World | India
Lone surviving gunman reveals operation details
Maharashtra deputy chief minister R.R. Patil on Saturday said preliminary investigations into the attacks revealed that the terrorists planned to kill at least 5,000, judging by the arms and ammunition they possessed.
- By Pamels Raghunath, Correspondent
- Published: 23:31 November 29, 2008
- Mumbai mayhem clouds Delhi polls
- Snatched from safety by mobile phone ring
- Hotel staff remember colleagues felled by terror bullets
- Militants 'wanted Indian 9/11'
- Singaporean hostage killed in attacks on Mumbai
- Indian commandos wipe out militants
- Mumbai: 48 hours of terror
- Consulate rescues terrified Emirati family
- Manmohan Singh's address to the nation
Mumbai: Maharashtra deputy chief minister R.R. Patil on Saturday said preliminary investigations into the attacks revealed that the terrorists planned to kill at least 5,000, judging by the arms and ammunition they possessed.
With the recovery of AK-47 rifles, grenades, arms and several hundred rounds of ammunition from terrorists who were gunned down as well as from the one and only terrorist caught alive, Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasar, 21, "it is apparent they wanted to cause extensive destruction to human life," said Patil.
Remand
Kasar, a Pakistani national, was arrested at Marine Drive even as he and his companions began a killing spree. He was on Saturday remanded to police custody till December 11.
Terrorists had access to modern communications systems like GPS, satellite and mobile phones and also had maps of the hotels even as they received regular directions over phone from another country, said Patil. He also informed that there was no involvement of any locals in the attacks.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said the state would also form a NSG-like force. When asked why the Mumbai and Maharashtra Police were not modernised or equipped with sophisticated equipment, he replied that all these years "our priority was development".
Related Links
"The families of the security officials who lost their lives while fighting the terrorists will be given a compensation of Rs2.5 million [Dh190,000]," said Deshmukh.
Meanwhile, according to reports emanating from what the interrogators were told by the lone terrorist who was captured, it appears that terrorists who entered Mumbai began their killing spree on the high seas when they hijacked a fishing trawler, Kuber, and killed five fishermen who have been 'missing' since last week.
They pushed four of the fishermen and the fifth one, Balwant Tandel, was beheaded as the vessel neared the Mumbai shore. It appears that the captured terrorist revealed that 11 Lashkar-e-Toiba cadres had sailed off from Karachi to Mumbai.
News Editor's choice
-
Allies quit ruling coalition in Nepal
Political row could trigger months of street protests and violence
-
Qatar blaze 'started at nursery'
Fire killed 19 including 13 children, at Doha’s main shopping centre
-
Jagan jailed over illegal assets
Andhra Pradesh leader accused of corruption, cheating, conspiracy
