26/11 Mumbai attack was a terrorist conspiracy hatched in Pakistan. 10 terrorists attacked in Mumbai and killed 166 people. David Headley had done its recce and terrorist Kasab, who was caught alive, was hanged.
26 11 Mumbai Attack inside story: 22 November 2008- Karachi beach of Pakistan. The 10 terrorists were divided into five pairs of two each. He was given 10,800 Indian rupees and a mobile phone. Everyone was sent away in a small boat. His target was Mumbai. His mission was to keep killing people until they died. 166 people were killed in this attack. Today is the anniversary of the biggest terrorist attack in India, 26/11 Mumbai attack. This terrorist attack was a plan prepared over seven years. The preparations were so precise that the terrorists could reach their hideouts even with their eyes closed. Let us know how the Mumbai attack was planned.
two friends from military school
It started with the 1971 war. Indian Air Force bombed many places in Pakistan including Karachi. Some of Dawood’s 11 year old friends were killed in this. Hatred towards India developed in Dawood’s mind. Dawood’s father Syed Geelani was a Pakistani diplomat and his mother Alice Ridley was of American origin. Dawood was admitted to a military school in Punjab province. It was here that he became friends with Tahawwur Hussain Rana.
Six years later, David’s mother Alice obtained a divorce and returned to America. After this, Dawood also went to live with them for some time. On the other hand, Tahawwur Rana became a doctor and joined the Pak Army. But after a few years he moved to Canada, took citizenship there and started a travel company.
Headley in Mumbai
While in America, Dawood was jailed for drug smuggling. But his Pakistani connections did not end even then. At that time, Lashkar-e-Taiba was planning a major terrorist attack in India. Lashkar chief Hafiz Saeed invited Dawood to Pakistan. According to the Indian Home Ministry, Dawood trained in Lashkar camps five times between 2002 and 2004.
When Dawood asked about his mission, Hafiz Saeed told him to go back to America and change his name. He used his mother’s name and changed his name to David Coleman Hadley. Tahawwur Rana, who runs a company named ‘First World Immigration Services’ in Chicago, met David Coleman Headley. Rana opened a branch of his company in Mumbai. David Headley came to Mumbai for the first time in September 2006 on the pretext of company work.
Since his mother was American, no one suspected David Headley of being Pakistani from his name and appearance. After reaching Mumbai, David made a video of every street, building and port. According to the Home Ministry, Headley visited India nine times between 2006 and 2009. He recorded video footage of all the locations like Taj Hotel, Leopold Cafe, Oberoi Hotel, Nariman House and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus. All these recordings were taken to Pakistan and handed over to Lashkar commanders. Through this the terrorists understood the way to reach their targets. While in India, Headley also tried to contact and befriend many important people.
Recruitment for suicide attack
At the same time, recruitment of terrorists had started in Pakistan. One of these was Mohammad Ajmal Aamir Kasab, the only terrorist captured alive during the 26/11 attacks. Kasab, born in Faridkot, Pakistan in 1987, left his studies and came to Lahore in 2005. There he was working with his father. Kasab started going to different places with his friend to listen to the speeches of Lashkar and got influenced by them. A person gave Kasab a letter on which the address of the Lashkar camp was written. When Kasab and his friend reached there, 30 boys had already arrived at Muridke for training.
Terrorists received training in 4 phases to attack Mumbai
Kasab joined Lashkar-e-Taiba in December 2007. The first phase was for 21 days in Muridke. The second phase was for 21 days at Markaz Aqsa Camp in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In this phase, he learned to use weapons like rifles. In the third phase in Muzaffarabad, he was trained to climb mountains for 60 hours without food and water. He learned how to use grenades, rocket launchers, AK-47 rifles, GPS systems and maps. After the training, Kasab was given Rs 1,500 and a new shoe. As soon as the training was over, he was informed about the plan for a suicide attack. Following these training, in September 2008, she was brought to Karachi for sea route training. They were given training in boating, fishing and navigation.
Why was the date of 26th November chosen?
On September 13, while explaining the target, terrorist commanders said that India’s economic strength is in Mumbai, hence Mumbai has to be attacked. To understand the locations and routes, videos sent by David Headley from Mumbai were shown repeatedly to everyone. The plan was to leave for India on 17th September. But meanwhile, due to the blasts in Delhi, security was tightened in Mumbai also, hence the decision was changed.
terrorists enter mumbai
Ismail was the leader of the entire group. All five groups were given food items, 10,800 Indian rupees and mobile phones. They boarded a boat and set out for Mumbai. At around 9 pm, the boat reached the fishermen’s area near the Mumbai coast. Four groups of terrorists landed and moved towards their respective hideouts. The two men took the boat back towards the Oberoi Hotel.
Mumbai attacks and those 60 hours of terror
Target-1: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus
At 9:30 pm, Kasab and his associate Ismail entered CSMT. They opened fire from AK-47 on platform number 13. There about 58 people were killed and 104 were injured.
Target-2: Leopold Cafe
The second group, Babar and Nasir, entered Leopold Café. They threw two grenades and opened fire. 11 people were killed and many were injured in the attack.
Target-3: Nariman House
The third pair, Ashfaq and Abu Suhail, headed towards Nariman House. They broke inside and took many people hostage.
Target-4: Taj Hotel
The fourth group, Abdul Rehman and Javed, reached the fifth floor and started firing. They took many people hostage including the chairman of ING Vysya Bank. By then NSG had started retaliating.
Target-5: Oberoi Hotel
The remaining two, Fahadullah and Abdul Rehman, reached Oberoi Hotel. Everyone except two employees there was evacuated. The terrorists started firing from AK-47. These terrorists were killed by NSG on 28 November. By then they had taken 35 lives.
How was Kasab captured alive?
After the massacre at CST, when Kasab and Ismail came out, they could not find a taxi to go to their next target, Malabar Hills. To escape the police firing, both the terrorists entered the Cama Hospital premises. Then, when they saw a police car, they opened fire indiscriminately at it. He pulled out the dead bodies from the front seat and proceeded with the car. On the way, the tire of that car got punctured, so they hijacked another car at gunpoint. Injured constable Arun Jadhav told the police that terrorists were present there. Seeing the police checkpost, Ismail tried to take the car across the divider, but the car got stuck. In the subsequent shootout, Ismail was killed, but Kasab was captured alive.
Did India commit any mistake in Mumbai attack?
A: Intelligence
US security agencies had informed India a few months in advance about David Headley’s planning of the attack.
Two: Coastal patrols were stopped before the attack
After the 1993 Mumbai blasts, a task force for coastal surveillance named Operation Swan was formed. In 2005, the central government stopped financial assistance for it.
Three: Hotels ignored warnings
The city of Mumbai had received several intelligence warnings in 2008. They were told that hotels could be attacked and security should be tightened.
Four: No arrangement to reach the spot on time
Pushan Das, defense expert and commander of Operation Brahma, says that the NSG commandos were in Delhi, and there was no emergency air lift system to take them to Mumbai. It took more than 10 hours for NSG to reach the spot.
Kasab hanged, Tahawwur brought to India
The interrogation of Ajmal Kasab, the only terrorist captured alive during the 26/11 attacks, revealed that the attack was planned in Pakistan. Kasab was hanged on 21 November 2012. In 2009, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Tahawwur Rana. During interrogation he confirmed his role in the Mumbai attacks. The US has handed him over to India, and he is now in the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA). In 2009, David Headley was also arrested in America. The US court sentenced him to 35 years in prison for his involvement in a terrorist conspiracy. India is trying to extradite Headley. Through a military operation called Operation Sindoor, India destroyed nine sites in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including LeT camps in Muridke and Muzaffarabad, where 26/11 terrorists were trained.