Police expect Mumbai-style terror attack on city of London after an increase in ‘intelligence chatter.’
Latest Updates: mumbai terror attack RSS
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johnpi
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johnpi
The US government has charged the first US citizen in the Mumbai terror attacks. He is Lashkar-e-Taiba operative David Headley, formerly Daood Gilani.
Headley reportedly provided surveillance before the attack, and also took boat trips in Mumbai harbor, from where the attacks were launched.
The foreign media, especially Indian, has it all over the US press with reportage on this story. Here’s a few video pieces from a Delhi news service. Pardon the circus-like sensationalism, but these reports have the most information I’ve seen yet about Headley’s background (this video), and his ties to extremists including Ilyas Kashmiri (this video). The second video also reports the names of the operatives as-yet-unnamed-by-the-FBI-or-the-US-press that were also involved with Headley.
One person, identified by the FBI as Lashkar-e-Taiba’s director of transnational operations is Sajid Mir, a former Pakistani army officer and ISI agent. Mir is reported to have recruited French white convert Willy Brigitte to carry out a terror attack in Australia.
The second person named is Lashakr-e-Taiba’s ’section head’ for Bangladesh, Sheikh Saeed.
U.S. prosecutors also unsealed charges against a retired major in the Pakistani military, Abdur Rehman Hashim Syed, for participating in the conspiracy to attack the Danish newspaper and its employees.
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aziz
Zeba Iqbal has some recollections about the Mumbai terror attacks, and thoughts on how India has responded as a nation. The comparison between 26/11 and 9/11 is not a flattering one for America.
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aziz
and on a more somber note, today is the anniversary of the Mumbai terrorist attacks. Vandana Sood at Beliefnet has some recollections about that tragic day.
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johnpi
There’s been a lot of developments in the story of the two Pakistani American men from Chicago who were arrested by the FBI for plotting to attack the Copenhagen newspaper that published the Mohammed cartoons.
One of the men, Tahawwur Hussain Rana, is being described as more of an enabler for the other – David Coleman Headley – formerly Daood Gilani.
Both men are now being described as operatives of Lashkar-e-Toiba/Lashkar-e-Taiba who have made a number of trips to India and where investigators say they suspect Headley may have helped with scouting and planning last year’s Mumbai massacre.
Indian papers report that Headley’s chief patron is a former elite Pakistani commando turned Caliphate-aspirant militant named Ilyas Kashmiri who established a group called the 313 Brigade – mentioned in conversations by the Mumbai attackers. An article in an Indian paper reports that Headley was so despondent a few months ago when it was reported that Kashmiri was killed in a drone attack that all his activity ground to a halt – but became active again when he got a message that Kashmiri was alive.
The Indians are also reporting:
“We have established that Headley and Tahawwur were in touch with the same Pakistani-based ‘handlers’ who gave directions to the 10 terrorists who attacked Mumbai on 26/11. We are now investigating how he had corresponded with Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and Zarar Shah (presently in Pakistan’s custody) and other masterminds who carried out the audacious Mumbai attacks,” said an investigating officer.
Indian investigators are now looking for a woman Headley met with frequently on his trips to India and who they say may have been involved in setting up safehouses for militants in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
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johnpi
Tonight at 8 pm, HBO will show a documentary called ‘Terror in Mumbai.’ The first anniversary of the Mumbai massacre will be next week.
…with the Mumbai attacks [filmmaker Dan] Reed has an incredible arsenal of footage and recordings at his disposal — including hours of phone calls made between the young men committing the attacks and their older leaders, including spokesman “Brother Wasi”, in Pakistan.
These phone calls, intercepted by Mumbai police who had fed traceable sim cards to known terrorist organizations, are the fascinating centerpiece of the film Notably, the killers, young men from Pakistani villages, frequently show incredible naivety. “There are computers here with 30 inch screens!” exclaims one mass-murderer on the phone to his irritated boss whilst in Mumbai’s iconic Taj Mahal Hotel. He goes on, “It’s amazing — the windows are huge! It’s got two kitchens, a bath and a little shop.” Brother Wasi, sounding exasperated, orders them to set the building on fire (they comply).
The callous nature of their leaders is also exposed. “There’s no harm in throwing a few grenades,” says Brother Wasi at one point. At other points he is coldly urging the scared young men into suicidal situations, ignoring the fear in their trembling voices.
The killers themselves cut tragic, almost sympathetic figures. We see the one surviving terrorism handcuffed to a bed and bleeding; he claims he was “sold” into terrorism by his family.
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johnpi
The first anniversary of the Mumbai terror attacks is rolling around. The attacks began on November 26th. Expect a slew of retrospectives, many of which will probably have something to say about Muslims and Islamic extremism. Here’s one from the Asia Times, which calls the attackers “Pakistan-trained gunmen” a construct that seems to imply the Pakistani government had something to do with the attack, as some hotheads in India claimed. The international consensus is that it did not.
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johnpi
Pakistan arrests a founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, group accused of masterminding the Mumbai assault.
The leader of a banned Islamist group that India has accused of carrying out attacks on its financial capital late last year was placed under house arrest again on Monday.
Pakistani police prevented Hafiz Muhammad Saeed from leaving his home for Eid-al-Fitr celebrations marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Saeed is a founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba — the militant group New Delhi claims masterminded the commando-style assault that killed 166 people in Mumbai last November.
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richard
Extremists, whether Jew or Muslim both speak the language of hate. And their hate and violence has enormous hypnotic power. We must resist it.
