Gunmen Kill at Least 78 in Multiple Attacks in Mumbai, India

Posted by Staff, AlterNet at 1:46 PM on November 26, 2008.

The AP Reports:

MUMBAI, India -- Teams of heavily armed gunmen stormed luxury hotels, a popular restaurant and a crowded train station in coordinated attacks across India's financial capital Wednesday night, killing at least 78 people and taking Westerners hostage, police said. An explosion rocked one of the hotels, the landmark Taj Mahal, early Thursday, followed by raging fires. The attackers specifically targeted Britons and Americans, witnesses said. Fires burned and gunfire was heard for hours. Officials said at least 200 people were wounded.

The motive for the onslaught was not immediately clear, but Mumbai has frequently been targeted in terrorist attacks blamed on Islamic extremists, including a series of bombings in July 2007 that killed 187 people.

An Indian media report said a previously unknown group calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen had claimed responsibility for the attacks in e-mails to several media outlets.

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Tagged as: terrorism, india, attacks, mumbai, gunmen