Epic Fail: No virgins for you. "Mumbai gunmen 'planned to kill 5,000,'" from Australia's ABC, November 30 (thank to JE):
Indian officials say the gunmen who attacked Mumbai this week planned to kill up to 5,000 people. At least 195 people died and hundreds more were injured when the gunmen launched their coordinated attacks at locations around the city on Wednesday evening (local time).
The Times of India is reporting that Indian police believe 10 terrorists carried out the attacks. Nine were killed and one, who was caught on camera during the attack at the city's main railway station, was captured alive.
Maharashtra's deputy chief state minister says initial investigations suggest the militants had hoped to kill up to 5,000 people. [...]
The Hindustan Times wrote: "India is under attack. The very idea of India is under attack ... Playing the headless chicken is no longer an option".
Oh, I'm sure some people will manage to continue doing so anyway.
A US counter-terrorism official said Lashkar-e-Taiba, a militant group fighting Indian rule in Kashmir, may have been responsible for the attacks.
Maharashtra's deputy chief state minister says initial investigations suggest the militants had hoped to kill up to 5,000 people.
Indian authorities are also investigating whether some of the attackers may have escaped.
The owner of the Taj Mahal Palace hotel, where the last gunmen were killed yesterday, says he is determined to restore the 105-year-old building to its former glory.
Ratan Tata said some security measures had been relaxed after earlier warnings of a possible attack.
But he said those measures, including a metal detector at the front door, would not have helped.
"They came from somewhere in the back, they planned everything," he said.
"I believe the first thing they did was they shot a sniffer dog and his handler. They went through the kitchen, they knew what they were doing and they did not go through the front."
Survivors have given terrifying accounts of the carnage in the Taj and the Oberoi hotels. Many said they hid in the dark for hours, barricaded in rooms or hiding under beds, inside wardrobes or bathrooms.
"I cannot believe what I have seen in the last 36 hours. I have seen dead bodies, blood everywhere and only heard gunshots," said Muneer Al Mahaj, an Iraqi national, after he was rescued.
Television footage of the inside of the hotel showed half-eaten meals left on tables as diners fled for their lives. The restaurant walls were pockmarked with bullet holes and the floor covered with a thick layer of glass.
As the city cleans up after the rampage, Indian newspapers have called the Mumbai attacks India's own "9/11".
The Hindustan Times wrote: "India is under attack. The very idea of India is under attack ... Playing the headless chicken is no longer an option".
A US counter-terrorism official said Lashkar-e-Taiba, a militant group fighting Indian rule in Kashmir, may have been responsible for the attacks.
Pakistan's Government has denied any role and says it will cooperate fully with the Indian investigation.
Indian police and intelligence services are coming under intense scrutiny for their failure to prevent the attack.
No comments:
Post a Comment