Leads in Mumbai blasts case: Govt sources-Why we fight

HAT TIP to Sid Fredrickson
Wednesday, July 12, 2006: (Mumbai)
http://www.ndtv.com/breakingnews/default.asp?refno=712200683944AM#

or

http://tinyurl.com/ovee6

Sources in the Union Home Ministry have confirmed to NDTV that the Lashkar-e-Toiba is the main suspect behind Tuesday's serial blasts in Mumbai.

In particular, agencies believe that about 20 terrorists might have carried out Tuesday's attack and were locally recruited sleeper cells, possibly controlled by one person.

Each of the bombs was similar. In fact, intelligence sources are looking at the possibility of the Mumbai blasts being a part of the same operation, which carried out the attack at Bangalore's Indian Institute of Science and Varanasi.

Terror modules

The magnitude of the sychronised blasts has conclusively pointed to the use of RDX by the attackers.

Two months ago, 30 kg of RDX was recovered, so perhaps some might have slipped past the security forces.

The bombs in Mumbai were set off using timer devices, considering all the seven blasts took place within a span of 11 minutes. At least 183 people were killed and 714 injured in a series of blasts in the city.

Several modules of LeT and Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) have been busted and huge amount of explosive materials, including RDX, recovered during raids at various places in Aurangabad, Nasik and Nagpur in the last two months.

In the largest haul of RDX in Maharashtra in over a decade, 30 kg of the deadly explosive concealed in computer CPUs was recovered, along with 10 AK-47 rifles, and a large cache of ammunition.

The RDX was recovered after an hour-and-a-half-long chase through the hilly jungles of Aurangabad.

The Anti-Terrorist Squad finally caught up with the Sumo of the suspected terrorists near Ellora.

"My heartiest congratulations to the Maharashtra police and the Anti-Terrorist squad. In the last one-year, they have been successful four times in seizing RDX," said R R Patil, Deputy Chief Minister, Maharashtra.

Three of the accused Amir Shakil Ahmad (30), Zubair Syyed Anwar (26) and Muzaffar Mohammad Tanvir (24), all of them from Juna Bazaar area of Aurangabad, were produced in a Mumbai court.

Later in the day Muzaib Patel, the owner of the Sumo, surrendered to the Aurangabad police.

Kingpin of operation

The police suspect a jihad angle as the carriers did not receive any money to transport the arms. The chief of this network appears to be a man called Chima who is currently located in Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir.

Investigations reveal that two of their associates Abdul Azim and the kingpin of this operation Zabi Ansari were in an Indica that escaped during the chase.

Police suspect they might have been carrying more arms and explosives.

The Indica was found abandoned on the Nashik-Shirdi Highway but nothing was found in it.

Within hours an investigation team ran into a heap of abandoned arms and explosives- 50 hand grenades, one AK 47 rifle and magazines at the base of a hill in the Ankaye Killa area of Malegaon, 100 km from Aurangabad.

Five people are arrested on charges of forging the Indica licence plate.

They were produced in court the next morning and remanded to police custody.

But again in the night there was some more discovery.

ATS found 12 kg of RDX, five AK-47s and 1000 rounds of bullets from an electric shop in Malegaon. The owner, Abdullah was taken into custody.

After a day of lull came yet another arrest. Bilal Abdul Razzak Ansari, an Urdu translator was arrested from Aurangabad.

Ten people have been arrested in this case so far. The police are now hunting for mastermind Zabi Ansari and his associate who disappeared during the chase on Wednesday.

Planned attacks

Seven blasts rocked Mumbai on Tuesday within minutes of each other with the first one at Khar-Santa Cruz at 6:24 pm (IST).

The second blast was reported at Jogeshwari station at 6:25 pm (IST) while the third blast took place at Borivali at 6:26 pm (IST).

Soon after, the fourth explosion took place at Mahim at 6:28 pm (IST) while the fifth blast was reported at Mira Road at 6:31 pm (IST).

While the sixth blast was reported from Bandra at 6:33 pm (IST), the seventh explosion occurred at the Matunga station at 6:34 pm (IST).

The blasts were targeted at commuters in the suburbs and took place in the first class coaches during rush hour.

The Home Ministry has said that the terror attacks were planned. High intensity explosives were used in the attack.

The IB is probing the link between the blasts at Srinagar and Mumbai, and also looking at possible link with PoK polls.

However, Home Secretary VK Duggal has said that there is no link between the blasts in the two cities.

Worst attack

It's the worst attack since the 1993 attacks. The blasts are reminiscent of the 2004 Madrid and 2005 London attacks, in all of which, commuter trains were hit.

Here's a chronology of the recent attacks on the city of Mumbai:

March 12, 1993: A series of bomb blasts ripped through 13 places in the city, killing 257 people and injuring 713. These were the first blasts in which RDX was used and the explosions were allegedly planned by underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

December 2, 2002: Two persons were killed and 31 injured when a powerful bomb exploded in a municipal bus outside Ghatkopar suburban railway station.

December 6, 2002: Twenty-five people were injured when a bomb exploded in a food plaza at Bombay Central railway station. The bomb was planted in an air-conditioning duct.

January 27, 2003: Thirty people were injured when a crude bomb planted in a bicycle exploded at a shopping complex outside Vile Parle railway station.

March 13, 2003: Eleven people were killed and 65 injured when a powerful bomb exploded in a 'ladies special' train when it was entering Mulund railway station in the peak hours.

August 25, 2003: Two blasts occurred one after the other at the Gateway of India and Zaveri Bazaar, killing 46 people and injuring more than 160. RDX was planted in taxis parked at both these places.


WHEN DID IT START FOR US, HERE IN THE UNITED STATES?

1. Many will say September 11, 2001. The answer as far as the United State
is concerned is 1979, 22 years prior to September 2001, with the
following attacks on us:

* Iran Embassy Hostages, 1979;
* Beirut, Lebanon Embassy 1983;
* Beirut, Lebanon Marine Barracks 1983;
* Lockerbie, Scotland Pan-Am flight to New York 1988;
* First New York World Trade Center attack 1993;
* Dhahran, Saudi Arabia Khobar Towers Military complex 1996;
* Nairobi, Kenya US Embassy 1998;
* Dares Salaam, Tanzania US Embassy 1998;
* Aden, Yemen USS Cole 2000;
* New York World Trade Center 2001;
* Pentagon 2001.

(Note that during the period from 1981 to 2001 there were 7,581 terrorist
attacks worldwide).

SO, While JOHN KERRY, JACK MURTHA, AND the Demo-Rad Party tells us we should RETREAT", RE-DEPLOY", or as most of us with a lick of common sense say "CUT-AND-RUN"
Be afraid...be very afraid.