Hindu Terror
Page 8
Beyond this, to get to the level of confirmation may involve sharing of information about operational instruments. However, once again, I am recalling the Dossier on Mumbai Terror Attack which was handed over to Pakistan by the Indian Foreign Office in January 2009.8
A January 2009 English language report on the attacks dossier, produced by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs with the assistance of the FBI, reads:
8 https://archive.org/stream/MumbaiTerrorAttacksDossier/ MumbaiTerrorAttacksDossier_djvu.txt.
http://www.paperlessarchives.com/free_titles.h
A January 2009 English language report
The 2008 Mumbai attacks were more than ten coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across Mumbai, India’s largest city on November 26, 2008 and lasted until November 29, 2008, killing at least 173 people and wounding at least 308. Eight of the attacks occurred in South Mumbai: at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, the Oberoi Trident, the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Leopold Cafe, Cama Hospital, the Nariman House, the Metro Cinema, and a lane behind the Times of India building and St. Xavier’s College. There was also an explosion at Mazagaon, in Mumbai’s port area, and in a taxi at Vile Parle.
—This can be found in Annexure-I of the Indo-Pak Dossier.
Terrorist attack on Mumbai (November 26-29, 2008) 1. Mumbai, the commercial capital of India, came under a heinous terrorist attack on November 26, 2008.
2. The terrorist attacks took place at many locations, especially at CST Railway Station; the Leopold Cafe; Taj Hotel; Oberoi Trident Hotel; and Nariman House. 165 persons (civilians and security personnel) lost their lives and 304 were injured. Among the civilians killed were 26 foreigners belonging to many nationalities.
3. Cases have been registered and the investigations have been entrusted to the Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police.
4. The investigations have revealed that ten terrorists were involved in the attacks. Nine were killed in the operations; one was captured alive.
His name is Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab. He has been arrested.
5. The following facts have been put together based on the interrogation of the captured/arrested terrorist and other evidence gathered so far.
Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab
6. He is the son of Mohammed Amir Kasab resident of Village Faridkot, District Okara in the Province of Punjab in Pakistan. He has stated that along with many others, including the nine terrorists who were killed, he was trained at Laskhar-e-Taiba training camps located at Muridke, Manshera and Muzaffarabad.
Initially, the group consisted of 32 persons. They were imparted (training) of firearms, ammunition, grenades and explosives. Later, they were taught to handle and fire Kalashnikov rifles and 9mm pistols and also how to fabricate explosive devices. They were also imparted training in techniques to counter interrogation and tolerate pain,they were indoctrinated to become suicide attackers. Ultimately, 13 persons out of the group were selected for the attacks in India. Six of the 13 were sent for some (operations in) Kashmir. Three new members were brought into the group, making the number 10. One of the new members was Ismail Khan who, eventually, became the leader of the group. The 10-member group was told about the Mumbai operations in mid-September 2008. At this point, the 10 members of the group were kept in isolation in a house near Karachi and all contact between the group and others were cut off. The group was closely monitored by Zaki-Ur-Rehman Lakhvi, Abu Hamza Yousuf alias Muzammil and Kaahfa, all senior functionaries of the LeT. The first three are known to intelligence agencies of many countries.
10. Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab has disclosed the names and -3 identities of the other nine terrorists who were killed in the operations.
(i) Ismail Khan (25 yrs) r/o Dera Ismail Khan, NWFP, Pakistan
(ii) Babar Imran @ Abu Akasha (25 yrs) r/o Multan, Pakistan
(iii) Naser @ Abu Umar (23 yrs) r/o Faisalabad, Pakistan (iv) Shoaib @ Abu Saheb (21 yrs) r/o Shakkargarh Naroval, Sialkoat, Pakistan
(v) Nazir @ Abu Umer (28 yrs) r/o Faisalabad, Pakistan (vi) Hafiz Arshad @ Abu Abdar Rehman (Bada - 23 yrs) (vii)Javed @ Abu AM (22 yrs) r/o Okara, Pakistan
(viii)Abdur Rehman @ Abu Abdar Rehman (Chhota - 21 yrs) r/o Arifwala, Multan Road, Pakistan
(ix) Fahadulla (23 yrs) r/o Ujrashah Mukim, Rasur Road, Okara,Punjab, Pakistan.
11. On the basis of the interrogation and searches, the investigators have recovered the following material objects:
(i) M.V. Kuber, a fishing trawler
(ii) GPS instruments
(iii) A satellite phone
(iv) An eleven seater inflatable dinghy with outboard motor
(v) Numerous articles (list with photographs at Annexure-II)
MV Kuber was a fishing trawler that belonged to Vinod Bhai Masani of Porbander in the State of Gujarat, India. As the narration below will show, the vessel was hijacked by the terrorist group.
The eleven-seater inflatable dinghy was recovered off the shore near Badhwar Park, Mumbai. It was fitted with an outboard motor made by Yamaha Motor Corporation. An attempt was made by the terrorists to erase the engine number but it has been retrieved by the investigators.
The outboard motor number is 67 CL-1020015 manufactured by Yamaha Motor Corporation, Japan and imported into Pakistan and distributed by a company by name ‘Business & Engineering Trends’ located at No. 24, Habibullah Road, off Davis Road, Lahore. The telephone number of the company Is +92 42 63 11044.
The articles that were recovered include toiletries, medical kit, food articles, drums containing diesel, clothing items etc and they bear clear evidence of having been manufactured in Pakistan. (See in Annexure-II of Indo-Pak Dossier.)
The terrorists started in a small boat from Karachi at approximately 0800 hrs on 22 November 2008. After traveling for about 40 minutes, they were shifted to a larger boat, ‘Al-Husseini’, which, according to the captured terrorist, belongs to Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, Chief Commander of the LeT. There were already seven LeT members on board. The terrorists spent the entire day on board the Af-Husseini. On 23 November, at about 1500 hours, the captured terrorist noticed another boat that docked next to the Al-Husseini. This was an Indian registered fishing vessel called MV Kuber 1 , which had five crew members. Four crew members of MV Kuber were shifted to the Al-Husseini. These four crew members were later killed by the LeT members. The captain of the trawler (Amar Singh Solanki) was allowed to remain on board the MV Kuber and it was he who navigated the MV Kuber for approximately 550 NM to Mumbai.
The ten terrorists were given their individual pack bags, containing a Kalashnikov, ammunition, 9 mm pistols, hand grenades, dry fruits, etc.
They were also handed over a bag each, which contained an IED.
The ten terrorists performed watch duties on board MV Kuber. Logsheets maintained by them have been seized.
(See in Annexure-V of Indo-Pak Dossier.)
The MV Kuber reached a point four nautical miles off Mumbai at 1600 hours on November 26, 2008. As soon as it was dark, the team leader, IsmailKhan, contacted their handler in Pakistan, who directed them to kill Amar Singh Solanki, the captain of MV Kuber. After killing Solanki, the terrorists, along with their weapons and IEDs, boarded the inflatable dinghy. They traversed the last four nautical miles to Mumbai in about 1 hour and 15 minutes, reaching the locality of Bad h war Park (Cuffe Parade) in South Mumbai at about 2030 hours.
After alighting, the ten terrorists divided into five teams according to the pairing decided earlier. Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab was paired with the group leader, Ismail Khan. They took taxis to different target destinations. IED devices were planted in two taxis and they later exploded - one at Wadi Bunder and the other at Vile Parle - killing the two taxi drivers.
The target: CST Railway Station
CST Railway Station is the headquarters of Central Railways. More than 3.5 million passengers pass through the station everyday.
At about 21:20 hrs, two terrorists (Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab and Ismail Khan) entered the station and started firing indiscrimin
ately from their Kalashnikov rifles and also lobbed grenades. The carnage resulted in 58 dead and 104 injured.
They were challenged by a small number of policemen at the station. They left the station, crossed an over-bridge and fled into a lane towards Cama Hospital. Near Cama Hospital they were challenged by a police team and there was an exchange of fire. As they exited the lane, they fired on a police vehicle carrying three senior police officers and four policemen. However, only six were killed and one policeman survived the assault. He is Constable Arun Jadhav and is an eyewitness to the events. After traveling some distance, the terrorists abandoned the police vehicle and hijacked another passenger car. The car came up against a police post where Ismail Khan was killed and Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab was captured. An Assistant Sub-Inspector, Tukaram Omble, was killed while overpowering Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab. Two police officers were injured.
Police recovered two Kalashnikov rifles, eight magazines, two pistols, ammunition, empty cases and five hand grenades from the two terrorists.
Second Target : Leopold Cafe and Bar
The Leopold Cafe and Bar, established in 1871, is a popular watering hole and is frequented by foreigners as well as Indians.
At about 21:40 hrs, two terrorists {Hafiz Arshad @ Abdul Rehman Bada and Naser @ Abu Umar) entered the Cafe and started firing indiscriminately, using AK-47 assault rifles. One grenade was lobbed and it exploded. Ten persons were killed and many injured. After about five minutes, the two terrorists ran towards the Taj Mahal Hotel, situated about half a kilometer from the Cafe.
Police later recovered from the scene of the attack five AK-47 magazines (of which three were empty and two contained 13 bullets), empty cases of ammunition, one metal butt of an AK-47 rifle and two mobile phones.
Third Target: Taj Mahal Hotel
The Taj Mahal Hotel, constructed in 1903, is a heritage building and an icon in Mumbai. It has two wings, the heritage wing with 290 rooms and the Taj Towers with 275 rooms.
Four terrorists (Shoaib and Javed and the two terrorists who attacked the Leopold Cafe and Bar, namely, Hafiz Arshad and Nasir) targeted the Taj Mahal Hotel. The first pair entered the main lobby at 1:38 hrs and opened fire, killing 20 persons in the first few minutes. The second pair entered the hotel from the North Court entrance at 21:43 hrs and fired indiscriminately and hurled grenades. The four terrorists moved up to the sixth floor of the Heritage Wing, killing anyone who came in their way. They set fire to a portion of the hotel. The first, fifth and sixth floors of Heritage Wing were badly gutted.
Some of these events have been captured in the CCTV cameras installed in the hotel.
Eight police personnel from the local police station rushed to the hotel and cordoned off the area. Thereafter, commandos of the Indian Navy reached the hotel. The next morning, the National Security Guards flew in from Delhi and took charge of the operations.
There was a hostage situation because many guests had locked themselves in their rooms and many were sequestered in different parts of the hotel. The operations continued until the morning of 29 November 2008. Nearly 450 guests were rescued. The terrorists killed 32 persons including hotel guests and staff. A Major of the NSG, Sandeep Unnikrishnan, was killed and another commando was injured. At the end of the operations, four terrorists were killed.
The police recovered four Kalashnikov assault rifles, eight magazines, three pistols and magazines, a number of unexploded grenades, live and empty cases of ammunition, mobile telephones and one GPS instrument.
Throughout the period, the terrorists were in touch with their controllers in Pakistan via telephone. They received a stream of instructions and it was apparent that the controllers were monitoring Indian television channels. The controllers were keen that the terrorists should take hostage some wazirs (meaning Ministers) who might have been present in the hotel.
Fourth Target: The Oberoi-Trident Hotel
The hotel has two wings, one named Oberoi and the other Trident. Together they have 877 rooms. At about 22:00 hrs, two terrorists (Abdul Rehman Chotta and Fahadullah) entered Trident Hotel through the main entrance and started firing indiscriminately. They crossed over to the Oberoi and sprayed bullets into a restaurant. Two IEDs were exploded. The terrorists moved to the upper floors of the Oberoi, killing guests and staff who came in their way. Finally, they holed up on the 16th and 18th floors, where they kept many guests hostage.
NSG Commandos took charge of the operations on the morning of November 27, 2008. The operations were concluded after 42 hours on the afternoon of November 28, 2008. The two terrorists were killed.
In the attack on the Oberoi-Trident, 33 persons were killed. Police recovered two Kalashnikov rifle, six magazines of which two were loaded, a number of empty cases and hand grenade clips.
Fifth Target: Nariman House
Nariman House is a five-storied building, which had been purchased two years ago by an orthodox Jewish organisation called Chabad Liberation Movement of Hasidic Jews. It was renamed as Chabad House. A Rabbi and his family lived in the building and generally accommodated visiting Jews.
At about 22:25 hrs, two terrorists (Babar Imran and Nazir) began firing outside Chabad House and gained access to the building. Several persons were taken hostage. The terrorists and the police exchanged fire throughout the night of November 26, 2008 and into the next day. A powerful IED explosion blewaway the wall at the rear of Nariman House. During the operations, the police rescued 14 persons from Chabad House. The maidservant of the Rabbi also escaped, carrying the Rabbi’s two-year-old son. The NSG pressed helicopters into service and landed commandos on the terrace of Chabad House. Eventually, both the terrorists were killed.
One NSG Commando was killed and two injured. Five hostages were found dead.
Throughout the operations, the terrorists received instructions over telephone from their controllers. The controllers warned the terrorists about the use of helicopters and about the landing of commandos on the terrace.
The police recovered two Kalashnikov rifles, four magazines, three pistols, about 250 live rounds of ammunition, four mobile phones.
Reference has been made to the Kalashnikov rifles, pistols, ammunition, grenades, mobile. Of the ten IED devices that were given to the terrorists, seven had exploded and three were recovered and defused later. The three devices were similar and bear the unmistakable signature of having been made by the same individual or the same team at the same time.
The evidence gathered so far:
Each IED weighed approximately 8 kilograms and each contained 4-5 kilograms of tightly-packed black greasy RDX. Each had a black-coloured programmable electronic timer switch, with five wires numbered from 1 to 5. Wire numbers 1 and 4 were found connected in all the devices while wire numbers 2, 3 and 5 were left unconnected. Each device had two detonators and steel ball bearings of 4 to 6 mm diameter, which were embedded and placed around the charge. The power source was two 9-volt batteries of Duracell make. The timer bore instructions in Urdu language for setting the time.
The 9 mm pistols that were recovered from different scenes of the crimes bore the marking of the ‘Diamond Nedi Frontier Arms Company’.
The hand grenades that were detonated and that were found unexploded were manufactured by Arges, an Austrian company. Inquiries have revealed that Arges Company had given a franchise to manufacture hand grenades to a Pakistan Ordnance Factory near Rawalpindi. Similar hand grenades were used in the serial blasts that shook Mumbai on 12 March 1993 and in the attack on the Parliament House on 13 December 2001. (Photographs of pistols/grenades are in Annexure-Vl of Indo-Pak Dossier.)
An email claiming responsibility for the Mumbai attack was sent to the media by a hitherto unknown organisation calling itself ‘Deccan Mujahideen’. The IP address of the email ID ‘deccanmujahideen@gmail.com’ connected to a proxy server in Russia. Examination of the server data has indicated that Zarrar Shah, Communication Coordinator of LeT, had organised the creation of a new email account on the evening of 26 No
vember 2008, specifically in order to send the email claiming responsibility for the attack. It has also been learnt that Zarrar Shah was using another email ID, ‘drmoazam@ ymail.com’ which was registered from Pakistan via IP address 118,107.140.139 at 1440 Z on 24 June.
The controllers/handlers of the terrorists passed instructions over telephone throughout the operations. They used VOIP calling platforms.
Telephone links
Investigations into the numbers used by the controllers/ handlers have revealed that one number is a ‘Virtual number’ and five are DID numbers with the country code of Austria. The virtual number carries the US country code and is +1 201 2531824. This virtual number was used to route calls to the terrorists in India. The virtual number was initially set up with a US company, by name Callphonex, by an individual who identified himself as Kharak Singh from India. The account was activated and transferred in the name of Mohammed Ashfaq.
Kharak Singh also requested Callphonex to assign five Austrian Direct Inward Dialing (DID) numbers because his clients called from different countries, including India. The payment for the account was through Western Union transfer. The payment was made to the Western Union agent, Nizar Aisharif whose address is Madina Trading, Corso Garibaldi S3 A, Brescia, BS 25100, Italy with the information: MTCN: 0579326626, Sender: Javaid Iqbal, Amount: US$238.78’ on November 25, 2008.
According to Western Union, Javaid Iqbal’s date of birth is 31 December 1962 and the Form IV (service provider’s ID form that clients fill) he provided was Pakistani. When the phone service provider asked Kharak Singh if he was from India, why did the Western Union transfer come from Pakistan, apparently, Callphonex received no reply. Incidentally, Brigadiar Javed Iqbal Cheema was one officer of the ISI well known to people in the Indian intelligence and security establishment at that time. He was a part of the Pakistani delegation for the Home Secretary Level Talks held in New Delhi in July 2007. The question is, was it the same person transferring money through Western Union? I remember him interrupting the Interior Secretary of Pakistan’s opening remarks (Syed Kamal Shah) during these talks to put forth the position as desired by his organisation.