No link but watching CNN & BBC. At least 78 killed in multiple gun and grenade attacks on tourists in Mumbai. British and US singled out. Hostages taken. Hotel burning.
Edit: BBC link
There are now links available just about everywhere. Nobody’s taken responsibility for this but apparently seven locations were hit, including two hotels, a cafe and a train station.
I’ve also edited the theread title to make it clear this is happening in India.
I read that the Taj Mahal Hotel is on fire. I hope it’s not true, there are usually a lot of people there.
“An organization calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen sent an e-mail to news organizatrions claiming responsibility for the attacks.”
Anyone have any idea who these guys are and why they would do this?
I just opened up the Toronto Star website and guess what was splattered all over the main page? Aiie.
I know someone who flew there this morning 
I know that the likelihood of him being caught up in it is small (what with the numbers of British travellers there and all), but I’m still concerned. I also have family in Bombay too.
Gunmen where separating out Americans and British.
80 dead and over 200 injured are the current numbers.
With this and Bangkok there’s a lot of westerners in harms way far away from home.
Could these attacks be kind of a “dress rehersal” for similar attacks in the United States?
I flew back to the UK from Mumbai last night, absolutely tragic to hear about this. I spent a week in Bangalore and Mumbai seeing an overwhelming positive picture of Indian science, was actually telling everyone at work today what a thriving environment it was to work in. I spoke to a lot of optimistic and forward-looking people over there, my thoughts are with them.
I ate in a couple of hotel restaurants near to the Taj Mahal palace hotel and was surprised to see X-ray machines, metal detectors at the front doors. I guess I can see why
“Among the dead is the head of the Maharashtra state’s anti-terror squad, who apparently died in the violent aftermath of the attacks rather than being a target for the killers.”
Says CNN
I just saw on the news that the Taj Mahal Hotel had had a very heavy security presence going, but they relaxed it last week.
It’s very premature, and probably a little self-centered, to go there. And I’m not sure you’d want to run a dress rehearsal of a terrorist attack anyway since that gives people more time to prepare for it. We have no idea what the political motivations of the killers are - if it’s related to Kashmir, for example, there wouldn’t be any particular reason to hit the U.S. Meanwhile I hope everybody still at risk gets rescued. This is awful.
Killed in the hospital according to the BBC.
It’s hard to say at this point whether these really are the ones responsible. There are always plenty of media-hungry opportunists.
I agree. Terrorists benefit heavily from the element of surprise and unpredictability. Showing how an attack can be carried out always–always–increases security to prevent exactly that method.
Daniel
With luck, eventually they’ll run out of methods. “This time we’ll rush into delicatessens all over the world and pelt everyone with pickles while wearing weasels tied around our heads!”
I’m getting pissed at CNN, where they keep saying that terrorists are in control of the city. What, they’ve surrounded it with tanks, and have seized the radio station?
Mumbai is a huge city of 12 million, the financial center of India, and probably 90% of the population would have no idea anything is going on if it wasn’t on the news.
For heaven’s sake don’t give them ideas. Since they’re still using guns and grenades, they’re obviously unaware of the West’s fatal vulnerability to pickle-weasel attacks.
Apologies in advance for the lack of outrage- I’m too busy being concerned right now- lots of family around Colaba, even though nobody really lives there- it’s sort of like midtown Manhattan- a big financial district.
There are a bunch of Islamic terror groups in India, and their aims are often difficult to identify.
Some are “freedom fighters”, seeking self-determination for Jammu & Kashmir (disputed territory on the Indo-Pakistani border), many of whom are funded and even organized by Pakistani intelligence; others are Islamist groups trying to turn India into a Muslim theocracy; others are just politically overwrought. There are even Muslim groups which fight for the liberation of Palestine in India, even though India doesn’t generally support Israel.
Only one corner of the Taj hotel is currently on fire; I’m not an expert on these things, but it looks as though the blaze will be contained, assuming there isn’t a protracted gun battle or standoff.
I have to wonder what the objective is here, for the terrorists. To what good end do you piss off a nation with a billion people in it?