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FACTBOX-The plans and tactics of the Mumbai attackers
29 Nov 2008 10:45:00 GMT
 Source: Reuters
MUMBAI, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Indian commandos killed the last Islamist gunmen holed up at Mumbai's Taj Mahal hotel on Saturday, ending a three-day battle at landmarks across India's financial capital that killed at least 195 people.

The following is a round-up of media reports on the tactics and plans of the militants:

* The gunmen wanted to go down in history for an Indian 9/11, and were also inspired by the bombing of the Marriott hotel in Islamabad, Times Now TV reported. Their targets, which included a cafe, were frequented by executives and tourists.

* They knew the layout of the Taj Mahal and Trident-Oberoi hotels they hit. Several members of the group of at least 10 checked into the Taj in the weeks before the attack, gathering details of the layout. They filmed some locations on scouting trips. In one four- to five-hour gunbattle, the militants retreated through a hidden door in the hotel that Indian troops did not know existed, the Hindustan Times reported.

* Before mounting the attack, the militants had taken over an Indian fishing trawler, tying up and blindfolding some fishermen. One newspaper picture showed one lying on the floor of the small trawler with his hands tied behind his back and his throat cut. The boat then sailed to Mumbai, where gunmen landed from rubber dinghies.

* Their rucksacks were packed to the brim with ammunition, six to seven magazines with 50 bullets each, and grenades. They had satellite phones, credit cards and, indicating they were in for a long haul, even snacks such as dried fruit.

* The militants appeared to have had commando-style training. A security expert told The Mail Today that the way one man carried his AK-47 in one hand showed he had had months of training.

* The gunmen threw grenades to destroy the closed circuit television control room early on in the siege. At least three of them battled India's best-trained commandos for two days in the maze of corridors in the Taj, setting fire to places as they moved from floor to floor.

* Azam Amir Kasav, the only one of the militants to be captured, confessed to being a member of the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, newspapers said, but the group has denied any role in the Mumbai attacks. (Writing by Alistair Scrutton; Editing by John Chalmers and Paul Tait)


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