Mumbai Attacks, Updates Day 3 - NYTimes.com
By Graham Bowley
November 28, 2008, 8:39 am
Commandos pry the glass off a window on the fourth floor of Nariman House in Mumbai on Friday. (Michael Rubenstein for The New York Times)
The crisis in Mumbai continued for a third day as militants and security forces engaged in gun battles in at least two locations, the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel and the Nariman House, home to the Hasidic Jewish group Chabad-Lubavitch. The death toll in the attacks that began on Wednesday now stands at 143. Graham Bowley, along with New York Times correspondents Somini Sengupta and Keith Bradsher, who are both on the scene, followed the developments on Friday. Earlier in the day, Mr. Bradsher provided minute-by-minute coverage of the commando operation at the Nariman House. The Lede also followed the events in Mumbai Wednesday evening, early Thursday and Thursday evening.
More From the Taj | 12:58 p.m. We just heard again from Jeremy Kahn, who is outside the Taj. The fighting continues, he reports, and fresh government troops just entered the hotel. He reports that he can see stacks of stretchers just inside the door.
NDTV, the Indian news network, has updated its reporting on the Taj, noting that there are conflicting accounts of how many attackers remain inside. The authorities say just one, but other reports suggest as many as six remain. There are repeated gunfires and flashes of fire at the window of the room on the first floor, the network said. The battle is now fully raging.
Twitters Mumbai feed also has many updates and observations, some of them quite opinionated.
Moving In on the Taj | 12:46 p.m. Jeremy Kahn, a contributor to our sister newspaper, The International Herald Tribune, reports that commandos have rushed through the front of the Taj hotel, which seems to be the last remaining location where the attackers have not been subdued. Gun battles are still going on, Mr. Kahn reports, and one terrorist is believed to be still inside. It is unclear how many civilians are still trapped.
The Web site of the Indian news network NDTV is also reporting heavy firing and explosions in Wasabi restaurant in the Taj.
Rabbi and Wife Are Dead | 11:51 a.m. The Web site Chabad.org is reporting that Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberb, and his wife, Rivka, who managed the Chabad-Lubavitch center known as Nariman House, were killed in the attacks. The couples toddler son, Moshe, escaped with his nanny before Indian commandos stormed the building earlier in the day. The Web site reports:
Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holtzberg and his wife Rivkah Holtzberg, the directors of Chabad-Lubavitch of Mumbai in an undated photo provided by Chabad.org. )(Associated Press)
Gabi and Rivky Holtzberg made the ultimate sacrifice, said Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, vice chairman of Merkos LInyonei Chinuch, the educational arm of Chabad-Lubavitch. As emissaries to Mumbai, Gabi and Rivky gave up the comforts of the West in order to spread Jewish pride in a corner of the world that was a frequent stop for throngs of Israeli tourists. Their Chabad House was popular among the local community, as well as with visiting businesspeople.
According to the Web site, Rabbi Holtzberg, who was 29, was born in Israel and moved to the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn when he was nine. He was described as a prodigious student who studied at yeshivas in New York and Argentina. Two years ago, the Web site reported, the Holtzbergs raised funds to purchase the current location of the Chabad House, a five-story building in Mumbais Colaba market area known as Nariman House. His last known phone call was to the Israeli Consulate to report that gunmen were in his house, the site reported. In the middle of the conversation, the line went dead.
Attackers Reported Killed at Jewish Center | 11:36 a.m. The IBN news network is quoting the director general of the National Security Guard as confirming the deaths of five hostages at the Nariman House. The official, J.K. Dutt, also said that two of the attackers were killed as well. The network reports:
We have captured the whole building, said Dutt, adding the commandos were moving through the building to check for explosives.
We had taken over the second floor of the house when a grenade was launched from above. Three hostages were killed by terrorists before they moved upstairs. NSG commandos moved upstairs to kill two terrorists on the fourth floor. Terrorists killed two hostages in this floor, said Dutt.
A rabbi from Brooklyn, N.Y., Gavriel Holtzberg, and his wife, Rivka, who managed the Nariman House, were reported to be among the hostages in the building. It is unclear at this point whether they were among the victims. The couples two-year-old son and a staff member managed to escape, according to the IBN report.
A National Security Guard commando fires at suspected militants believed to be hiding in Nariman House, in Mumbai on Friday. (Peter Keep/Reuters)
Bodies Found in Jewish Center | 10:27 a.m. The Associated Press has reported that five bodies were discovered by commandos who stormed the Nariman House. The A.P. reported:
A delegation from Israels ZAKA emergency medical services unit entered the building after the raid and reported through an Indian aide that five hostages and two gunmen were dead, a ZAKA spokesman in Israel said. The spokesman had no information on the hostages identities or whether there were wounded inside.
Confirmation of American Deaths | 10:01 a.m. The State Department has confirmed that there have been two American citizens killed in the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. The families have been notified by the State Department.
Two Americans Killed | 9:47 a.m.
An American meditation center has put out a statement saying that two of its members, Alan and Naomi Scherr, were killed in the Oberoi in Mumbai.
The Associated Press describes them as a father and his 13-year-old daughter.
The organization, Virginia-based Synchronicity, said:
It is with great sadness that we have learned of the passing of two of our loved community members Alan and Naomi Scherr who were tragically killed in the recent events at the Oberoi in Mumbai. Our love and support go out to Kia and Alans family at such a heartbreaking time.
They were apparently part of a 25-person group who were staying at the Oberoi Hotel. Four others two Americans and two Canadians were wounded by gunfire, and were believed to be in stable condition, Synchronicity said in a statement.
A Web site has been set up for people to pay tribute to the couple.
Cheering Crowds at Nariman House | 9:04 a.m. Indian television shows a near riot on the streets in front of Nariman House, as celebrating crowds seem to believe that its all over. They are cheering trucks with armed men in camouflage.
But a Times correspondent adds that the police have come out to try to calm the crowds down, saying that they still need to clear more floors of the Jewish community center.
There is no concrete information about the Rabbi and his wife, or the terrorists who were in the house.
The spokesman for Chabad Lubavitch says they are hearing contradictory information.
Taj Explosions | 8:49 a.m. There has been new fire and explosions at the Taj in the last few minutes, coming from the first floor where the Wasabi sushi restaurant is located.
One militant is still believed to be there.
City Racked by Gunfire | 8:00 a.m. Nearly a full 48 hours after the siege that shook Mumbai began, the city is still racked by gunfire, with Indian Army troops continuing to battle the attackers and presumably trying to free hostages.
More heavy explosions are rocking Nariman House, home to the Orthodox Jewish group Chabad Lubavitch, where the Indian Army has been carrying out assaults all day. There has been heavy fighting at the community center in the morning and in the late afternoon.
There is also intense fighting still going on at the Taj hotel, probably the most intense yet.
Somini Sengupta, a Times correspondent, has been watching events there:
Several loud explosions, possibly grenades in the last 15 minutes. A woman journalist injured. A person standing next to her says it was her left leg. Could have been shrapnel or a bullet. Unclear. Another spectator also hit. There are more than 100 journalists camped out in front of the Gateway of India from where we have the closest and view of the hotel.
More bodies have been brought out of the Taj, she reports.
At the Oberoi hotel, the fighting seems to be nearly over although it is still unclear whether the army has removed all the attackers. Hostages have been evacuated. But witnesses say they have been talking via phone or instant messenger to people who are inside the rooms and have not yet come out.
Keith Bradsher, a Times correspondent, sends this report:
The Oberoi Hotel and the adjacent Trident Hotel, the scene of fighting over the past two days, were both quiet this evening and brightly lit. Five hotel guests were allowed to cross the police line after presenting their room cards and explaining that they needed to collect their luggage. Several onlookers said that they had heard two large bangs about 20 minutes earlier. But there is no sign of commandos here and it is possible that the bangs were the work of police blowing up possible booby traps. Several gunshots were audible in the distance just now, but the sound seemed to be coming from Nariman House still.