Decius wrote:

Westerners were rounded up in at least two five-star hotels, including the exclusive Taj Palace, which were among seven targets stormed by men armed with AK-47 machine guns and grenades.

Witnesses said the terrorists, thought to be linked to Al-Qaeda, were specifically targeting British and American visitors.

It certainly sounds like an Al Qaeda op. Agree? Disagree? Confirmations anywhere?

I don't think it's Al Queda. I think it's just another batch of lunatics.

It certainly sounds like an Al Qaeda op. Agree? Disagree? Confirmations anywhere?

I'm not sold on the idea this was organized by AlQ Prime yet, but the possibility is on the table. I agree, it has the marks of their ops.

It's also close enough to where Bin Laden and Zawahiri are believed to be based for me to buy into the idea that they were somehow involved. There would be no need for any type of electronic communications in the loop.. The leaders of the Indian group could get face time. It sounds like it could fit into the way they are known to do business.

Also, there appears to be some possible misdirection going on with the names of the groups.. The "Deccan Mujahideen" name hasn't been used before, and seems like an attempt to enforce the idea this is home grown. "Indian Mujahideen" has, and in the context of "we are a locally grown group, really". However, there are differences in the groups' tactics..

Shrug..

It's clearly targeted at getting westerners attention. Happy Thanksgiving!

Rattle wrote:
It's clearly targeted at getting westerners attention. Happy Thanksgiving!

I agree with that. What bothers me is:
1. The footage of someone in a police van unloading into the crowd.
2. The fact that the anti-terror chief died in the fray.
3. The fact that the Taj lowered security a couple weeks ago. Foreign terrorists couldn't have known that the Taj was going to lower security, and this op was obviously planned months ago, when security was higher. These guys were looking to hit soft targets. Why the hell would they change their plans a couple of weeks before go time? One hotel is as good as another as far as US TV is concerned. They had to have known that security was going to be lowered, which implies that whoever lowered the security was in the loop. Perhaps, the cops were too. Some of them, anyway.

I agree with that. What bothers me is:
1. The footage of someone in a police van unloading into the crowd.

Could be as simple as a terrorist finding cover in a place the cops would be unlikely to expect an attacker to be.

2. The fact that the anti-terror chief died in the fray.
3. The fact that the Taj lowered security a couple weeks ago. Foreign terrorists couldn't have known that the Taj was going to lower security, and this op was obviously planned months ago, when security was higher. These guys were looking to hit soft targets. Why the hell would they change their plans a couple of weeks before go time? One hotel is as good as another as far as US TV is concerned. They had to have known that security was going to be lowered, which implies that whoever lowered the security was in the loop. Perhaps, the cops were too.

They definitely would have been monitoring the targets running up to the op. There are probably many ways they could have obtained inside information without having a mole in the police, although that is a real possibility.

I'm not prepared to buy into the idea that the Indian security infrastructure was in on the op from the beginning, but I am prepared to believe they have a mole...