Survivor: I heard shots echoing in the lobby

Dubai: "Come out of your room with your hands up," ordered the commandos who stood outside his room and Ahmad Bu Nahyan answered back "please don't shoot me, I am a hotel guest."

The commandos then asked him to undo the door chain and let them in. Once inside he was thoroughly searched and was then escorted out of his room only in his pajamas, shoes and his wallet on Thursday at 1pm.

He took the first available flight out of Mumbai at 5.30pm on Thursday and is now with his family in Saudi Arabia.

Bu Nahyan was held up in his room on the fifth floor of the new wing of the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai with no food and electricity since Wednesday evening at 10pm.

An engineer by profession, Bu Nahyan was in Mumbai for business purposes.

On telephone from Saudi Arabia, he provided Gulf News details of his escape from a situation that was getting worse by the minutes for all those in and around the Taj Mahal hotel in Colaba.

His nightmare began on Wednesday at 9.40pm when he had just left his hotel to have dinner in another hotel located nearby.

Commotion

But before he could enjoy a good meal, Bu Nahyan heard a lot of commotion behind him on the street. He saw people running in all directions. Not knowing what was going on, he dashed back towards his hotel. In the hotel lobby everything looked normal. He made enquires with the receptionist about the commotion outside on the street.

"Run to your room," said the receptionist. "I ran towards the elevator and got in. As the door closed on me I heard shots raining in the lobby. I knew I had escaped within the nick of time," said Bu Nahyan.

Once within the confines of his room, he dialled the receptionist again to confirm whether the gunmen were in the hotel.

"Yes" said the receptionist and his worst nightmare was about to unfold. He was also assured by the receptionist that everything was under control and that he should be in his room.

"I switched on the television to get some information on what was taking place. At around 11pm I get an assurance call again from one of the hotel staff, but meanwhile even the Saudi embassy from New Delhi and the Saudi Consulate from Mumbai was in touch with me and so were my family and friends."

Unable to sleep and holed up in his room with no electricity and proper food Bu Nahyan said he could hear gun shots and explosions at constant intervals but as the night advanced they decreased.

"On Thursday at 5am I heard gun shots close to my floor. They were loud and clear. After a few hours I opened the balcony door that overlooked to the narrow street. I saw police, army men and fire brigades. I waved at them but did not get any response, on the contrary they hid themselves. I went back to my room and lingered in the dark not knowing what to do but my embassy and consulate were checking on me every hour."

"The old wing of the hotel was on fire because of the grenade attacks. I waited in my room until 12pm. It was then that I heard lots of footsteps on my floor. I peeped through my window and saw a bunch of commandos in front of the closed room opposite to me. They had small pistols in their hand," he said.

"They fired two shots at the door. I panicked and sat near my bed in the dark. With a master key they unlocked the door but could not get in as I had put the door chain in place."

"From where I was sitting, I saw a hand holding a pistol and someone ordered me to undo the chain and come out with my hands up. After a through check on me I was led out of the hotel."

"I boarded the 5.30pm Gulf Air flight to Bahrain," he said.