Mumbai_Attacks

2008 Mumbai attacks The 2008 Mumbai attacks were more than ten coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across Mumbai, India's financial capital and its largest city. The attacks, which drew widespread condemnation across the world, began on 26 November 2008 and lasted until 29 November, killing at least 173 people and wounding at least 308.[2][5] Eight of the attacks occurred in South Mumbai: at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, the Oberoi Trident,[6] the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower,[6] Leopold Cafe,[6] Cama Hospital,[6] the Orthodox Jewish-owned Nariman House,[7] the Metro Cinema,[8] and a lane behind the Times of India building and St. Xavier's College.[6] There was also an explosion at Mazagaon, in Mumbai's port area, and in a taxi at Vile Parle.[9] By the early morning of 28 November, all sites except for the Taj Mahal Palace had been secured by Mumbai Police and security forces. An action by India's National Security Guards (NSG) on 29 November resulted in the death of the last remaining attackers at the Taj Mahal Palace, ending all fighting in the attacks.[10] Ajmal Amir Kasab,[11] the only attacker who was captured alive, disclosed that the attackers were members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistan-based militant organization, considered a terrorist organization by India, the United States, and the United Kingdom, among others.[12] The Indian Government said that the attackers came from Pakistan, and their controllers were in Pakistan.[13] Kasab's trial began on 6 May. He initially pleaded not guilty, but later admitted his guilt on 20 July 2009. The court has accepted his plea, but due to the lack of completeness within his admittance, the Judge has deemed that many of the 86 charges were not addressed and therefore the trial will continue. Kasab could be hanged if given the maximum penalty of death.[14] On 7 January 2009, after more than a month of denying the nationality of the attackers,[15] Pakistan's Information Minister Sherry Rehman officially accepted Ajmal Amir's nationality as Pakistani.[16] On 12 February 2009, Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik, in a televised news briefing, confirmed that parts of the attack had been planned in Pakistan and said that six people, including the alleged mastermind, were being held in connection with the attacks There have been many terrorist bombings in Mumbai since 13 co-ordinated bomb explosions killed 257 people and injured 700 on 12 March 1993.[18] The 1993 attacks are believed to be retaliation for the Babri Mosque demolition.[19] On 6 December 2002, a blast in a BEST bus near Ghatkopar station killed two people and injured 28.[20] The bombing occurred on the tenth anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya.[21] A bicycle bomb exploded near the Vile Parle station in Mumbai, killing one person and injuring 25 on 27 January 2003, a day before the visit of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee of India to the city.[22] On 13 March 2003, a day after the tenth anniversary of the 1993 Bombay bombings, a bomb exploded in a train compartment near the Mulund station, killing 10 people and injuring 70.[23] On 28 July 2003, a blast in a BEST bus in Ghatkopar killed 4 people and injured 32.[24] On 25 August 2003 two bombs exploded in South Mumbai, one near the Gateway of India and the other at Zaveri Bazaar in Kalbadevi. At least 44 people were killed and 150 injured.[25] On 11 July 2006, seven bombs exploded within 11 minutes on the Suburban Railway in Mumbai.[26] 209 people were killed,[27] and over 700 injured.[28] According to Mumbai Police, the bombings were carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba and Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).[29][30] Attacks Main article: Timeline of the 2008 Mumbai attacks [edit] Entry into India According to investigations the attackers traveled by sea from Karachi, Pakistan across the Arabian Sea, hijacked the Indian fishing trawler 'Kuber', killing the crew, and then entered Mumbai on a rubber dinghy. The captain of 'Kuber', Amar Singh Solanki, had earlier been imprisoned for six months in a Pakistani jail for illegally fishing in Pakistani waters.[31] The first events were detailed around 20:00 Indian Standard Time (IST) on 26 November, when 10 Urdu-speaking men in inflatable speedboats came ashore at two locations in Colaba. They reportedly told local Marathi-speaking fishermen to "mind their business" before they split up and headed two different ways. The fishermen's subsequent report to police received little response.[32] Leopold Cafe The Leopold Cafe, a popular restaurant and bar on Colaba Causeway, was one of the first sites to be attacked.[35] Two attackers open fired on the south Mumbai cafe on the Wednesday night, killing at least 10 people (including some foreigners) and injuring many more.[36] The injured included among others, Sourav Mishra, a Reuters journalist, who was one of the first witnesses of the attacks.[37] He received severe bullet injuries and was quoted across world media for initial comments on the attack through Reuters reportage.[38] Sourav also figured in the controversial government dead list, which was later withdrawn.[39] French filmmaker, Kate Chaillat, was with Sourav during the attack.[40] Chaillat witnessed the event, escaped unhurt, but was deeply traumatised.[41] Bomb blasts in taxis There were two explosions in taxis caused by timer bombs. The first one was at 10:40 pm at Vile Parle. The taxi—MH 01 G 779, was used by Ajmal Kasab and Abu Ismail Khan to reach Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus from Badhwar Park. Kasab and Ismail had placed the bomb under the front seat of the taxi. The bomb exploded killing the driver, Mohammad Umer Abdul Khalid and a passenger, Laxminarayan Goel. The second explosion took place Wadi Bunder between 10:20 pm and 10:25 pm. The taxi—MH 01 J 5308, had travelled from south Mumbai to Wadi Bunder through P D’mello Road. The terrorists who attacked Leopold’s Cafe and the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel had taken this cab from Badhwar towards Colaba, leaving a timer bomb beneath the front seat before getting off. Three people including the driver of the taxi were killed and about 15 other people were reported injured.[ Taj Mahal Hotel and Oberoi Trident Two hotels, the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower and the Oberoi Trident, were amongst the four locations targeted. Six explosions were reported at the Taj hotel and one at the Oberoi Trident.[43][44] CNN initially reported on the morning of the 27 November 2008 that the hostage situation at the Taj had been resolved and quoted the police chief of Maharashtra stating that all hostages were freed;[45] however, it was learned later that day that there were still two attackers holding hostages, including foreigners, in the Taj Mahal hotel.[46][46] During the attacks, both hotels were surrounded by Rapid Action Force personnel and Marine Commandos (MARCOS) and National Security Guards (NSG) commandos.[47][48] When reports emerged that attackers were receiving television broadcasts, feeds to the hotels were blocked.[49] All attackers were out of the Taj Mahal and Oberoi hotels by the early morning of November 29.[50][51] A number of European Parliament Committee on International Trade delegates were staying in the Taj Mahal hotel when it was attacked,[52] but none of them were injured.[53] British Conservative Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Sajjad Karim (who was in the lobby when attackers initially opened fire there) and German Social Democrat MEP Erika Mann were hiding in different parts of the building.[54] Also reported present was Spanish MEP Ignasi Guardans, who was barricaded in a hotel room.[55] Another British Conservative MEP, Syed Kamall, reported that he along with several other MEPs left the hotel and went to a nearby restaurant shortly before the attack.[54] Kamall also reported that Polish MEP Jan Masiel was thought to have been sleeping in his hotel room when the attacks started, but eventually left the hotel safely.[56] Kamall and Guardans reported that a Hungarian MEP's assistant was shot.[54][57] Also caught up in the shooting were the President of Madrid, Esperanza Aguirre, while checking in at the Oberoi Trident,[57] and Indian MP N. N. Krishnadas of Kerala and Sir Gulam Noon while having dinner at a restaurant in the Taj hotel.[ Nariman House Nariman House, a Chabad Lubavitch Jewish center in Colaba known as the Mumbai Chabad House, was taken over by two attackers and several residents were held hostage.[60] The house was stormed by NSG commandos and, after a long battle, one NSG commando and the two attackers were killed.[61] Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivkah Holtzberg, who was six months pregnant, were murdered with other hostages inside the house by the attackers.[62] Indian forces found the bodies of six hostages inside the house End of the attacks By the morning of 27 November, the army had secured the Jewish outreach center at Nariman House as well as the Oberoi Trident hotel. They also incorrectly believed that the Taj Mahal Palace and Towers had been cleared of attackers, and soldiers were leading hostages and holed-up guests to safety, and removing bodies of those killed in the attacks.[63][64][65] However, later news reports indicated that there were still two or three attackers in the Taj, with explosions heard and gunfire exchanged.[65] Fires were also reported at the ground floor of the Taj with plumes of smoke arising from the first floor.[65] The final operation at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel was completed by the NSG commandos at 08:00 on 29 November, killing three attackers and resulting in the conclusion of the attacks.[66] The security forces rescued 250 people from the Oberoi, 300 from the Taj and 60 people (members of 12 different families) from Nariman House.[67] In addition, police seized a boat filled with arms and explosives anchored at Mazgaon dock off Mumbai harbour.[68] Attackers There were ten gunmen, nine of whom were subsequently shot dead and one captured by security forces.[88][89] Witnesses reported that they looked to be in their early twenties, wore black t-shirts and jeans, and that they smiled and looked happy as they shot their victims.[90] It was initially reported that some of the attackers were British citizens,[91][92] but the Indian Government later stated that there was no evidence to confirm this.[93] Similarly, early reports of twelve gunmen[94] were also later shown to be incorrect.[3] On 9 December, the ten attackers were identified by Mumbai police, along with their home towns in Pakistan: Ajmal Amir from Faridkot, Abu Ismail Dera Ismail Khan from Dera Ismail Khan, Hafiz Arshad and Babr Imran from Multan, Javed from Okara, Shoaib from Narowal, Nazih and Nasr from Faisalabad, Abdul Rahman from Arifwalla, and Fahad Ullah from Dipalpur Taluka. Dera Ismail Khan is in the North-West Frontier Province; the rest of the towns are in Pakistani Punjab.[95] Locations All the incidents except the explosion at Vile Parle took place in downtown South Mumbai. • Oberoi Trident at Nariman Point; Taj Mahal Palace & Tower near the Gateway of India • Leopold Cafe, a popular tourist restaurant in Colaba; Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) railway station; (express train terminus), (suburban terminus) • Badruddin Tayabji Lane behind the Times of India building. Near St. Xavier's College. • Cama and Albless Hospital • Nariman House (Chabad House) Jewish outreach center; Metro Cinema Mazagaon docks in Mumbai's port area; • Vile Parle near the airport