Bharat Rakshak

Anurag wrote:I'm just curious, how hard is it to take this Hafeez character out on TSP soil? It would be proving a point surely!

Not hard at all. What's lacking is the will.

Anurag wrote:I'm just curious, how hard is it to take this Hafeez character out on TSP soil? It would be proving a point surely!

Not so hard, IMVHO. But why limit it to Hafeez, there are other big pigs like Dawood of D company, and other such elements including the top brass of ISI/PA or ex ISI/PA( Gul comes to my mind).....

I'm just curious, how hard is it to take this Hafeez character out on TSP soil? It would be proving a point surely!

Dead ejee actually. A single Brahmos on Muridke should do it. Would have the Hellfires go a jealous green in the unspoken competition to ratchet up 'collateral damage' also onlee.

But why limit it to Hafeez, there are other big pigs like Dawood of D company, and other such elements including the top brass of ISI/PA or ex ISI/PA( Gul comes to my mind).....

True.

One Brahmos fired is many too few. Might as well fire the whole 20, or better still, as Dr Pillai said, the whole first lot of 5000, since the yinternational reaction can't get any shriller than maximum anyways.

One Brahmos fired is many too few. Might as well fire the whole 20, or better still, as Dr Pillai said, the whole first lot of 5000, since the yinternational reaction can't get any shriller than maximum anyways.

Actually, I was envisaging something much more lowkey like a truck of 100/10000kg explosives or fidayeen suicide bombers..etc And when pukes say that there is a 'foreign hand', and no body gives a sh!t, becoz thats what they say all the time anyway....

Terror at Taj Hotel could have ended first night itself

MUMBAI: 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.

...

Cross-posted from TSP thread:
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A re-look at Mumbai 26/11:

There is no doubt that the LeT was responsible for Mumbai 26/11. The conventional wisdom is that the LeT is an instrument of the Pakistani military, which is therefore the ultimate author of the 26/11 atrocity. I think it's worthwhile to take another look at this thesis. In an effort to understand what the origins of 26/11 could be, let us look at a few scenarios and then comment about the plausibility of each:

Let us consider the scenario - the Pakistan Military did it: The Pakistani military is a terrorist organization. But the question is whether they were managing the 26/11 operation, including details like target selection. Amongst the targets was the Jewish Chabad center. Now, the Pakistani military brass have been subsisting on American munificence for generations, and they would certainly understand the power of the Jewish lobby in Washington. They would definitely want to slaughter Hindoo Kaffirs when they think they can get away with it, but it should have been amply clear to them that going around slaughtering Jews is not something that is done. Their entire venom is directed against Hindoo Kaffirs, and they tend to behave fairly abjectly before other powers.

But, on the other hand, the Pakistani establishment has demonstrated a very high capacity for lunacy. Recall the strenuous and ludicrous efforts to deny Kasab's origins. Also, the attack on the Sri Lankan team has all the hallmarks of a false-flag operation by the Pakistani establishment.

So the question becomes whether the level of lunacy of the Pakistani military brass is high enough to have ordered an attack on the Jewish center. The jury is still out on this question.

It is also pertinent to keep in mind that all is not well between the military brass and the LeT: For example, Pakistan Attorney-General Latif Khosa told the Lahore High Court that the government had enough material against Mr. Saeed, but it could not be produced in an open court (http://www.hindu.com/2009/05/28/stories ... 501000.htm). Later, the AG presented to the Court (in camera) material linking Saeed to Al-Qaeda (http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/daw ... -saeed-369). There have been reports that the Pakistani government is planning to appeal the release of Saeed (http://indiatoday.intoday.in/index.php? ... 8&Itemid=1). Lastly, it should be noted that Saeed, after his release, has opposed the Swat offensive (http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=79386), showing that he is not quite on the same page as the Pakistani military. The Pakistanis have been accusing the US of secretly supporting people like Mehsud and Fazlullah, who are armed with ostensibly "leaked" American weapons. So, if Hafiz Saeed opposes the Swat offensive, it does raise some questions. It may be that Saeed is aligned less with the Pakistani military than with his Arab backers (and therefore, wittingly or unwittingly, aligned with any powers behind such backers). However, the ISI and the LeT have a long history of collaboration. People like Saeed know too many secrets. Also, the Pakistanis may want to use the LeT again against India in the future. Therefore, despite the apparent differences between the ISI and LeT, it is unlikely that Pakistan will be able to take any decisive action against the LeT.

Let us move to the next scenario - the LeT did the planning, either on its own, or in collaboration with Arab extremists: The LeT and Wahhabi Arab extremists would certainly be capable of targeting the Jewish center, and it is known that the founding of the LeT was financed by Arab donors. So the links between the LeT and the Wahhabis go back a long way. Further, it has emerged that an Oman-based terror financier was in Mumbai days before the attack (http://www.hindu.com/2009/05/28/stories ... 760100.htm). But let us recall the threatening phone call made to Zardari by an unidentified person claiming to be Pranab Mukherjee. The call appeared to originate in the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi (http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/07/stories ... 210100.htm ). It is fair to assume that the people behind the Mumbai attack were also responsible for that phone call. The question is, would extremist rabble like the LeT and Wahhabis have the imagination and the technical sophistication to pull off such a hoax? Again, the jury is out on that question, too.

Now, let us consider the third and final scenario - that 26/11 was done by the LeT in collaboration with Arab extremist organizations that have been infiltrated by Western intelligence: This is a scenario that leads to uncomfortable questions and conclusions, so it is worthwhile looking carefully at its plausibility.

Does such infiltration occur? Yes, it does - in fact it occurs all the time. Look at here for an article (from "The Week", February 6, 2000) regarding an infiltration attempt by Western intelligence of the Tablighi Jamaat in Bangladesh. For another example of how intelligence agencies normally function, it is worthwhile looking at the recently unraveled plot to bomb synagogues in New York: FBI ‘lured dimwits’ into terror plot. I would also strongly urge everybody to watch this sober but hard hitting film on the 2005 London bombing: 7/7 Ripple Effect. It is packed with rare information and well worth watching right till the end.

In this scenario the threatening hoax phone call to Zardari becomes explicable: Western intelligence agencies definitely have the technical capability as well as the mind-set to do this.

What would the motivation of such a plot be? Well, Pakistani nuclear capability has become a headache to the West, and Indian nukes are not looked upon with much favour either. What better than to set off a war between the two? Also, the long-term global great game demands that obstacles be created to the emergence of any independent power with the potential of operating at the global level.

But then, what about the attack on the Chabad center? What about the many Western citizens that died in the hotels? Although that was painful, it would certainly have the effect of diverting attention away from any suspicions of Western complicity.

I would like to emphasize that I am not claiming that this is in fact what happened. However we do need to keep an open mind, and examine things dispassionately. It could have been some combination of the scenarios depicted above. Even six months after the event, it is far from clear what happened.

Anurag wrote:I'm just curious, how hard is it to take this Hafeez character out on TSP soil? It would be proving a point surely!

Consider the fact that Lahore HC is in a busy area surrounded by various offices of banks as well as the postal HQ along with various institutions like YMCA and Andrews Church. When Hafeez came out, he was cocooned by cops and security. However, in his small press conf. at the venue, he was surrounded with his supporters + cops+ media. Who knows if at this point or when he left the HC, there was a short circuit in vacuum in a nearby bulb , maybe the " good talibani " short circuiters were targeting the Church or YMCA or something nearby?

LeT planning another attack

NEW DELHI: Seven months after Mumbai 26/11, Pakistan's Lashkar-e-Taiba is planning its next, more spectacular attack in India. Even before Lashkar chief Hafiz Saeed was released in Lahore, LeT masterminds have been at work on the next strike.

Counter-terrorism officials are working on very specific intelligence that points once again to Pakistan-based LeT planning another spectacular attack in India.

LeT's targets are not different, and Lashkar's strategy too has not changed. The basic idea is to spark off a Hindu backlash, so clearly the prime targets are people like Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and other so-called Hindu targets are on top of the list. South Indian states are particularly vulnerable, said sources, because LeT leaders are known to be working on plans to attack soft targets in these states.

Before July visit of Hillary Clinton, the possibilities of another attack outside J&K may vary, but the LeT and its non-uniform jihadis will sooner or later try to recreate another 26/11. Given the warnings of attacks on "South Indian states", all possible sites must be identified and secured. Particularly places like Tirumala. Even high visibility religious/non religious places in KT must secure themselves.

The US meanwhile seems to be drum rolling before the visit of Clinton by giving out such advisories or adding to the confusion.

Panicky US issues advisory against travelling to India

New Delhi: Two days after the Lahore high court set Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed free, Indian intelligence sources fear terrorists may be regrouping o plan a major strike on India.

This report is being taken very seriously by authorities in the United States who issued a travel advisory on Monday, asking its citizens to be careful while living and travelling within India.

The advisory says there is a high threat from terrorism throughout India and advises Americans to keep a low profile, especially while visiting public places.

Meanwhile,

Witness identifies blankets, jackets of 26/11 case suspects

Mumbai, June 3 (PTI) More than 100 articles, including blankets and jackets, of 10 Lashkar-e-Toiba operatives who had unleashed terror in the city on November 26 last year, were today identified by a witness in a special court.
The evidence of this witness is considered significant because the DNA samples of 14 blankets and 15 jackets had matched with the DNA of these terrorists including Pakistani gunmen Ajmal Kasab, said special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam.

The witness, Gorakh Nalawade, in whose presence the articles were seized, said altogether 145 articles were recovered from the marine vessel 'Kuber'.

The prosecution has alleged that the terrorists had hijacked M V Kuber midway from Karachi (Pakistan) and reached the shores of Mumbai on November 26 to strike terror.

As Nalawade was identifying all the articles one by one, Kasab, sitting in the dock, watched with keen interest.

Looking at Kasab, Judge M L Tahaliyani told prosecutor Nikam in lighter vein, "He (Kasab) is watching so carefully as if he has seen these articles for the first time." Nikam replied, "Kasab must be looking to find out which jacket or blanket was his (own)".

Lt. Col (Retd) Ralph Peters’ take on the release of Hafiz Sayeed.

Comes across as being dismissive of both Pakistan’s intention to fight terrorism as well as the US policy of supporting Pakistan :

PULLING TERROR'S TEETH IN PAKISTAN

Posted: 1:27 am June 4, 2009

FIGHTING terrorists and insurgents resembles dental care: …………………..

Last month, Pakistan finally and belatedly admitted to itself that its terrorist problem had spread so deeply that at least one bad tooth had to be pulled. The military went into the Taliban-occupied Swat Valley in force. ………………….

As a result, I intended to write a column congratulating Pakistan's government on finally "getting it," encouraging the country's leaders to keep the pressure on our mutual enemies and, after catching a quick breath, to push beyond Swat into the frontier regions.

Then, on Tuesday, the Paks made a stinking mess: After murky court proceedings, the government released a terrorist chieftain, Hafiz Sayeed, the creator of Lashkar i-Taiba, the Islamist group behind the gruesome terror attacks in Mumbai last November.

The Indians are, justifiably, outraged. Once again, Pakistan protected a terrorist, knowing that we'll protect Pakistan.

We're dumber than dirt. Our leaders still don't grasp that the biggest hurdle for the Pakistani government in fighting the Taliban and its affiliates is that Islamabad adopted the Taliban in its infancy, then nurtured and raised it. ………………


When we ask Pakistan to prosecute the campaign against the Taliban to the end, we're asking a mafia-run government to rub out the mafia. ……………….

Pakistan's intelligence services are so tied to terrorists that they now seem unsure of their basic loyalties.

India's outraged. Pakistan's smirking. Terror's thriving. We're aydreaming. ………………

New York Post

Read the entire article. Too many important points to highlight. This one is a keeper.

I hope lessons have been learnt from this incident and a more robust, rapid action plan has been worked out.


It took 5 hrs to decide on sending NSG, find aircraft

...
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.
...
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.
...
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.
...

Big Lie. Sonia was personally responsible for killing 2 hours after Vilasrao called for NSG help, waiting to see the political fallout. Manmohan was sleeping.

NSG was ready in 45mins and then just waited helplessly for the call to fly from the Cabinet Secretary. This as told by one of the force commanders. There are always 3 IL-76s at their disposal, one at Palam, one at Agra and one at Hindon.

Shekhar load of crap Gupta was going to commandeer an airbus for them at midnight?

Owner of Kuber deposes

Mr. Masani testified that there were six persons on Kuber. Its navigator Amarsinh Solanki had been accompanied by five sailors. Solanki’s throat was slit. The others were removed to the Pakistani boat Al Husseini when the Kuber was hijacked and killed there, Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told The Hindu.

Dubai national suspected to be part of network

Express News ServiceFirst Published : 02 Jun 2009 03:10:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 02 Jun 2009 10:56:18 AM IST

HYDERABAD: Dubai national Khameez Obaid, who was picked up a few days ago after he was released from the Cherlapally prison, is alleged to be a part of an international network which has been funding terrorists in India and Bangladesh.
Obaid, who was arrested following seizure of Rs 2.36 cr worth of fake currency on Aug 25, 2007, the day when Hyderabad witnessed twin bomb blasts, was picked up by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the city police as soon as he came out of the Cherlapally prison recently. He was produced before the magistrate later and remanded to judicial custody.
Police sources told Express that during the last few years, Obaid had played a key role in ensuring that fake currency worth several crores of rupees was pumped into India, mostly through the sea cargo which landed in Mumbai.
``He is part of the network which is financing terror even in Bangladesh.

However, it does not appear that he himself participated in any terror acts and was confined to jihad financing,’’ sources who interrogated Obaid disclosed.

Obaid had reportedly revealed names of some persons involved in his network in Bangladesh.
It is learnt that even the Mumbai police might seek his custody for a few days to interrogate him as they are keen to find out if Obaid, in any way, is linked to the Oman-based jihadi financier, Abdul Aziz Al-Hooti, who is suspected to have funded the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

``The network of the people who funded the bomb blasts last year in Gujarat, Delhi and Bangalore is still sound and Obaid appears to be one of them,” sources said.

Besides his contacts in Dubai, Bangladesh, Obaid reportedly revealed names of his associates in Mumbai as well. “He is still to give out more information about the chain in India. But we are not sure whether they are still active as Obaid himself was arrested in August,” they said.

So jihad financing is not a terrorist act? Boy are we messed up!

India to lease US copters for coastal vigil

NEW DELHI: With New Delhi and Washington close to inking the End-Use Monitoring Agreement (EUMA), India now appears all set to also lease heavy-duty helicopters from the American Coast Guard for surveillance operations.

Defence ministry officials on Friday said India would soon take a decision on leasing at least 12 twin-engined US helicopters for the Indian Coast Guard, whose force-levels are being bolstered under the new coastal security architecture being erected in wake of the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai.

This will be the first time that India will be taking defence aircraft on lease from another country. "US has offered helicopters like the Sikorsky and AugustaWestland ones. The modalities are being worked out," said an official.

...

What a coincidence!

File on bullet-proof vests can't be traced: Police

MUMBAI: An RTI applicant, who sought to get details of the bullet-proof jackets that Mumbai police personnel have been using since 1995, was shocked to receive a terse reply: "Since the file relating to bullet-proof jackets cannot be found, the queries cannot be answered.''

Santosh Doundkar, a social worker from BIT chawls in Mumbai Central was greeted with this answer from assistant commissioner of police (headquarters) Hira Rathod, who is the information officer for the Mumbai police. The query was filed on December 8, 2008.

After the issue was raised at the state legislative assembly on Tuesday, home minister Jayant Patil assured a probe into how the file went missing.

Hemant Karkare, then chief of the ATS, was shot dead by terrorists on the night of November 26, 2008--he received the fatal injuries on his chest and neck, despite wearing a bullet-proof (BP) jacket. At that time, officials had revealed that the quality of those bullet-proof vests had been out under the scanner. In fact, a source said inspector Vijay Salaskar did not even wear a bullet-proof vest on the fateful night as he knew about the poor quality of the jackets and doubted its capability to save him.

Says Daundkar, "I have now filed an appeal against Rathod's reply. Let us see. I felt angry watching the TV grabs of Karkare and other officers dying helplessly. What use is it if even our senior officers cannot be protected?'' he said, adding that he would take the matter to court, if necessary.

What action is taken against department head if a file goes missing?

Tamang wrote:What action is taken against department head if a file goes missing?

This amount of corruption is mind boggling and where else but in a congress ruled state. The matter would have gone hush hush if Kamte hadn't died of bullet throguh jacket injuries. I am 100% sure nothing will come out of this.

us coast guard has dauphin and sh60 helis. the sh60 even has probe for air2air refueling from c130 to extend loiter time
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Helic ... ueling.jpg

I guess the 'ground is being prepared' for the SH60 to win the navy's medium helicopter contest

^^^ i think its part of a longer term US strategy to integrate USN and IN to co-manage the IOR and buffer against PLAN

Pak court issues arrest warrant for a Balochi for supplying boat for 26/11

It is a sop being thrown at after the release of Hafeez Saeed.

Do we have details of the MV Kuber? From the deposition it looks like it had a crew of ~6 ie navigator Amar Sinh Solanki plus five others who were killed on the Al Hussien. it was to be at sea for 10-12 days but near to its port of Jahkau area. It left port around Nov 14th and lost contact ~ Nov 22. So was at sea for ~ 8-9 days. It then gets boarded by the 10 member terrorists who happen to come on it? They then have 10+ Navigator and proceed to Mumbai. And reach in 3-4 days. So what kind of fuel tanks does this boat have that it can travel so far and can they have 11 people on board? Did it have extra life saving gear more than for the original six? Granted they kept the navigator alive till they reached Mumbai and had the GPS to give them their position. Was the terrorist plan to capture a random Indian fishing vessel and get passage? Looks like unreliable plan. If that was the ase other Indian fishing vessels must have seen the Al Hussien in the waters. Did the Al Hussein transfer fuel to make the journey?

Also find it odd that the terrorists would maintain the MV Kuber's log sheet and put their names for guard duty. It shows their military training as its more like muster roll than just a log book. Are these guys really non-uniformed TSP military personnel?



LINK

Boat was hired, not hijacked
Intelligence officials suspect that the M V Kuber boat was hired and not hijacked to carry the arms and ammunition by the terrorists to Mumbai. Investigations have indicated that Kuber set sail from Jakau port in Gujarat on November 14. Coast Guard officials ran a check on Kuber's route and found that the boat had sailed about 50 nautical miles off Sir Creek into Pakistani waters, where the consignment was transferred on to the Kuber.

COast guard recovers 15 life jackets on MV Kuber

Wonder why the boat carried three times more thant he expected crew unless the terrorists brought extra ones from the Al Hussien.

The charge sheet says the terrorists transferred diesel oil also from Al Hussien. So that was what happened.

-----------
MV Kuber details

Atleast has names of dead crewmen. RIP.

Tamang wrote:File on bullet-proof vests can't be traced. What action is taken against department head if a file goes missing?

Well what action has been taken against police and politicians complicit with Dawood gang? What action has been taken against police commissioner for no training or equipment for anti-terrorist squads or may be no squads themselves?

http://news.rediff.com/report/2009/jun/ ... -kasab.htm

A ten-year-old girl, who was disabled after being seriously injured in the terror attack on Mumbai [ Images ] on November 26 last year, on Wednesday identified arrested terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab [ Images ], as one of the two men who had fired indiscriminately at passengers inside the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus

While Kasab getting convicted is a mere formality, the question is whether his death penalty gets implemented. Given the precedent of Afzal, I can only guess the answer.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8093749.stm

The spin doctors...

A 10-year-old girl has been giving evidence in the trial of the man alleged to be the sole surviving gunman from last November's Mumbai attacks.

and a spirited little girl...

Dressed in an orange frock and with a short crop of hair, she looked at her father often when questioning began.

Judge ML Tahiliyani talked to her and determined that she was able to take the oath and answer prosecution questions.

'Not lying'

"We were at the train station because we were going to [the city of] Pune... When we heard the noise my father said we should leave... But one of the bullets hit my right leg and I do not remember what happened after that," Devika said.

She went on to identify Mr Qasab as the gunman she saw on the platform.

When defence lawyer Abbas Kazmi tried to cross-examine her she said: "I am not lying as I have sworn on God. If one lies on oath you commit a sin."

The defendant kept looking down through the proceedings.

Gerard wrote:Disabled by bullet, child points finger at Kasab

speaking in a sharia way

The word of a woman is worth half that of a "man" and that of a kafir only one half of a woman's.

I wonder how much the word of a poor kaffir female child is worth?

Must be humiliating for a lot of porkis that the Bombay judge not only over ruled kasab's lawyer but also accepted her testimony.

Women who lost child, foetus, identifies Kasab

Mumbai: Nafisa Qureshi was pregnant and waiting with her 6-year old daughter, Afreen, at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) station for a train to Aurangabad on November 26 last year when two terrorists opened fire at passengers. She identified Mohammed Ajmal Kasab as one of the terrorists.
In her deposition before the court on Thursday, Qureshi said that Afreen died immediately after of the bullets hit her on her back.

"My child was writhing in pain and she died in my arms. I fainted soon after," said Qureshi, her eyes welling up. A bullet hit Qureshi on her leg and she limps while walking even today. She also suffered a miscarriage after the incident.

When asked to identify the "terrorist", she pointed to Ajmal and, choking back her tears, said: "He is the one. She was my only daughter. He was carrying a bag. She died in front of my eyes. That shorty!"

Ajmal didn't meet her eye.

Why is the ba$tard still alive??

Dilbu wrote:
Why is the ba$tard still alive??

Bcoz UPA appoints d**kheads like Verrappa Moily who advocates for following the legal system and justifies the 9 year wait to hang Afzal Guru due to consideration of a 'mercy petition'fro the Prez....who herself is trying to save a her brothers ass on charges of murder..

Anther thing about the 26/11 attacks, the Pakis had no quams killing SDRE muslims but let White Arab Muslims in Hotels go. For the west and Muslims nations, Christians and Muslims of India are considered as Hindus only

First of the police heads roll. Interesting that BRF had also predicted immediately after 26/11 that Gafoor was a let down.
Gafoor shifted, Sivanandan new Mumbai police chief

Mumbai Police Commissioner Hasan Gafoor, who is believed to have been indicted by a high-level committee for the way he handled the 26/11 terror attacks, was shifted from the key post.

D Sivanandan, the state intelligence chief, was appointed as the new Police Commissioner.

A 1974 batch IPS officer, Gafoor, who held the high-profile office for over 15 months, has been made Managing Director of the Police Housing Corporation.

The Pradhan Committee, which went into the terror attacks that left over 180 dead, is understood to have faulted Gafoor for not taking charge of the situation, blamed him for lack of coordination among senior policemen and also noted that he should not have stayed at one spot and should have visited different terror sites to assess what was required.

Sivanadan comes in for high praise in the book by Harinder Baweja about 26/11. Interestingly, she writes that all the background info on the ten Paki pigs(to put in the dossier) was collected by RAW assets in Pak and was not done by the FBI for India( as i had assumed).

US arrests group for hacking phonelines to fund terror

New York: US and Italian authorities have arrested a group of hackers and five Pakistani co-conspirators who stole from phone companies around the world to fund Islamic terrorist activities in South Asia.

A federal grand jury in New Jersey indicted three hackers on Friday for providing Pakistanis in Italy with access to thousands of stolen phone lines. Payments to the hackers -- about $100 a hack -- were channelled through the Madina Trading Company that allegedly financed the communications of the terrorists in last year's Mumbai attacks. FBI agents had helped Mumbai investigators trace payments made through Madina to internet-based phone accounts used by the Mumbai attackers to make calls to their handlers.

The US indictment charges hackers Mahmoud Nusier, 40, Paul Michael Kwan, 27 and Nancy Gomez, 24 -- with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and unauthorised access to phone codes and computer systems. All three were earlier arrested by enforcement agencies in the Philippines. US officials are now seeking their extradition to serve out what could be a maximum of 20 years in prison.

The Wall Street Journal reported that among the five arrested in Italy were a husband-and-wife team who managed call centres in Brescia, Italy-- Mohammad Zamir and Shabina Kanwal. Pakistani conspirators, including the owner of Madina, allegedly sold services from phone lines that were stolen and used the funds to support terrorist activities, according to Italian authorities. According to legal documents, the bulk of the telephone traffic routed through the hacked lines was destined for Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Egypt and India.

Erez Liebermann, the assistant US attorney who is prosecuting the case, told the WSJ: "With the connections outlined in the Italian and Philippines side, we have now moved into the realm of hacking as a financing mechanism for terrorism."

NSG base in Chennai by year-end

COIMBATORE: Tamil Nadu police have stepped up patrolling and tightened security along the state's coast to prevent possible infiltration of LTTE remnants from Sri Lanka.

"Twelve coastal police stations have been put on high alert," DGP K P Jain said on Sunday. He said the government has imported a hi-tech surveillance boat from Greece at a cost of Rs 2.1 crore {The one inducted by Guj. was reportedly 2.5cr} to bolster coastal patrolling. "The boat has arrived in Chennai and will be pressed into search operations soon," he said.

Meanwhile, the country's counter-terrorism force, the NSG, is gearing up to set up its full-fledged commando unit in Chennai. The NSG commandos would arrive in Chennai next week and would temporarily function at the Police Training College at Ashok Nagar in Chennai, Jain said. "The government had identified land for a building for the NSG hub and the commando unit would become fully operational by the end of this year," said Jain. In the wake of 26/11, TN CM M Karunanidhi had made a strong plea for the NSG unit in Chennai to avert possible terror strikes.

Sahara offers assistance to families of 26/11 martyrs
Mumbai | Monday, Jun 15 2009 IST



Photojournalist identifies Kasab, provides proof
Press Trust of India, Monday June 15, 2009, Mumbai

...Sebastian D'Souza placed before the court 100 photographs which he had shot on the night of November 26 capturing the gunmen who were firing indiscriminately at people at the rail terminus. Over 50 persons were killed in the attack.

The evidence of this witness is considered significant because he is not only an eyewitness but also is the first witness to provide documentary evidence of the terror attack.

The court has taken 20 of the 100 photographs on record, three of them showing Kasab holding a AK-47 assault rifle and also firing with it.

Four other photographs are of Kasab and fellow gunman Abu Ismail firing at people at the rail terminus.

When the photographs were being displayed in court, Kasab was seen curiously looking at them from the dock since he was unaware that they were taken at the time of the attack.

"The photographs are independent pieces of evidence and carry the value of an eyewitness and therefore is regarded as documentary evidence," special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said.

Ten other photographs are of the main waiting hall of CST during the time of the attack, while two others are of slain policemen Ambadas Pawar and Shashank Shinde taking positions to fire at the gunmen.

One photograph was of a bookseller at the terminus who was also killed in the attack.
...
Two other eyewitnesses, both police personnel, also identified Kasab as one of the gunmen at CST.
...
Meanwhile, Kasab broke down shortly after photos of 26/11 were shown in the court. He told the judge that he is feeling dizzy.



Gafoor failed to lead Mumbai cops during 26/11: Panel
15 Jun 2009, 1008 hrs IST

Folks, after 26/11, Sarkozy promised help, so all the senior officials and police of France have been involved in investigations.

It was apparently MI6 according to IOL that should be credited with dissecting the operation. It was information gleaned by the British agency that helped Indian intelligence to establish that LeT was behind the deadly attack.

shyamd wrote:Folks, after 26/11, Sarkozy promised help, so all the senior officials and police of France have been involved in investigations.

It was apparently MI6 according to IOL that should be credited with dissecting the operation. It was information gleaned by the British agency that helped Indian intelligence to establish that LeT was behind the deadly attack.

Shyamd, can you please post any url links to reports of the involvement of senior officials and police of France in the investigations. Same request for MI6 to be credited for dissecting the 26/11 operation. According to the book referred by Sumsaar, RAW was instrumentaal in establishing the LET players involved in this plot.

Link
But its subscription

Keep in mind, Sumji's book (whats it called by the way?) could still be accurate but MI6 probably helped out in the technical areas. GCHQ has big ears.

shyamd wrote:...

Sumji's book (whats it called by the way?) ....

From the Vedams Books site link

26/11 Mumbai Attacked/edited by Harinder Baweja. New Delhi, Roli, 2009, xii, 216 p., photos, (pbk). ISBN 81-7436-707-5.

Contents: Editor's note. 1. They kept the soldier's promise : bravehearts/Chris Khetan. 2. His pants were starched with coagulated blood : the fight for Nariman House/Rahul Shivshankar. 3. Men, women and children ... Kasab's AK-47 did not discriminate : the carnage at CST/George Koshy. 4. Assemble bed-sheets, carpets, mattresses, set them on fire : 60 dark hours at hotel Taj/Ashish Khetan. 5. At the tiffin restaurant there was blood, blown-out bits of flesh ... splattered on the floor : How hotel Oberoi was secured/Ashish Khetan. 6. I went up assuming that my husband would follow me but be didn't make it out of the door : eyewitness accounts from CST, Leopold Cafe, Taj and Oberoi/Harsh Joshi. 7. Inflict maximum damage and don't be taken alive : Karachi to Mumbai: terror, step by step/Ashish Khetan. 8. The Lashkar was obviously not using money to buy flowers for the Indian Army : Inside the headquarters of the Lashkar-e-Toiba/Harinder Baweja. 9. Like that only and proud, no? : Mumbai/Bachi Karkaria. 10. The need is operational independence without political intervention : tackling terror in modern times/Julio Ribeiro. 11. Shivraj Patil delayed the NSG flight by 45 minutes " why India will be hit again/Harinder Baweja.

From the editor's note: "Several chapters in the book take a long, hard, even despairing look at how terror unfolded, step by step for over sixty long hours as India was held hostage. The chapters contain hitherto unpublished information on how the operation was planned and executed. Well-known journalists Ashish Khetan and Rahul Shivshankar have painstakingly reconstructed the horror at the three main target sites: hotels Taj and Oberoi and Nariman House and all three chapters give crucial insights into the terrorists' modus operandi, hair-raising conversations between the attackers and their handlers in Pakistan and the fight back--the almost impossible manner in which the National Security Guards got down to the task of pinning the terrorists down, even as they groped in the dark without too much help from other agencies who had begun intercepting the calls being made between Mumbai and Pakistan.

The book also details the intelligence failures, critical failures that are in urgent need of redress. Another chapter tracks the story back to Muridke, the infamous address just outside Lahore, where the Lashkar-e-Toiba is headquartered and where Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist was trained for the Mumbai attack."