Mumbai Update

If you’re just getting going this morning, Pajamas Media’s BarcePundit was updating through the night. The Indian newspaper DaijiWorld has up to date reports, with lots of photos. The Times of India is here.

The Indian government has speculated that “external links” may have played a role in the terrorist attacks. That usually means Pakistan. The terrorists came to Mumbai aboard a trawler registered in Vietnam called the AV Alpha (or Alfa). The MV Alpha anchored in Mumbai Harbor and the terrorists came ashore in inflatable Gemini boats. This account is the most complete I’ve seen of that part of the operation. Indian authorities have captured at least one of the Gemini boats, along with cell phones and other equipment belonging to the terrorists. At least one terrorist has been reported captured; most likely others have been captured as well.

After discharging the terrorists, the AV Alpha departed the area but was captured 112 km. from Mumbai. News accounts say that the AV Alpha had recently been in Pakistan, but other reports refer to the possibility that the ship carried the terrorists from Gujarat, the northwestern-most province of India which borders Pakistan, to Mumbai.

Given that the ship has been captured along with at least one terrorist and a good deal of physical evidence, it seems likely that Indian authorities will be able to determine whether the terrorists had support from Pakistan’s intelligence service, al Qaeda or other international sources.

UPDATE: A top Indian general involved in flushing out the remaining terrorists says they came from Pakistan:

“They are from across the border and perhaps from Faridkot, Pakistan. They tried to pretend that they were from Hyderabad,” Major General R.K. Hooda, leading the military operation to flush out the extremists, told reporters.

It’s unclear whether that’s based on knowledge gained from the terrorists themselves, circumstantial evidence, or just speculation. Much more will no doubt come out about the terrorists’ origins and backing in the days to come.

To comment on this post, go here.

Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.

Responses