The Arrrest of Israeli Security Officer
While the standoff between the security forces and the terrorists in Nariman House was going on an Israeli ‘security officer’ at the Israeli consulate close by was arrested while running to the scene.
From the Jerusalem Post
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1227702378439&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FSe
"The security officer at the Israeli consulate in Mumbai was arrested by Indian police as he raced toward the Chabad House last Wednesday after Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg telephoned to say it was under attack.” Was this ‘attack’ referring to attack by the terrorists or by security forces? It is not clear as yet. The officer was released from jail a few hours later according to the Jerusalem Post.Also India continuously refused Israeli offers to help with the crisis:
“Jerusalem, Nov 28: India has turned down an offer by Israel to send its Crack Commandos to Mumbai, where a Jewish centre has been taken over in the terrorist attack which have claimed so far over 160 lives, media reports said here.”The Nanny and the rescue of the two-year old Moshe Holtzberg.As the standoff progressed, the nanny of the two-year old child of Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, Sandra Samuel, came running out with the little boy. Whether he was the subject of a daring rescue or was sent out by his parents is unclear. The dizzying array of reports, many contradicting the others, that describe this incident leaves the question unanswered. Only when police question the nanny would this be resolved.
The number of hostages and terrorists According to recent police reports there were fifteen terrorists in all who came by boat.
From TIMES ONLINE
“At least five terrorist gunmen might have escaped the carnage in Mumbai and could strike again, it emerged yesterday as a video surfaced showing the capture of the gang’s sole known surviving member.”“However, a hijacked Indian fishing boat used by the gunmen had equipment for 15 men on board when it was discovered adrift – suggesting that several gunmen could still be at large.”“Fifteen winter jackets were found, fifteen toothbrushes,” a police source said. “That more terrorists are loose is possible.”Again there are conflicting reports on the number of terrorists and possible hostages that were in Nariman House. At the end of the seige by security forces, there were six bodies of hostages found. Some reports insist five bodies were found plus two alleged terrorists. This will remain unclear until Indian security personnel who conducted the raid tell their stories.It would seem from many eyewitness reports and local media that as the standoff continued, there were only two ‘hostages’, the Rabbi and his wife, and the rest were terrorists.
From DNA India
“The six terrorists who have made an Israeli family hostage at Nariman House building in Colaba can battle with the security agencies for at least three days without having to worry about food, local residents claimed on Thursday.”
From Yahoo News
“From the vantage point of three Black Cat snipers watching the building, I could see Nariman House's shattered windows. The couple who own the building are Jewish, giving rise to rumors throughout the day that "Israelis" were somehow involved in the attacks. The other people in the building, including an infant wearing a pink bonnet and green blanket, were held as hostages but released early Thursday.The last person to leave, a young woman, told authorities that the only remaining hostages were the couple, who had made no sound or movement since the night before. By 5 p.m. they were presumed to be dead, and the Black Cat commandos moved in half an hour later, unleashing a volley of gunshots into the building. By 9:30 p.m. local time, the firing was still going on, and it was not clear whether the four to five suspects inside had been killed or captured. “India’s elite commando squad would surely have a very good idea about the number of people they were dealing with especially after speaking with the young woman and the nanny.
From Mid-Day News
http://www.mid-day.com/news/2008/nov/281108-Nariman-House-terror-hub.htm
One of the militants called up a television news channel and voiced his demands today, but, interestingly, when he was asked where are they all holed him, he said at the Israeli owned Nariman House and they are six of them here", one of the investigating cops said. Since morning, there has been exchange of gun fire has been going on and the militants seem well equipped to counter the cops fire. To top it, they have food and shelter. One wonders if they have the support of the residents, a local Ramrao Shanker said. “
Reports at the end of the seige
From the New York Times
“Jewish Center Is Stormed, and 6 Hostages Die” “Israeli officials and Lubavitch elders confirmed later that six hostages were found dead inside. They were Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, 29, of Brooklyn, and his Israeli wife, Rivka, 28, the Lubavitch emissaries in Mumbai who ran Nariman House; another rabbi from Brooklyn who was living in Israel, Leibish Teitelbaum; Bentzion Chroman, an Israeli with dual American citizenship; an unidentified Israeli woman; and another unidentified woman, according to Rabbi Zalman Shmotkin, a Lubavitch spokesman in Brooklyn , and The Associated Press”.Two unidentified “hostages” were women. But here is a strange co-incidence. A number of reports and eyewitnesses claim that at least one of the attackers was a woman.
FROM INDIA TIMES
“Mystery woman had accompanied terrorists at Cama”Quote – ““A man and a burqa clad woman entered from the gate opposite our quarters. The man started firing towards the hospital immediately after entering. Moments before, the woman, in a salwar kameez underneath her burqa, had even tried to enter the hospital by climbing a water pipe. As the man continued firing, the woman, who wasn’t armed, knocked on one of the houses”also“The shopkeeper’s friend said, “He told me that when he saw Azam’s picture in Mumbai Mirror on Thursday, he realised it was the same youth who had visited his shop with a woman, who was also young. He mentioned they had been like any other youths.” “Hostages killed by ‘terrorists’ or by security forces in shoot-out? The Indian security forces thought that the remaining people in the Chabad house with the possible exception of the Rabbi and his wife were terrorists, and they were in a shoot-out with all these people. Yet reports persist that the ‘terrorists’ killed the ‘hostages’, before they were themselves killed. Some say the hostages were killed the day before. Reports also insist that the security forces killed only two terrorists at Chabad House.However more recent reports say that the Indian security forces may have killed some of the hostages:
From The Jerusalem Post
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1227702371655&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFullHaka Head:
Indian forces may have killed some hostages:“The Indian commando raid launched to save the lives of Jewish and Israeli hostages at Mumbai's Chabad House may have inadvertently ended the lives of one or more of the hostages, the head of a six-man ZAKA team in the terror-stricken Indian city told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday”.
Any Terrorists Remaining?Police insist that fifteen terrorists came ashore. Nine are dead and one is in custody. Where are the other five? Where is the woman terrorist?
From Times Online:
“At least five terrorist gunmen might have escaped the carnage in Mumbai and could strike again, it emerged yesterday as a video surfaced showing the capture of the gang’s sole known surviving member.”Were the missing five the same persons who were killed at Chabad?Conclusion – What really happened at Nariman House?Time may eventually tell what really happen at the Chabad House, Mumbai. Indian security service officers may come forward with further information. More information may dispel rumors and speculation that the Israelis at Chabad house were part of the terrorist operation and that the non-white terrorists, all of whom were killed, with the exception of the designated poster-boy, Ajmal, were the usual patsies.It will dispel rumors that the four or five ‘hostages’ killed in the center were actually part of the terrorist group and were killed by security forces in the shootout.The only person who may be able to give an impartial report of what went on at Nariman House would be the Indian nanny, Sandra Samuel. Indian Intelligence would be looking forward to interviewing her when all the confusion ends and when she recovers from the ordeal. Let’s hope
BREAKING NEWSBreaking News: Nanny going to IsraelFrom the Jerusalem Post:
“The nanny who saved two-year-old Moshe Holtzberg from the attack at Mumbai's Chabad House on Thursday is expected to arrive in Israel on Monday along with the child, his grandparents and the bodies of his parents, Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg.”“She expressed a desire to accompany Moshe back to Israel on a special flight sent by the Israel Air Force. The toddler was reunited with his Israeli grandparents, Shimon and Yehudit Rosenberg, on Friday. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Sunday that her office was working to arrange for Samuel's arrival in Israel, while the Interior Ministry was considering bestowing upon her the status of "Righteous Gentile," which would allow her to remain in the country for an extended period of time”.
Breaking news: Nanny already in Israel:
From the Indian Express:
“The orphaned two-year-old baby Moshe and his nanny Sandra Samuel, along with his maternal grandparents, left for Israel tonight in a special Israeli military aircraft from Mumbai.”
BREAKING: Nanny to live in Israel
From The IndiaTelegraph
ISRAEL HOME FOR MOSHE NANNY“Dec. 1: Israel is planning to issue an immigration permit to the Indian nanny who saved two-year-old Moshe Holtzberg while his Jewish parents died in the Nariman House attack.Foreign minister Tzipi Livni told the cabinet yesterday that her ministry was working to grant the nanny, Sandra Samuel, a residency permit so she could live there.”Sandra Samuel has made an absolutely amazing and admirable choice, to leave her own family and relatives and go to live in Israel with baby Moshe.
To continue with the conclusion:This terrorist incident will most likely lead to much greater bloodshed unless the true culprits are found and convicted in a court of law. Some analysts say that this event could lead to a new world war.It would just make plain sense to have kept the nanny in India for a while. India should demand her return soon, so that she could help with the investigation.Again, to further dispel the rumors of the dead Israelis being part of the operation, autopsies would be conducted on the bodies of the dead including the Israelis at Nariman House. Autopsies would give vital clues as to their role as victims or perpetrators. Forensic science is powerful science today. For example, gunpowder residue on fingers tells a tale.Let’s see what comes of it. MORE BREAKING NEWS….BREAKING NEWSNO AUTOPSIES ON ISRAELI BODIES.
Israel has requested India not to conduct post-mortems on its nationals killed in the Nariman House siege, citing what it said were “privacy and religious reasons”.“The request for not doing the post-mortem is based on privacy as well as some religious reasons,” an official of the Israeli embassy here said. According to the information with the mission, seven of the nine killed in the attack were Israeli nationals, all of them Jews.” To continue with the conclusionIndian journalists are urged to dig into this story with their very lives, because the life of our nation is at stake. India could be dragged into a game on the grand chessboard, and possibly into war with Pakistan and then China, and maybe Russia. In the end there will be only one winner, the superpower which is on the verge of economic collapse, and which can avert complete disaster only by destroying its main competitors, or getting them to destroy themselves.PS:The whole Mumbai operation was messy, with a lot of dirty, loose ends. If our Intelligence agents are really doing their job, there will be need for major distractions very soon.Look out for another attack.
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RESEARCH & ANALYSIS WING (RAW)
India premier intelligence agency is the Research & Analysis Wing (RAW). They are responsible for collecting intelligence on foreign countries, especially countries perceived as threat to India like Pakistan and China. In a sense this spy agency is similar in scope and operations to CIA, MI6 and DGSE, however not in efficiency.
Mumbai attack proved to be the greatest intelligence failure yet for RAW, being entrusted with foreign intelligence gathering they should have known about the attack plan earlier. RAW is well funded because the government understand the important role this agency play. Therefore with the sophisticated array of electronics and eaves dropping devices ubiquitous to every intelligence agency it would have given away many vital clues of a planned attack on Mumbai. There would have been an increase in chatter on the suspected frequencies used by the terrorists.
Further allied intelligence agency like CIA and MI6 which are operating in the region would, have passed vital information concerning any increase in threat. In fact evidence point out that CIA have passed information concerning pending attack on Mumbai and specifically via sea, clearly proves to the ineptitude of RAW which failed to act upon this information.
RAW operatives also consist of analyst and researchers as their name implies apart from spies.
These analysts and researchers should have known the likelihood of attack in India, viz a viz increase in pressure of US in the Pakistan Western Border.
Wherein, US have increased its hot pursuit cross border strike deep into Pakistan targeting Talibans. Pakistan under direct pressure from US has massed thousands of troops bordering Afghanistan in order to put pressure on the Talibans from its eastern flank.
Thus in order to ease-off the pressure from Pakistani side, the Taliban in concert with other affiliated group would try to create a belligerent atmosphere between the governments of India & Pakistan.
INTELLIGENCE BUREAU (IB)
It is the so–called premier counter intelligence agency in India akin to MI5 and FBI. It is responsible for domestic intelligence work and spying on local threats like Naxalities and home grown fanatical outfits.
Comparatively this agency is managed slightly better than RAW, however corruption and politicking is also gripping it. Since most of the terror suspects and GPS coordinates found on terror suspects originates from Pakistan, it is therefore not a purview of this agency.
However in case there are local links which is highly probable, since operations of this magnitude cannot be carried out without local support, then it would be IB failure as well.
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