Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

Post by ramana »

Pioneer Op-Ed

Three wasted years

India had the world’s sympathy after 26/11. And look what Chidambaram and his lackeys did with it

On the third anniversary of 26/11, it would not be out of order to look back at the “changes” which were effected to the national security mechanism post that terrible terrorist outrage. Like most government attempts to send signals of “new beginnings”, UPA-1, then on re-election mode, decided to sack its lethargic Home Minister, Shivraj Patil. It also banished the non-performing National Security Adviser, MK Narayanan, to gubernatorial loneliness, and in conformity with the greatest of Indian traditions of forming more fatuous institutions to replace the existing ones, announced the formation of a slew of new bureaucratic bodies.

One of the starkest examples of the purposefulness and déjà vu that marks the “legacy” of 26/11 is the redefined job profile of the National Security Adviser. Whoever he is, Shiv Shankar Menon is no successor to the line established by Brajesh Mishra and JN Dixit. In one of the most outrageously arbitrary government acts of dilution of a national institution ever, India’s NSA was reduced to a decorative post which no self-respecting man or woman unless madly in love with the perquisites which come with being a poodle, can accept. For, now we have a NSA who is not kept on the loop on matters concerning internal security. At best he is a dandified adjunct to the foreign office.

This knowledge, thanks to <i>Wikileaks</i>, has brought to the fore India’s worst kept secret as far as government dysfunction is concerned. Nothing except the ego of P Chidambaram powers India’s responses to global terrorism, Kashmir, Maoism, police administration, police reforms, whatever. Like all enterprises dominated by one man’s whims, India’s Home Ministry is a place where good ideas are suffocated to death and nothing except toadying before the boss is considered correct behaviour.

For its sheer breadth of scale and shocking daring, the Mumbai attacks surpassed all previous terrorist strikes on Indian soil. Because it happened right before the glare of global media in an un-dense news season (the US presidential election had just got over), the Indian government and its terrorism-fatigued people had the rare opportunity of showing all the wounds inflicted by the Pakistani terrorism empire which previously got little attention. So, when we discuss the “legacy” of 26/11, there is both an internal and external aspect to consider.

Throughout the 2000s, India’s protestations over Pakistan’s covert and not-so-covert support to terrorism got little or no recognition at the highest levels in Washington DC. So, in more ways than one, 26/11 was a greater Pakistani public relations disaster than an Indian internal security one. All through 2008 ISI-sponsored modules had been merrily banging away — in Bangalore, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Delhi — exposing all the chinks in the Indian armour. On the morning of 26/11, there were no longer any secrets about India’s vulnerability to terrorism. India’s police and intelligence systems were in a shambles. But Pakistan moved in for the overkill — and quite lost its way.

India’s foreign office should have made great capital of 26/11. But it performed one of the most spectacular <i>faux pas </i>imaginable at Sharm el Shaikh. The joint statement of July 16, 2009 announced an agreement that “action on terrorism should not be linked to the Composite Dialogue process (between India and Pakistan) and these should not be bracketed”. The implication was that Pakistan could continue to condone — or even encourage — acts of terror by its nationals in Mumbai and elsewhere, but normal bilateral engagement would not be affected. The man whose “bad drafting” caused all of it, is today the NSA. So much for “accountability” in the post-26/11 age.

The formation of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on the lines of the US Federal Bureau of Investigations was supposed to be a big leap forward in terms of strengthening the administrative response to terrorism. The Bill to create it was produced in Parliament in record time — just a fortnight after the last terrorist had been silenced in the burning Taj Mahal Hotel. It seemed to many that UPA-1 had been planning a NIA all along and only an excuse to bring the Bill to Parliament was awaited.

The move was fraught with Constitutional inconsistencies and administrative tunnel vision. Its underlying assumption was that a “national” police organisation is always superior to one from the States, though there is no evidence to suggest that. State police forces may be hamstrung for funds and weakened by political interference, but at least they have their ears to the ground and could teach the parachutists from Delhi a thing or two about cracking cases. The record of the CBI in swinging favourable prosecutions, for instances, cannot hold a candle to any of the State CIDs. Lacking their own source networks, police stations and other infrastructure in the States, the CBI has always been at the mercy of their host States’ police wings. Sometimes the IPS brotherhood helps, sometimes not.

The NIA’s book, at least in the first three years of its founding, has been empty. It operates from a mall in Jasola on the border of Delhi and Noida. Its formation was welcomed by IPS officers stationed in Delhi who were reluctant to return to their home cadres. But nobody except them wants to join it. Delhi and UP police were requested to contribute personnel, but both refused saying, and rightly too, that they are already way under-staffed. The July 13, 2011 bomb blast at Jhaveri Bazaar in Mumbai gave the nation its first look at how the NIA is ridiculed by State police units. The “national” (read Delhi-based) TV channels made much song and dance about the NIA “taking over” the investigation of the blast right on the ill-fated evening. But, slighted by the ATS of Mumbai Police, the bright boys of Delhi had to beat a retreat. A full month after the tragedy, Chidambaram, who took the slight personally, flew to Mumbai to take the matter up with his own party’s Chief Minister, Prithviraj Chavan. But Chavan refused to oblige. Another month passed and, as could be expected, there was not much headway in the investigation.

The Delhi High Court blast of October gave the NIA its long-awaited break. At last it had a “truly national” case with no pesky State policemen to assert turf rights. But the way in which it has conducted itself does not contribute much to its credibility. Some youngsters from Kashmir have been hauled away to custody and all kinds of stories about their “guilt” have been planted in the Press. But large holes are already exposed in its investigation tactics. The parents of the boy allegedly “nabbed in Bangladesh” has told the Urdu press that her son willingly flew back to Delhi from Bangladesh to clear his name and the NIA used the draconian UAPA to throw him into jail. The nation may never know the true story because under the terms of this Act, a man can be held without bring produced in court for 60 days. Besides, the “mastermind” of the plot is supposed to be somebody who suffers bouts of epilepsy. This the NIA acknowledges, but the Kashmiri Press alleges he is mentally challenged.

Credibility is an important friend to have if a government has to win its subjects’ confidence in the war against terrorism. UPA-2 had public sympathy with it after 26/11 and the nation was willing to forgive all its failures of the previous five years. But under Chidambaram and his lackeys, everything was scuttled away.

The writer is Special Correspondent, The Pioneer
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

Post by ramana »

Glad this thread is still there.

X-Post...
SSridhar wrote:Fishing boats using cheap fuel sailing into terror traps ? - Praveen Swami in The Hindu
Excerpts
Lured by diesel selling for less than half its legal onshore price, growing numbers of Indian fishing boats are buying smuggled Iranian fuel from the Karachi-based high-seas traffickers, police sources have told The Hindu .

Lashkar-e-Taiba commanders are believed to have drawn the Porbandar-registered fishing boat, Kuber, alongside their ship with an offer of cheap fuel before hijacking it to transport the team that carried out the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai.

In its annual report for 2010-11, the Ministry of Home Affairs records that 183 interceptor boats had been provided to Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep and Daman and Diu since April 2009.

Sources in the police and the Coast Guard, though, said these boats would be of little use until India's fishing boats were fitted with specialised transponders that would allow unidentified and potentially hostile vessels to be intercepted with precision.

Highly placed defence sources, however, said the trial of the three systems — satellite-based tracking, Very High Frequency and the Automatic Identification System — were just beginning, and would take over a year to complete. “We will also have to find a way to make the systems affordable,” a senior police official said, “because the fishing fleet isn't in a position to cough up commercial rates for this kind of equipment.”

I dont think that cheap diesel fuel was the attraction for MV Kuber.

My hypothesis is that the MV Kuber captain rendezvoused in the high seas with the terrorist ship to provide last mile transport to Mumbai. He might not have known these were terrorists. He might have been released to provide on call transportation for the TSP forces.

Recall he and his crew were earlier detained for quite a few months by TSP. He was released and then he again meets up with the TSP gang. Most likely he as turned while in captivity. To ensure he doesnt spill the beans the terrorists killed him and hs crew.

So the need for trasponders to locate the fishing vessels should not be confused with what happened.

What did Kasab tell them about how the gang got on board the MV Kuber? Was it offer of cheap fuel? Was it a random fishing boat? Such an attack would not leave things to chance.
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Re: Mystery of MV Kuber and its Captain Solanki

Post by SSridhar »

Ramana, I don't know. Praveen Swami, who is usually well informed, has written one more op-ed along the same lines today too. Link. There is no mention of corroboration by Kasab. All that the Indian dossier says is that Ajmal Kasab noticed MV Kuber docked with Al Husseini on November 23 at apprx 1500 Hrs. Four of the crew of MV Kuber were shifted to Al Husseini and killed by the seven LeT members who were already aboard Al Husseini. The Captain of MV Kuber, Amar Singh Solanki, was allowed to remain on board that vessel and he navigated them to Mumbai. We have to catch the Al Husseini guys to corroborate all that. Kasab should have been more closely questioned on how the four crew were shifted to Al Husseini, how they were shot dead, how did Solanki react to the killing of his crew, and Solanki's demeanour throughtout the 550 Km trip to outskirts of Mumbai. I also hope that Solanki's activities after his return from the Pakistani jail have also been investigated. Even if Kasab had not been clued in to the MV Kuber saga, his questioning might have revealed significant pointers about the Kuber mystery.

Anyway, this is what Praveen Swami says in today's article, already linked.
Late in the afternoon of November 23, 2008, a brightly-painted fishing boat from Porbandar pulled up alongside the Karachi-registered merchant ship al-Husaini. Four members of the Kuber's crew were shot dead as they came on board. Its captain Amar Singh Solanki was then forced to pilot the ship and 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists to the bay off Mumbai's southern tip — where his throat was slit minutes before the 26/11 attacks began.

Precisely what led the fishing boat to the al-Husaini remains one of 26/11's last unsolved mysteries. But based on information gathered from fishing crews in Maharashtra and Gujarat, investigators now believe the Kuber's crew was lured to their death, like the fish they hunted.

The bait was fuel: diesel smuggled out of Iran, and sold by Karachi-based organised crime groups for half its Indian onshore price. Faced with declining catches and high operating costs, crew on hundreds of boats in India's 1,80,000-strong fishing fleet supplement their income by running bootleg fuel.

The Porbandar port authorities say Kuber brought in a 1,000 kg catch when it docked overnight on November 13. It had just 50 kg on board when it was found floating off Mumbai after 26/11 — a poor haul that possibly led Solanki into seeking to buy smuggled fuel from al-Husaini.

In the three years since 26/11, despite multicrore investments in coastal security, the scale of smuggling has grown — and with it, the threat to India's cities.

“Let me put it this way,” says a senior Mumbai Police official, “it just isn't possible for us to search each boat that enters each port. Each boat, though, poses a potential threat.”

Muhammad Khan, fugitive owner of al-Husaini, would likely have known that the Lashkar hit-squad would have little trouble luring an Indian fishing boat to take it, unnoticed, into Mumbai. Khan, India's intelligence services believe, used his Karachi-registered merchant fleet to run contraband across the Indian Ocean. Al-Husaini captain Shahid Ghafoor is also thought to have been a veteran trafficker, shipping cargo for organised crime groups.{How difficult would it be for India to capture the boat and its runners ?}

For much of their careers, men like Khan and Ghafoor ran gold, electronics and narcotics — but in recent years, there has been much more money to be made in trafficking the black, foul-smelling fluid.

Petrol and diesel smuggling into Pakistan has been booming ever since the middle of the last decade, spurred on by record oil prices. Fuel smuggled from Iran is widely available in Pakistan's cities: in Karachi, smuggled petrol is reported to retail for between Rs.34 and Rs.38 a litre, and diesel for between Rs.28 and Rs.32. In Quetta, Iranian petrol and diesel, both retail for Rs.30 and Rs.33, while consumers in the port town of Gwadar can buy it for as little as Rs.24 and Rs.30. In towns like Taftan, along the Iran-Pakistan border, prices can run as low as Rs.20.

Iranian petrol and diesel thus retail for just half, or even a third, of the post-tax legal price in Pakistan — which has, unsurprisingly, led public transport operators to switch over to smuggled fuel on an ever-larger scale.

Earlier this year, Pakistan's Sarhad Petroleum Cartage and Dealers' Association, a trade body, publicly warned the government it would be compelled to start selling smuggled fuel. Mansoor Sharif, an Association official, told journalists that sales at petrol pumps in the Balochistan province had in some cases dropped to just 50 litres a day.

Last year, the Mumbai Police held alleged ganglord Muhammad Ali Sheikh, who is now being tried for the murder of his key rival, Saiyyad Madar Chand —breaking, they claimed, the diesel mafia's backbone. There is plenty of evidence, though, that the trade goes on: Ever since February this year, the police have made 49 arrests related to fuel-smuggling and seized nine boats. In an August 2011 case alone, the police recovered a staggering 50,000 litres.

India is investing a staggering Rs. 5.23 billion on an ambitious coastal security programme — not counting Rs. 63.3 million paid to the Coast Guard for building three new bases, Rs. 627.7 million for new ships it will operate, and separate investments in the Navy's capacities — fishing boats have yet to be mandatorily fitted with equipment that will record their movements.

India's failure to learn from past experience enabled Kuber's tragic 26/11 voyage. Fishing boats engaged in the narcotics trade carried the explosives and weapons used in the 1993 serial bombings. Little effort was made to improve monitoring of the fleet, though — and 26/11, it would seem, changed little.
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Re: Mystery of MV Kuber and its Captain Solanki

Post by SSridhar »

The chargesheet filed by the Investigating Officer at the Esplanade Court, Mumbai gives more details about MV Kuber. It says that the terrorists 'forcibly entered' the Kuber, took 4 crew to Al Husseini and killed them while Solanki was 'forcibly' kept on the trawler. They also transferred additional diesel to MV Kuber for the journey.
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

Post by ramana »

For an op that was planned so meticulously and with inputs from DCH etc it looks odd that they would depend on luring an Indian fishing boat with cheap diesel fuel and hijack it. I am skeptical about it. Not saying that modus operandi of contraband diesel for fishing boats did not happen. Only if it was so in MV Kuber case?
The above narrative assumes all non state actors did this even when the evidence shows that non state actors vs state actors is TSP and US fiction.

Is DCH a non state actor?
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

Post by ramana »

Maybe GOI needs a NREGs for the fishermen to prevent terrorism?
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Re: Indian Home Minister's Reaction

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Pak yet to arrest real culprits of 26/11: P.Chidambaram
“Please don’t ask me to comment on statement made by honourable Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh). The Pakistani Prime Minister (Yusuf Raza Gilani) may be a man of peace and if he has been described as such, that is a description given by the Prime Minister.

“That has nothing to do with the fact that they (Pakistan) have not given us voice samples, they have not arrested the true perpetrators behind 26/11. I don’t think you should spin out a political story out of a statement that I have made,” he said.

The Home Minister was asked to comment on his statement that Pakistan has not yet delivered on terror and Prime Minister’s description on Mr. Gilani as “man of peace”.
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

Post by Aditya_V »

Why cant we capture the Al Huseeni in International waters and terminate its crew as a lesson? If any family members any of accused are in the Gulf. should also be fair game.
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Re: Mystery of MV Kuber and its Captain Solanki

Post by chaanakya »

SSridhar wrote:
Late in the afternoon of November 23, 2008, a brightly-painted fishing boat from Porbandar pulled up alongside the Karachi-registered merchant ship al-Husaini. Four members of the Kuber's crew were shot dead as they came on board. Its captain Amar Singh Solanki was then forced to pilot the ship and 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists to the bay off Mumbai's southern tip — where his throat was slit minutes before the 26/11 attacks began.

Precisely what led the fishing boat to the al-Husaini remains one of 26/11's last unsolved mysteries. But based on information gathered from fishing crews in Maharashtra and Gujarat, investigators now believe the Kuber's crew was lured to their death, like the fish they hunted.

The bait was fuel: diesel smuggled out of Iran, and sold by Karachi-based organised crime groups for half its Indian onshore price. Faced with declining catches and high operating costs, crew on hundreds of boats in India's 1,80,000-strong fishing fleet supplement their income by running bootleg fuel.
It is highly unlikely that the most well planned terror strike with multiple teams and multiple targets could depend on the luck factor of luring a boat for cheap fuel. and by strange coincidence , the captain happens to be a returnee from Paki jail.
Those terrorists have also GPS locations fed into their SatNav equip and happen to rendezvous with MV Kuber precisely at high seas without deviating from their planned route.

And it had taken months of planning, recce to leave matters to small window of luck
All I say is too much of coincidence depending on most daring attack post 911.
Pure BS.
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

Post by ramana »

NSG hub in Hyderabad fully operational

NSG regional hub fully operational
NSG regional hub fully operational

HYDERABAD: It took just 19 minutes for National Security Guard commandos to rush out of their regional hub at Trimulgherry, 15 minutes to reach the Hakimpet Air Force Base and another 30 minutes to get airborne for their destination.

{So its ~65 mins to get airborne. Need to cut that even further. The first 19 minutes and the later 30 mins (total ~50mins) should be areas of focus.}

It is the response time in which the NSG commandos get ready to foil a terrorist attack.

The NSG regional hub which has become fully operational, was inaugurated by Union home minister P Chidambaram on Monday. Speaking about the preparedness of the NSG, Chidambaram said the commandos should strive to further reduce the response time in case of any terrorist attack.

“We cannot afford to waste even a second in a counter- terrorist operation,” he said.

The Union government proposed to set up NSG regional hubs at Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai after the Mumbai carnage of November 26, 2008.

Chidambaram asked the NSG officials to visit France and Russia to learn advanced techniques to counter urban guerrilla terrorism and militancy.

The NSG hub in Hyderabad is the first one to be fully operational with all modern infrastructure and advanced training facilities.

The Centre will take all measures to improve the NSG capacity building.

It is also setting up a dog training and breeding centre for the security forces.

“The Central Reserve Police Force, which is deployed across the country, itself needs 3,000 dogs for its operations,” the home minister said.

NSG director-general R Medhekar said the regional hub got an administrative office, commando barracks, dog kennel and all other modern security infrastructure.

“We are soon setting up a state-of-the-art training facility in 600 acres at Ibrahimpatnam. We want to train commandos for southern and western states,” he said. National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) chairman and managing director Vishnu P Das said the NSG regional hub spread over 22 acres, got all modern amenities.

It was constructed by the NBCC within a short span of four months
.

NSG got only one training facility at Manesar till now.

State home minister P Sabita Indra Reddy, director general of police V Dinesh Reddy and other senior officials of police and armed forces participated in the inaugural function.
So what is the status of the other regional hubs? Any timeline. The benefits will start coming in after the regional police forces are also trained.
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

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NIA charge-sheets Headley and others
More than two years after LeT operative David Headley's involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai attack and other terror activities in India came to light, he, along with Lashkar founder Hafiz Saeed and two ISI officers, was charge-sheeted by the National Investigation Agency here on Saturday.

According to official sources, the charge sheet filed before a Special Patiala House Court, also named 26/11 attack mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, Headley's accomplice, Pakistani-Canadian Tahawwur Rana, and al-Qaeda operative Illyas Kashmiri for waging war against the country and for offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Headley's handler Sajid Malik; the former Pakistani Army officer, Abdul Rehman Hashmi; and two officers believed to be working for Pakistani intelligence, Major Iqbal and Major Samir Ali, have also been named.

The charge sheet was filed three days after the Indian government gave its approval to the NIA, which had registered a case against the 50-year-old Pakistani-American Headley and his accomplice Rana on November 12, 2009. The NIA added the other names at a later stage when investigation by Central security agencies showed a large set of people involved in terror activities against the country.

Both Headley and Rana are presently in the custody of United States authorities. Headley had entered into a plea bargain with the U.S.
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

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Home Minister on the visit of Pakistan's Judicial Commission to India
To another query, he said the government had informed the Bombay High Court about Pakistan judicial commission's desire to visit the country and interview key persons linked to the probe into the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

“Once we hear from the Chief Justice of the High Court we will convey it to Pakistan. I hope this will go through in January 2012,'' he said.

The commission will take the statements of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate R.V. Sawant Waghule and Investigating Officer Ramesh Mahale, who recorded the confessional statement of Ajmal Kasab, lone surviving terrorist involved in the attacks, to pursue the case in Pakistan.
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

Post by chetak »

SSridhar wrote:Home Minister on the visit of Pakistan's Judicial Commission to India
To another query, he said the government had informed the Bombay High Court about Pakistan judicial commission's desire to visit the country and interview key persons linked to the probe into the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

“Once we hear from the Chief Justice of the High Court we will convey it to Pakistan. I hope this will go through in January 2012,'' he said.

The commission will take the statements of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate R.V. Sawant Waghule and Investigating Officer Ramesh Mahale, who recorded the confessional statement of Ajmal Kasab, lone surviving terrorist involved in the attacks, to pursue the case in Pakistan.

You can bet your boots that this "commission" also has requests pending to interview kasab.

Their true character will come out when they start to make public statements to our eagerly bootlicking paki supporting DDM. Aman jai ho.
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

Post by SSridhar »

Chetak, agreed. Then the Pakistani court will strike this commission down as unconstitutional etc. Nothing will work with Pakistan.
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

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NIA rejects Headley's US plea bargain
The National Investigation Agency on Saturday told a special court, where it has filed a charge sheet in the 26/11 case against David Coleman Headley and eight others, including Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed, that though it was relying on the factual assertions contained in the plea bargain document that Headley struck with U.S. federal prosecutors, it rejected the plea bargain itself and the various conditions placed in it. The plea bargain had saved Headley from a possible death penalty and from being extradited to India, Denmark, and Pakistan.

The issue came up while NIA counsel Dayan Krishnan was explaining to Special Judge (NIA) H.S. Sharma that the Agency's charge sheet was not solely based on its interrogation of Headley in Chicago, but was also corroborated by the “factual assertions” on the various terror activities of Headley mentioned in the plea bargain and his confessional statement in the Chicago trial court.

‘Confession admissible'

Mr. Krishnan also contended that the statement in the U.S. trial court was also admissible as evidence in Indian courts according to Section 19 and 33 of the Indian Evidence Act.

When the judge pointed out that none of the accused had been arrested so far, the NIA said its intention was to bring all the accused to India to face trial. The rejection of Headley's plea bargain was expected to be relevant in this respect.

“As per the challan, there are nine accused. None of the accused has been arrested before filing the challan. Arguments on question of taking cognisance have been heard in part. A number of documents have been referred…IO has assured us that relevant documents which shall be referred to during arguments shall be flagged before the next date of hearing. Arguments remain inconclusive. Put up for further arguments on January 21,” Mr. Sharma said.

The NIA has also filed an application under Section 166A of the Criminal Procedure Code, seeking permission to send a letter of request to the competent authority in Morocco for investigation into some aspects of the case.
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

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Mumbai High Court okays Pak judicial commission's visit
Members of Pakistan's judicial commission probing into the terror attack on Mumbai on November 26, 2008, may visit the city soon as the Bombay High Court has conveyed its permission to the central government for the visit. The members of the delegation will record the statements of four persons in the city.

“The Central government had approached the Bombay High Court last month. The court has now conveyed its permission to the government,” Ujjwal Nikam, special public prosecutor who argued the case in the Bombay High Court, told The Hindu on Saturday.

He said that the delegation will consist of six lawyers of the accused in Pakistan, two public prosecutors and some court officials.They will record the statements of the Chief Investigating Officer in the matter, the magistrate who recorded (Mohammad Ajmal Amir) Kasab's statement and the two doctors who conducted the post mortem of the deceased nine terrorists,” Mr Nikam said.
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

Post by Anujan »

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/worl ... 526975.cms


Pak court adjourns 26/11 case trial till January 28 (2012)
A Pakistani anti-terrorism court conducting the trail of seven men charged with involvement in the Mumbai attacks on Tuesday adjourned proceedings till January 28 after the main accused, Lashkar-e-Toiba commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, sought time to appoint a new lawyer. Lakhvi made the request as his lawyer Khwaja Sultan Ahmed died recently.
See here for a chronology of Pakistani perfidy and foot-dragging in the Mumbai attacks case:

http://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/viewto ... 06#p772206
Last edited by SSridhar on 22 Jan 2012 07:51, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Anujan, thanks. I have updated the chronology list.
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

Post by chetak »

Terror at Taj Hotel could have ended first night itself

Within the first hour of the firing at Café Leopold on 26/11, a small group of armed policemen who pursued the four attackers inside the Taj Mahal Palace and Towers Hotel were presented with 12 golden minutes to restrict, if not eliminate, them as they were holed up inside a room for that duration. Another, much bigger, opportunity came after midnight when the four terrorists took refuge in a second room for nearly two hours and the Mumbai Police had about 120 armed men to take them on.
CCTV footage accessed by The Indian Express shows that on both occasions, the police squandered the chance waiting for commandos to arrive from New Delhi and launch a counter-offensive — a full 12 hours after the attacks began.

The first group of policemen to reach the scene of any of the targets attacked that night was a team of six policemen led by DCP (Zone 1) Vishwas Nangre-Patil. The Indian Express photographer Vasant Prabhu tailed that team as it pursued Lashkar militants Abu Shoaib and Abu Umer, who had shot and killed diners at Café Leopold. This team entered the sprawling hotel complex from the same North Court gate at the rear as the terrorists.

They reached the heritage wing and sought to hunt the terrorists through the maze of corridors inside, intermittently exchanging fire, challenging AK-47s with their pistols. Unable to make any impact, Nangre-Patil and his team moved to the security control room of the hotel on the second floor, where Taj securitymen were monitoring the unfolding horror through CCTV camera pictures from across the hotel.

Over the next four hours, this nondescript room would witness the shocking unpreparedness of the Mumbai Police to take on the attackers whose number had doubled as Shoaib and Umer teamed up with Abdul Rehman Bada and Abu Ali, who entered the hotel from the main entrance five minutes before them at 9.38 pm.

CCTV footage from inside the hotel shows the four terrorists gathering first inside Room 551 of the heritage wing for 12 minutes and later in Room 632 for nearly two hours with minor interruptions in between.

On both occasions, Nangre-Patil and his team got this information instantly from the hotel’s security staff. The first chance to restrict or engage the Lashkar men presented itself within an hour after they had raided the hotel, the second came about two hours later as the sequence of events recorded by the hotel’s CCTV cameras show:

22:27: All four terrorists enter Room 551 and stay inside until 22:39 when two of them emerge from the room. They enter an adjoining room and bring out a hostage.

22:48: The duo take the hostage back into Room 551 and stay inside until 22:54.

22:54: One terrorist comes out of Room 551 to take a look in the corridor for a minute and returns to the room.

come out of the room and go back into it individually before leaving it together at 23:13 and spreading out. As soon as they noticed the movements of the attackers at 22:27, the Taj security staff asked Nangre-Patil to seize the opportunity and block the terrorists in that room. Nangre-Patil is learnt to have said that special forces were on their way and would take over the task.

Then came the second opportunity.

00:38: The four terrorists trooped into Room 632 and stayed inside.

00:53: One of them left and returned shortly.

01:28: Another left the room and returned after a few minutes.

02.34: All four left the room and fanned out, igniting fires on the sixth floor.

Nangre-Patil, who continued to remain in the hotel security control room, was once again informed by security staff as soon as the four terrorists entered Room 632. This time, the DCP informed senior officers over the wireless and also sought more policemen. But according to Control Room transcripts of the wireless conversations heard by The Indian Express, Mumbai Police Commissioner Hassan Gafoor told Nangre-Patil to wait for backup.

When contacted, Gafoor said: “There was no question of asking anyone to flee or not engage the terrorists. Nangre-Patil displayed exemplary courage. He told me, ‘Sir, I will do or die’, and I told him not to contemplate such things as the Army was on its way. Two constables with him had died, and he was lucky to have survived.”

Despite repeated attempts, Nangre-Patil was unavailable for comment.

The backup, in the form of the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) Quick Reaction Team (QRT), “striking mobiles” and “assault mobiles,” were already at the hotel. In fact, three “striking mobiles” with 18 armed policemen each, three “assault mobiles” with five men each, six police station mobiles with a minimum of four men each, as well as a Quick Response Team armed with AK-47 assault rifles — a total of about 120 armed policemen — were at the ground floor of the hotel, awaiting orders to proceed to higher floors.

The operations to storm the hotel began in earnest much after the Marine Commandos arrived at 2:10 am but even they could not go beyond the ground floor. They were followed by the NSG at around 8 am and operations were launched only at 9.30 am.

While 20 people were killed in the first 30 minutes of the attack, another 12, including NSG Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, died later. The wife and two sons of the hotel’s general manager, Karambir Kang, were also killed in the fires the terrorists set after they left Room 632 at 2.34 am.
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

Post by SSridhar »

The trial started on March 4, 2009 and until now, only charges have been filed and that too not against Professor saheb and the Army officers. It will soon be three years.
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

Post by chaanakya »

Judicial commission’s visit to India faces postponement
RAWALPINDI, Jan 28: The visit of Pakistani judicial commission to Mumbai for cross examining the Indian prosecution witnesses of the Mumbai attack case is likely to be postponed.

The chances of postponement are nearly evident as only three days prior to the scheduled visit, the defence counsel have raised objections over sending the statement of Ajmal Kasab to India with the record and on the legality of the notification of government of Pakistan regarding the departure of the panel.

These objections were raised when the Judge of Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Shahid Rafique on Saturday resumed hearing of Mumbai attack case in Adiala jail. He, later, sought reply from the federal investigation agency (FIA) and adjourned the hearing till February 4.


The counsel of the suspect Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, advocate Khawaja Sultan Ahmed passed away on January 14 and his son former advocate general Punjab Khawaja Harris Ahmed submitted to the court his attorney to represent Lakhvi. Defence counsel Ahmed and Cheema moved an application in which they contended that since the lone survivor of the Mumbai attack Ajmal Kasab was not jointly tried with the seven suspects – Zakiur Rehman, Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hammad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel, Jamil Ahmed, and Younas Anjum – therefore, his confessional statement recorded before the Indian woman magistrate R.V. Sawant Waghule cannot be exhibited in their case under article 43 of evidence act.

FIA produced the schedule of Mumbai attack judicial commission according to which the commission was available from February 1 to February 10.

According to the letter sent by the Indian ministry for external affairs on January 16, the Chief Justice Mumbai High Court conveyed the dates on which the commission headed by Mumbai’s chief metropolitan magistrate could start the proceeding.
See here for a chronology of court drama in Pakistan
Last edited by SSridhar on 29 Jan 2012 20:41, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Edited to include the link
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Re: The likely postponement of the Judicial Commission's Vis

Post by SSridhar »

chaanakya wrote:Judicial commission’s visit to India faces postponement
The chances of postponement are nearly evident as only three days prior to the scheduled visit, the defence counsel have raised objections over sending the statement of Ajmal Kasab to India with the record and on the legality of the notification of government of Pakistan regarding the departure of the panel.

These objections were raised when the Judge of Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Shahid Rafique on Saturday resumed hearing of Mumbai attack case in Adiala jail. He, later, sought reply from the federal investigation agency (FIA) and adjourned the hearing till February 4.
The defence counsel allowed the process to proceed upto this stage before raising a very fundamental objection. In fact, they have even given their names for travel to Mumbai, IIRC. This last minute turn around is not surprising for those of us here in BR. On November 6, I posted the below.
The present civilian government is announcing MFN for two reasons. One, to get Indian objection withdrawn for the EU's GSP+ privilege being contemplated for Pakistan and two, to have some good news as a 'bait' for more concessions from Mr. Man Mohan Singh in the upcoming one-on-one meeting at SAARC. Remember that Indian leaders always concede in one-on-one especially when they sense some possibility of improved India-Pakistan atmosphere. TSPians have already got the liberalized visa regime in the bargain. The proposed visit of the judicial commission and the resumed trial at Adiala have also to be viewed in the same context. Later, the MFN can be stalled citing popular resentment and PA's opposition. Indian analysts would start saying that it was the PA that is the stumbling block. Heck, it is the whole Pakistan that is colluding in deception and perfidy.
The perfidy is very clear here. It was on Nov. 5, 2010, a few hours before the arrival of the US President Obama in India, Pakistan handed over the 13th dossier seeking India's help in sending a judicial commission to India for interrogating Kasab, Indian Magistrate and witnesses that could be presented to the Adiala court in Pakistan. On Aug. 09, 2011 Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik was issued a contempt notice by ATC, Adiala for announcing that a judicial commission would visit India soon, though the court had not yet decided the matter. It was in late July, 2011 that the foreign secretaries and foreign ministers had met in New Delhi where the Pakistanis must have made some 'good news coming very soon' pitch to their Indian counterparts to push back Indian pressure. On Aug. 27, 2011 the ATC allowed setting up of a panel to visit India. Even at that time, many in Pakistan hinted at the legality of this commission but the defence counsel kept a studied silence. Now, the case will go to the jihadi-pasand Lahore High Court where the legality will most probably struck down. GoP may the appeal against that verdict in the Supreme Court where the judicial commission will be finally buried. GoP will then throw up its hand. End of story. It doesn't take a lot of grey matter to predict this scenario.

As always, Pakistan produces a bird out of the hat at the right time only for the bird to disappear soon thereafter. Another time, another hat and yet another bird.
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

Post by Aditya_V »

SSridhar-> the whole world except a few Wkk's agree that this was 26/11 was an attack by the Paki military, now why would they some people who are in the miltary set up to pay for such an attack. let this drama go on but Indians will not get justice by lighting candles.
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

Post by ramana »

SSridhar, Its ~3 years after 26/11 attack. Do we know all the story so far? This releasing bits and pieces makes the picture confusing. Can you try to write a few pages on your blog of the role of the different players and more importantly what we don't know yet?
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

Post by SSridhar »

ramana wrote:SSridhar, Its ~3 years after 26/11 attack. Do we know all the story so far? This releasing bits and pieces makes the picture confusing. Can you try to write a few pages on your blog of the role of the different players and more importantly what we don't know yet?
Ramana, I have already written a 5-part series on "The 26/11 Case - How Pakistan and its Judiciary Help the Terrorists"
http://pak-watch.blogspot.com/2011/03/2 ... ts_08.html

I will try the one you suggest. Will take time though.
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Re: Visit of the Pakistani Judicial Commission to Mumbai

Post by SSridhar »

India is expecting the Pakistani Judicial Commission to arrive on Feb. 3
A Pakistani judicial commission will arrive here on February 3 to record the statements of key persons involved in the Mumbai terror attacks probe.

Official sources said officers of the crime branch were asked to provide assistance to the commission during its visit, for which the Bombay High Court had recently given approval.

The commission will record the statement of Ramesh Mahale, the 26/11 case investigating officer, and R.V. Sawant-Waghul, the Magistrate who recorded the confessional statement of the lone surviving Pakistani gunman Ajmal Kasab.

The delegation will include Khalid Qureshi, the head of the Federal Investigation Agency's Special Investigation Group, and Muhammad Azhar Chaudhry and Chaudhry Zulifqar — the two main prosecutors.
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

Post by ramana »

X-Post....
"rohitvats"

From here: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/26-11 ... t/472337/0

Col. MP Chaudhary(retd.)
Sir, What ever Mr Dutta told the nation during WALK THE TALK with Indian Express was lies and lies. When I commanded the SPECIAL GROUP in 1982 out of which the NSG was born, we had one AN12 fully tanked up capable of taking 120 men (20tons) ready at Palam every time with pilots sleeping at the airport. The plane had all the bomb squad and other equipment like ladders etc. along with ammunition and explo and implosives, heavier sniper rifles of the duty group loaded. My duty group was ready within 20 minutes at Palam to take off any where. We had along with R@AW and IB worked on intelligence regarding all possible targets during Nam, CHOG(M) and Asian Games and practiced live on the same. To day I can ask as to why this top heavy NSG was sleeping till 26/11. All these years as a responsible Counter Terrorist Force, NSG should have collected detailed maps and other intelligence of all the targets in the country. Like us NSG should have practiced live on these targets.
Sir, NSG was raised in 1985 out of the SPECIAL GROUP, the Counter Terrorist Force I raised duing 1982/83, by transfering two of my companies lock stock and barrel and naming then 51 and 52 SAG which are the teeth arm of the NSG. The rot started from the day this transfer was done. There was no proper traibning, no further import of weapons and equipment which we had like the audio and vidio bugs, tapped explosives and implosives and special plastic ladders n equipment to break open the doors silently. We practiced firing with pistols at 20, MP-5 at 50 and sniper rifles at 1000 meters on targets head shots with officers and men standing next to the targets. The anti hostage drill were practiced with live hostages and terrorist in the room while we entered through glass doors (bollywood style) and front door blasting off by implosives to fully surprise the terrorists. How ever the NSG dealt with the operatrions like untrained infantry in built up area operations without seeking them.
Enough material to raise the BP of Surya-ullah for next couple of days!!!! :mrgreen:
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

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^^^^ Good timeline for the response to 26/11 and the many fumbles. Looks like UPA is a babucracy on steroids. They like to hold meetngs for everything at the PM's house no less.
To get a sense of how the Centre responded to the worst terrorist attack in history, consider this: At midnight, when the decision was taken to send the National Security Guard (NSG), the following had already happened in Mumbai:

The massacre at CST was over; the first fires had been lit in the Taj Mahal Hotel; terrorists had taken over the Oberoi-Trident; Nariman House had been breached. And ATS chief Hemant Karkare, his colleagues Additional Commissioner of Police Ashok Kamte and Senior Inspector Vijay Salaskar were just minutes away from their death.

But it was only a full three hours later that the plane carrying the commandos took off from New Delhi — and it took them four hours after they landed in Mumbai to start their operations.

Emblematic of this response was Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, the political pointsman whose job was to co-ordinate the Central government’s response.

Patil learnt of the attack close to 11 pm — almost an hour and a half after they began — and, that too, when a family member asked him to watch “breaking news” on TV.

The Maharashtra government made the first formal request for the elite NSG commandos to take on the Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists by 11.30 pm.

However, before this formal request came, NSG chief J K Dutt saw images of the attack on TV within the first hour of the attacks, realized this was a terrorist raid and asked his commandos to be ready, according to an interview to Shekhar Gupta, Editor-in-Chief of The Indian Express on NDTV’s Walk the Talk.

Dutt said that soon after this, he received a call from Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar that his men should be ready.

Yet, precious hours were lost. First, on deciding the size of the force to send and, then, in getting them a plane to fly to Mumbai.

According to the crisis management plan put in place for such situations by the Centre, the first response is to call for a meeting of the Crisis Management Group (CMG). This is headed by the Cabinet Secretary and includes the Home Secretary and the Defence Secretary. The Secretary for the CMG is Secretary (Security) who at that point was K C Verma, the current RAW chief.

But the Home and Defence Secretaries were out of the capital and so Verma called Chandrasekhar and informed National Security Adviser M K Narayanan.

The NSA and the Cabinet Secretary rushed to the PM’s residence to brief Manmohan Singh. At that meeting, just before midnight, it was decided to send the NSG.
But by the NSG chief’s own admission, the force got the order at about 1 am and it took them two more hours to leave Delhi.

Chandrasekhar was co-ordinating the process of deploying the NSG with Maharashtra Chief Secretary Johny Joseph, who was asked to discuss with the police and give an assessment of how many commandos were needed in the first batch.

It may have seemed like a simple request but the Maharashtra Police was not in a position to provide a clear answer and said that “as many commandos as possible” should be sent.

The Centre persisted on a number and asked NSG how many commandos could be sent immediately. With no precise assessment available, it was agreed that 200 be sent.

While the NSG is always prepared to send smaller groups at short notice, mobilising 200 men required more time. And circumstances like the NSG operations head having to be rushed from a social engagement, and several other commandos not being prepared for deployment, did not help.


It was also decided that the NSG special assault group located for anti-hijack operations near the Indira Gandhi International Airport not be disturbed, just in case there was another threat in the offing. Officials said that arms, ammunition, equipment and provisions had to be taken for 200 men. That, too, meant more time.

With no assessment available about the scenario they could confront during operations in Mumbai, the NSG took no chances and began organising all the special equipment it thought could be useful. This meant using an IL-76, the largest cargo aircraft in the Indian Air Force fleet.

And this was the next crucial delay.

While NSG commandos were being gathered, the hunt started for an IL-76. Bimal Julka, senior joint secretary in the Defence Ministry, was woken up by Verma and asked to arrange for an IL-76.

The Air Force was also contacted, which reverted that it did not have an IL-76 stationed in Delhi but could fly in one from Chandigarh soon.

That didn’t suit the purpose although the IAF was asked to act immediately. Air India was also contacted, which said it had Airbus A-320s in Delhi but needed to get the crew together.

The NSG, however, said it would not be able to mobilize 200 men with arms, ammunition, equipment and provisions in an Airbus A-320.

Two planes could have been organized but within the CMG, members found themselves engaged in needless debates over crew rosters, a sensitive subject with commercial airlines.


As the clock ticked away, RAW discovered that an IL-76 belonging to its air wing, Aviation Research Centre, was in Delhi that day.

At 12.25 am, RAW Chief Ashok Chaturvedi was woken up with a panicky phone call from M L Kumawat, Special Secretary (internal security) in the Home Ministry asking for permission to use the ARC plane. Orders went out to immediately mobilize the crew and prepare the plane for take-off.


Since choppers cannot fly at night, 200 NSG men were transported to the airport in buses from Manesar, almost an hour’s journey and it was 2.10 am when they boarded the IL-76.

At 3 am on November 27, the ARC plane finally took off from Delhi.
The first briefing to the commandos on what was called “Operation Black Tornado” was done en route on the plane and the NSG task force was divided into three sub-task forces for each location.

The briefing was sketchy as not much detail was available. The IL-76, being a large plane, took just under three hours to cover the distance from Delhi to Mumbai while a commercial plane takes a little less than two hours.

In Mumbai, only some commandos could be transported to the locations of the attacks in choppers, while the rest traveled by bus, which also added to the delay.
All the officials named in above are still going strong without anyone paying a price for the lack of timeliness in the resposne.
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

Post by krishnan »

14:00 Kasab's lawyer tells SC he did not get a fair trial: Just In: Main accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks Ajmal Kasab has not been given a fair trial in the case, his lawyer and amicus curiae tells the Supreme Court.
Hope someone gives him a fair trial
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

Post by Atri »

ramana wrote:At 12.25 am, RAW Chief Ashok Chaturvedi was woken up with a panicky phone call from M L Kumawat, Special Secretary (internal security) in the Home Ministry asking for permission to use the ARC plane. Orders went out to immediately mobilize the crew and prepare the plane for take-off. [/b]
All the officials named in above are still going strong without anyone paying a price for the lack of timeliness in the resposne.[/quote]

Isn't he the same "Paan chewing Chaturvedi" ?
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

Post by chetak »

Only in India!! :evil:

Mumbai attack convict Kasab not given free, fair trial, his lawyer to SC

Senior advocate Raju Ramachandran, who has been appointed as amicus curiae by the apex court to defend Kasab, told a Bench headed by Justice Aftab Alam that he was not a part of the larger conspiracy for waging war against nation.

“Even if I am guilty under section 302 (punishment for murder) of the IPC and other provisions, it cannot be said that I was a part of the larger conspiracy of waging war,” said Ramachandran.

Maintaining that the prosecution has failed to prove the case against him beyond doubts, he told the Bench that his right against self-incrimination as well as his right to get himself adequately represented by a counsel to defend himself in the case have been violated during the trial.

The apex court had on October 10 stayed the death sentence of 24-year-old Kasab, the lone surviving gunman involved in the 2008 Mumbai attack.

In the special leave petition filed by Kasab, challenging the Bombay High Court judgement, he claimed he was brainwashed like a "robot" into committing the heinous crime in the name of "God" and that he did not deserve capital punishment because of his young age.
The little fcker does not even take the name of his god in whose name he claims to have done this, preferring instead to use just the generic and politically correct "god".
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

Post by nachiket »

chetak wrote:Only in India!! :evil:
Why worry saar? The court is not going to accept that ridiculous argument. I bet even his lawyer doesn't think it'll actually work.
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

Post by SSridhar »

Pakistan 26/11 Judicial Panel fails to turn up at Mumbai
The fate of 26/11 trial in Pakistan is again mired in uncertainty with Islamabad failing to communicate to New Delhi exactly when its judicial commission will visit India to record statement of officials linked with the Mumbai attacks. Government sources confirmed on Monday that Pakistan has only conveyed to India that the visit slated for February 3-6 couldn't take place because of some issues "legal in nature".

"We have not heard anything new from Pakistan regarding the proposed visit of a judicial panel," said official sources. The government had earlier indicated to Pakistan that it would be willing to receive the judicial commission in the first 10 days of February after which the Pakistani side had announced that the commission would visit India from February 3 to 6.

"They had then indicated a window of opportunity when this judicial delegation will come," said the source but a day before February 3, Pakistan informed India that they would like to reschedule the panel's visit.

"We have not heard anything since then from Pakistan about the visit. The last communication we have from them is about their intent to reschedule, and that they would come back with fresh dates," he said.
See here for a chronology of court drama in Pakistan
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

Post by Sachin »

Gents..
I am on the process of reading a book written by Mrs. Vinita Kamte, wife of late Jt.Commissioner, Mu.Po Ashok Kamte.
To the Last Bullet.
There are a couple of chapters dedicated in analysing the events leading to the death of three officers (Karkare, Kamte and Salaskar). The author does mention that then then Commissioner of Police Hassan Gafoor was evasive in replying to many pointed questions raised by the author. Using the wireless communication records (which she got by using RTI act) she also puts up a point that there were too much delays (and shoddy work) at the Control Room.

From the wireless communication records it seems Hemant Karkare had neatly indicated his position (behind the Cama Hospital) and his plan of action. Which was to encircle the Cama Hospital and once that is done, Karkare, Kamte and Salaskar would storm the hospital from the front. But it seems his request for sending in Armed police platoons in order to put this plan for action was not carried out. And because of the same lack of action Inspector Bapu Saheb Durgade who was patrolling the area was also killed. He had seen the terrorists walking out, and challenged them. They shot him dead. And the sad part was that when Kamte, Karkare, and Salaskar's body was put out on the pavement, another police patrol vehicle with its top light on had gone past them. They did not make any attempt to help these three men. The author also says that later intercepts shows that when Hassan Gafoor asked Rakesh Maria (manning the control room then) about the where abouts of the three officers, he replies that he needs to check and get back. When Karkare had given his position nearly 45mins to 1 hour back.
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

Post by ramana »

Michael Krepon and a Gungadin are trying to milk the 26/11 Mumbai Terrorist attack and how US prevented a nuke crisis! He is releasing a book today.

Where is the crisis when the GOI has no intention of even using conventional arms to deter TSP from terrorist strikes. He should be careful that he doesn't break his arm patting himself on his back!
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

Post by Aditya_V »

If we are not going Hang Kasab, then what hope we have of ever prosecueting the kingpin.

Kasab was never tortured, given fair trial: Maharashtra govt to SC
Senior advocate Raju Ramachandran, who has been appointed amicus curiae by the apex court to defend Kasab, had told the bench that he was not a part of the larger conspiracy for waging war against the nation.

Stressing on Kasab's age as an important factor to commute his sentence, he had pleaded for a lenient approach as he was drawn into it as a result of exploitation of religious faith and false ideology.

Maintaining that the prosecution has failed to prove the case against Kasab beyond doubts, he had said that his right against self-incrimination as well as his right to get himself adequately represented by a counsel to defend himself in the case had been violated during the trial.
Wouldn't be surprised if one day he is given a Presidential Pardon.
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

Post by SSridhar »

While a lawyer is expected to put forth all kinds of arguments to save his client, we can easily detect a pattern among some of them.
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

Post by ramana »

Kasab was directly involved in the killings at the railway station and the ambush of the ATS officers. So what is the problem?
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

Post by Jayram »

My parents ran into an IPS officer while travelling on a train and he said GOI is actually keeping him alive as he is more valuable alive than dead as a constant reminder to our neighbor of their perfidy. Strategic value..
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Re: Mumbai Terrorist Attack-News stories and timeline

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Court asks NIA to produce Headley and others - The Hindu
A special court here on Saturday told the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to initiate the process to produce U.S. citizen David Coleman Headley, his Canadian accomplice Tahawwur Hussain Rana, Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Muhammed Saeed and LeT head of operations Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi before it on March 13, taking cognisance of the charge sheet filed by the agency against them and five other Pakistani nationals for plotting to carry out “spectacular terror attacks on places of iconic importance” in India, including the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

While Headley and Rana are presently in U.S. custody, Saeed and Lakhvi are believed to be in Pakistan.

On December 24, 2011, the NIA filed a charge sheet under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act against the nine accused.

Others charge-sheeted are: LeT operatives Sajid Majid and Abdur Rehman Hashim, two serving Pakistani Army officers Major Iqbal and Major Sameer Ali, and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) chief Ilyas Kashmiri. The court which issued non-bailable warrants on July 21, 2010 against them, re-issued them for March 13.

Special Judge H.S. Sharma said: “The taking of cognisance means the point in time when the court takes judicial notice of an offence with a view to initiating proceedings in respect of such offence which appears to have been committed. Only a prima facie view is to be taken…Process to procure the presence of A-1 to A- 4 (Headley, Rana, Saeed, and Lakhvi) on March 13 [should] be initiated. NBWs against A-5 to A-9 (five other accused) have already been issued for that day.”

Headley was arrested by the FBI on October 3, 2009. Mr. Sharma in his order noted that Headley had entered into a plea bargain agreement with U.S. federal prosecutors, and admitted his guilt and the charges against him. The judge also allowed NIA's application seeking issuance of a letter rogatory to Morocco to investigate the whereabouts of Headley's wife, Faiza Outalha, who the agency claims made two visits to India — first in April 2007, and later in the months of June, July and August 2008 — in the run-up to the 26/11 attacks.

LeT, HuJI conspiracy

An NIA statement issued on December 24 when the charge sheet was filed, alleged that the conspiracy was “hatched in or around 2005 by the leaders of the LeT and the HuJI” with the active support and encouragement from serving officers of the Pakistani Army working for the ISI like Major Sameer Ali and Major Iqbal.

“Headley and Rana were placed in a position where they could work for providing tactical, material and financial support in planning and carrying out terrorist attacks in India and other places,” the NIA statement said.

“David Headley made multiple trips to India between September 14, 2006, and March 15, 2009. During his trips he conducted tactical surveillance of potential targets of terrorist attacks. He collected tactical details including video footage of all the places which were attacked during 26/11/2008 in Mumbai. He also collected critical information and videos of places including different Chabad Houses in India, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, the Mantralaya and the Air India building in Mumbai, and the National Defence College, Delhi,” the NIA alleged.

On Rana, the agency said he was in constant touch with Headley, provided him with financial resources and other support for running an immigration consultancy office in Mumbai which did not process even one case of immigration during its entire period of existence. Rana visited India on November 13, 2008, and left Mumbai “in haste” on November 21, 2008, six days before the Mumbai attack.
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