Indian Commandos Work to Free Hostages -Emily Wax & Debbi Wilgoren
[A] series of Attacks in Mumbai Leave at Least 125 People Dead.
Sharpshooters and Indian Army commandos launched dramatic raids Thursday into two of India's most luxurious hotels, attempting to root out gunmen whose deadly attacks have transformed parts of India's commercial capital into smoldering war zones.
More than 325 people were reported injured.
Closed-circuit television cameras that recorded some scenes of the attack
showed college-aged men roaming the streets with automatic assault rifles and backpacks apparently filled with ammunition and explosives [image at right]. In one video still, one of the gunmen appears almost giddy as he walks down the street with an AK-47 assault rifle.
In a speech on national television Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made the first official assertion that the attackers were from outside India, statements usually taken here to point to Pakistan. "The well-planned and well-orchestrated attacks, probably with external linkages, were intended to create a sense of panic, by choosing high profile targets and indiscriminately killing foreigners," Singh said.
As the sun set, some hostages unfurled "Save Us" banners from the windows of the Taj hotel, across from the Gateway of India monument and Mumbai's waterfront. Others emerged from upper-story windows using bed sheets tied together as ladders.
Eight Israelis were being held hostage at the Chabad-Lubavitch Jewish center, officials said, including a young rabbi and his wife. Their condition was not known. At the Jewish center, five rounds of shooting were heard Thursday and a grenade was thrown, said army officials who were surrounding the site and launching a rescue effort.
It remained unclear who was behind the attacks [use link at left for video report]. Wire services and Indian media reported that the gunmen sought out British and American citizens to be taken as hostages.
According to Chabad's Web site, the center is run by Rabbi Gavriel
Holtzberg and his wife Rivka [pictured at right].
The couple's two-year-old son was escorted out of the building several hours after the attack, his clothing soaked in blood. The toddler was accompanied by a cook and another employee of the center.
[Washington Post]
[A] series of Attacks in Mumbai Leave at Least 125 People Dead.
Sharpshooters and Indian Army commandos launched dramatic raids Thursday into two of India's most luxurious hotels, attempting to root out gunmen whose deadly attacks have transformed parts of India's commercial capital into smoldering war zones.
More than 325 people were reported injured.
Closed-circuit television cameras that recorded some scenes of the attack
showed college-aged men roaming the streets with automatic assault rifles and backpacks apparently filled with ammunition and explosives [image at right]. In one video still, one of the gunmen appears almost giddy as he walks down the street with an AK-47 assault rifle.In a speech on national television Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made the first official assertion that the attackers were from outside India, statements usually taken here to point to Pakistan. "The well-planned and well-orchestrated attacks, probably with external linkages, were intended to create a sense of panic, by choosing high profile targets and indiscriminately killing foreigners," Singh said.
As the sun set, some hostages unfurled "Save Us" banners from the windows of the Taj hotel, across from the Gateway of India monument and Mumbai's waterfront. Others emerged from upper-story windows using bed sheets tied together as ladders.
Eight Israelis were being held hostage at the Chabad-Lubavitch Jewish center, officials said, including a young rabbi and his wife. Their condition was not known. At the Jewish center, five rounds of shooting were heard Thursday and a grenade was thrown, said army officials who were surrounding the site and launching a rescue effort.
It remained unclear who was behind the attacks [use link at left for video report]. Wire services and Indian media reported that the gunmen sought out British and American citizens to be taken as hostages.
According to Chabad's Web site, the center is run by Rabbi Gavriel
Holtzberg and his wife Rivka [pictured at right].The couple's two-year-old son was escorted out of the building several hours after the attack, his clothing soaked in blood. The toddler was accompanied by a cook and another employee of the center.
[Washington Post]
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