night of terror: gunmen kill 104 in india

On Thursday, as Indian commandos tried to rescue people suspected of being Muslim militants, they attacked at least 10 targets in Mumbai, the financial capital of India, and a group of bodies and hostages appeared from a luxury hotel, killed 104 people.
More than 300 people were injured in a highly coordinated attack on Wednesday night when gunmen attacked two five-star hotels, a popular restaurant and a crowded train station. A Jewish center and at least five other locations equipped with assault rifles, grenades and explosives.
According to CBS News reporter Sheila mcvika, India has seen terrorism before, but has not seen terrorism of such a scale.
There is nothing more complicated than this, and there is nothing that requires this level of planning, reconnaissance, and coordination.
A previously unknown Islamist militant group claimed responsibility for the massacre, the latest in a series of national terrorist attacks in the past three years that have weakened India\'s image as a diligent country, moving
According to a CBS News poll, Hong Kong protester Prime Minister Manmohan Singh accused \"outside forces \". \"\"The well-
Well planned.
Speaking to the nation, he said: \"well-planned attacks, which may be linked to the outside, aim to create panic by choosing high-profile targets and killing foreigners without distinction . \".
MacVicar reports that at least some gunmen are believed to have arrived in Mumbai by sea.
The Indian news channel broadcast videos of several small inflatable boats.
The Navy is reportedly looking for a \"mother ship \".
The Navy said on Thursday afternoon that its troops were boarding a cargo ship suspected of involvement in the attack.
Captain Navy spokesman
Manohar Nambiar said the ship, known as MV Alpha, recently arrived in Mumbai from Karachi, Pakistan.
The Navy has \"found the ship and now we are boarding and searching for it,\" said Nambiar.
\"He gave no other details on the ship.
At least one Australian, one Japanese and one British national were killed in the atrocity, said Pradeep Indulkar, a senior government official in Maharashtra.
The Italian foreign ministry said in Rome that an Italian was also killed.
Indulkar said 101 people were killed and 314 injured.
Officials say eight militants were also killed.
The Bush administration continued to monitor coordinated terrorist attacks, but said that while witnesses said Westerners were specific targets for the attacks, it did not know of any casualties in the United States.
\"The United States condemns the terrorist attack and we will continue to stand with the Indian people in this tragedy,\" White House press secretary Dana Perino said on Wednesday . \".
President Bush expressed his condolences to the Indian people and the families of innocent civilians who were killed and injured in the attack.
\"A statement about the United StatesS.
The embassy\'s website warns Americans, if possible, not to travel to India for at least the next 48 years72 hours.
\"It also provides information for Americans in India or Americans worried about family members in South Asian countries: from the United StatesS.
Embassy of New Delhi, India: people currently in Mumbai are required to take refuge in their current location and contact family and friends.
S. citizens who need assistance related to terrorist attacks should call the State Department task force in Mumbai888-407-4747 toll-
It is free in the US and Canada, or for callers in other regions, by calling 1-202-501-4444.
/> In Chicago, President
President-elect Barack Obama\'s national security spokesman, Brooke Anderson, said Obama \"strongly condemns the terrorist attack in Mumbai today, expressing condolences and prayers to the victims, their families and the people of India.
These coordinated attacks against innocent civilians demonstrate a serious and urgent threat to terrorism.
\"The United States must continue to strengthen its partnership with India and the countries of the world to eradicate and destroy terrorist networks,\" Anderson added . \". The most high-
The target is the Taj Palace and Tower Hotel, a luxury landmark in Mumbai since 1903, and a favorite bar of the city\'s elite.
Dressed in black shirts and jeans, the attackers stormed the hotel around 9: 45. m.
Open fire at random.
\"I was in the lobby and suddenly a lot of shooting happened outside,\" said Sajjad Karim, a member of the delegation of European MPs who visited Mumbai before the EU --India summit.
Suddenly, another gunman appeared in front of us with a machine gun. type weapons.
He just started firing at us. . .
\"I just turned and ran in the opposite direction,\" he told The Associated Press on his phone.
Greg prenckett, a 61-year-old Australian, said he thought gunfire had broken the glass.
He said he saw an old woman holding her husband\'s head on her knee.
\"He was hit very hard,\" Plunkett said . \".
\"There\'s a lot of blood.
\"After the shooting, there were a series of explosions that triggered fires in some parts of the century --
Old buildings on the waterfront in Mumbai.
Screams were heard, black smoke and flames billowing, burning until dawn.
Gunmen also took over the headquarters of Mumbai\'s super terrorist group.
Orthodox Jewish outreach group Chabad Lubavitch attacked another Oberoi hotel under the age of five. star landmark.
Local reporter Mirhi Joshi told CBS News partner network Sky News that Indian police said the hostage situation at the Taj Mahal was over, but many guests were still considered trapped in the room.
Indian commandos surrounded two other buildings and tried to take control from gunmen.
The detainees included Americans, Britons, Italians, Swedes, Canadians, Yemenis, New Zealanders, Singaporeans and Israelis.
R, interior minister of Maharashtra, said: \"We will seize their life and death . \"R.
Patil told reporters.
\"The attack on Mumbai is an attack on the rest of the country.
Gunfire and explosions were heard at the Taj Mahal, Oberoi and Chabad facilities.
Police have declared a curfew around the Taj Mahal hotel.
As new gunfire rang from the area, the commandos in uniform ran into the building.
Soldiers outside the hotel said the operation would take a long time as troops moved slowly from room to room looking for gunmen and traps.
A senior official, who declined to be named, said every body found must be examined by a sniffing dog.
In the afternoon, bodies and hostages slowly came out of the building.
At least three bodies covered with white cloth were rolled out.
At the nearby Oberoi hotel, you can see soldiers on the roof of the nearby building.
There is a banner hanging outside a window that says \"Save Us \".
\"From the road, no one can be seen in the room.
At least three senior Indian police officers
Including the leader of the villain. terror squad -
One of the people killed. N.
A senior officer, Roy.
Alex Chamberlain, a British citizen dining at the Oberoi restaurant, told Sky News that a gunman led 30 to 40 people from the restaurant to the stairs, command everyone to raise their hands in Hindi.
\"They talk about British people and Americans.
There was an Italian who, you know, said, \"where are you from ? \"?
\"He said he was Italian. they said \'good\' and left him alone.
I thought, \"Well, if they ask me what they\'re going to shoot me --
\"Thank God, they don\'t,\" he said . \".
Chamberlain said he managed to slip away when the customer was forced to take the stairs, but he thought most of the group had been taken hostage.
The motive for the attack is unclear, but Mumbai has often been targeted by Islamic extremists, including a series of bombings in July 2006 that killed 187 people.
According to an Indian media report, an unknown organization claiming to be a Dekan jihadist group claimed to have-
Mail to several media outlets
There is no way to verify this statement.
Bob Orr, a CBS News reporter, reported that,S.
Before Wednesday, terrorist group officials had not heard of the Dekan jihadist group.
The attack did carry some terrible features of al-Qaida;
Many attackers work on multiple targets at the same time, resulting in a high number of deaths.
However, al-Qaida was reportedly not known in the past for taking hostages or inviting police to fight.
While al-Qaida is clearly prone to suicide missions and improvised explosive devices, the attackers on Wednesday used offensive weapons and grenades.
Magnus Ranstorp, a terrorist expert at the Swedish Defense Academy, told The Associated Press that, however, \"very strong suspicion\" that the Mumbai coordinated attack was linked to al-Qaida.
The fact that the British and Americans were picked out, and the coordinated style of the attack, he said, was an indicator.
\"There have been a lot of warnings about India recently, and there is a lot of suspicion that there is a connection with al-Qaida.
Mumbai is located on the west coast of India overlooking the Arabian Sea. It is home to the magnificent Victorian buildings built during British rule, one of the most populous cities in the world, with about 18 million people crowded in shantytowns, high-rise buildings and crumbling mansions.
In the 19 th century, Chhatrapati Shivaji railway station was attacked.
A beautiful example of Victorian Gothic architecture
The Gunners fired bullets into the crowded terminal building, leaving blood all over the ground.
\"They just shot people casually and ran away.
A few seconds later, people fell to the ground, \"said Nasim Inan, a witness.
India has been hit by a bomb in the past three years, and police have blamed Muslim militants for their attempts to undermine stability in this mainly Hindu country.
Almost 700 people have died.
Since then, a militant group claiming to be an Indian jihadist group has been praised for a series of bombings that killed more than 130 people.
The most recent explosion occurred on September, when it struck a park and crowded shopping area in the capital, New Delhi, killing 21 people and injuring about 100.