section.
"They seem to know their way around the back part of the hotel and the kitchens, so one assumes there has been a considerable amount of planning in this operation," Mr Tata said.
A marine commando officer, who appeared on television, said the terrorists knew the layout of the hotel better than his men did.
"The Taj has 400 rooms. We do not know the layout of the hotel. Staff did not know the layout. When we had to go in, we had to go on our own," he said.
He said the "very determined and remorseless" group had smuggled an arsenal, including plastic explosives, into the hotels before their attack.
He said the commandos recovered $1,200 and Rs6,000 in cash and eight credit cards - including one belonging to a Mauritian national - from militants in the Taj.
A naval spokesman confirmed earlier government claims that the attack on Mumbai had come from the sea. He said the militants had landed in rubber boats.
This supports Indian government suggestions that the terrorists might be linked to Pakistan, and other claims that the militants were taken to Mumbai's coast on a larger vessel.
The Indian coastguard said yesterday that a fishing trawler had been found with a body on board and had been turned over to the police for investigation.
The Indian navy has also detained two ships it believes to be Pakistani-owned and is investigating them as well as a Panama-owned vessel that recently docked in Karachi.
However, security experts are divided over whether the group was home-grown or linked to Pakistani militants or even al-Qaeda. The only organisation claiming responsibility for the attacks was Deccan Mujahideen, a hitherto unknown group.
Some believe it might be linked to Indian Mujahideen, a group that has claimed to be behind previous attacks on Indian cities this year.
Michael Clarke, director of the London-based Royal United Services Institute think-tank, said they might have been trained by al-Qaeda. "The terrorists were clearly very well trained and well led," he said.
"The way they have been firing their AK-47s in short bursts - rather than discharging large amounts of ammunition quickly - shows they have been well-taught on how to use them. This suggests they have been through the regional Islamist training camps."
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
FT.com / Companies / Travel & Leisure - Arms smuggled into hotels before raids, claims commando
By Joe Leahy in Mumbai, James Lamont in New Delhi and,James Blitz in London
Published: November 29 2008 02:00 | Last updated: November 29 2008 02:00
As police removed the covered body of a terrorist from the Chabad House Jewish community centre last night, the people of Mumbai got one of their few glimpses of the small band of attackers.
The terrorists staged a well-planned attack on India's financial capital. They devastated two key business hotels - one of which was a historic Indian landmark - and struck at its most popular tourist cafe.
It was a sophisticated propaganda exercise aimed at hitting India where it hurts most: its emerging status as an economic power. But beyond their competence in executing their aims, little is known of the estimated two dozen men who attacked the city of some 18m people.
The thing that is most clear is that they planned the operation to the last detail. Ratan Tata, the industrialist whose group owns the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower hotel, said the gunmen knew every detail of the complex, which combines a 105-year old structure with a newer high-rise section.
"They seem to know their way around the back part of the hotel and the kitchens, so one assumes there has been a considerable amount of planning in this operation," Mr Tata said.
A marine commando officer, who appeared on television, said the terrorists knew the layout of the hotel better than his men did.
"The Taj has 400 rooms. We do not know the layout of the hotel. Staff did not know the layout. When we had to go in, we had to go on our own," he said.
He said the "very determined and remorseless" group had smuggled an arsenal, including plastic explosives, into the hotels before their attack.
He said the commandos recovered $1,200 and Rs6,000 in cash and eight credit cards - including one belonging to a Mauritian national - from militants in the Taj.
A naval spokesman confirmed earlier government claims that the attack on Mumbai had come from the sea. He said the militants had landed in rubber boats.
This supports Indian government suggestions that the terrorists might be linked to Pakistan, and other claims that the militants were taken to Mumbai's coast on a larger vessel.
The Indian coastguard said yesterday that a fishing trawler had been found with a body on board and had been turned over to the police for investigation.
The Indian navy has also detained two ships it believes to be Pakistani-owned and is investigating them as well as a Panama-owned vessel that recently docked in Karachi.
However, security experts are divided over whether the group was home-grown or linked to Pakistani militants or even al-Qaeda. The only organisation claiming responsibility for the attacks was Deccan Mujahideen, a hitherto unknown group.
Some believe it might be linked to Indian Mujahideen, a group that has claimed to be behind previous attacks on Indian cities this year.
Michael Clarke, director of the London-based Royal United Services Institute think-tank, said they might have been trained by al-Qaeda. "The terrorists were clearly very well trained and well led," he said.
"The way they have been firing their AK-47s in short bursts - rather than discharging large amounts of ammunition quickly - shows they have been well-taught on how to use them. This suggests they have been through the regional Islamist training camps."
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
FT.com / Companies / Travel & Leisure - Arms smuggled into hotels before raids, claims commando
Last edited:
