varnam

Terrorists (not militants as the MSM likes to call it), have struck Mumbai. Amit Varma has the updates and he points to Mumbai Help for getting additional help and information.

Update 1: Amit mentions an incident where a correspondent asks a victim if this was a terrorist attack and remarks how would he know in five minutes. B. Raman has guessed who is behind the blasts instantly.

Update 2: Indian Intelligence believes that Dawood Ibrahim was behind the serial attacks. (via Counter Terrorism Blog)

Indian intelligence believes the attacks on Mumbaiâ??s commuter train network on Tuesday, killing scores during the evening rush hour, might be the work of Dawood Ibrahim, an Indian Muslim with ties to al-Qaida.

Ibrahim is believed to have been responsible for the 1993 attacks that killed 260 in Mumbai, Indiaâ??s commercial hub formerly known as Bombay.

Update 3: Apparently the authorities knew that this was coming. Sadly no one told them the time and place.

Indian Home Minister Shivraj Patil said the government had some advance knowledge that such an attack might take place. "What we didn't have was the place and the time," Patil said.

Update 4: Suspect in custody? No one else seems to have the news.

AP Reports: Police were also reportedly carrying out raids across the country following the explosions, presumably in search of suspects. A television report said a suspect was in custody.

Update 5: LeT and SIMI behind the blasts.

The terror attack on Mumbai trains was carried out by Lashkar-e-Toiba and local Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) activists and was designed to trigger communal conflagration in the countryâ??s financial capital, intelligence sources said.

Update 6:Terrorist arrested in Delhi

A terrorist was on Tuesday arrested in south Delhi and 2.5 kg RDX seized from his possession, police said.

Aijaz Hussain, hailing from Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, was arrested from Lodhi road area after police received a tip-off about his movement, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Alok Kumar said.

Police was interrogating him to find out if he has any links with the serial blasts in Srinagar and Mumbai and to find which terrorist outfit he belonged to, he said.

Update 7: Gaurav writes

And like last year, Mumbaikars are out on the street helping people out. Distributing samosas, biscuits, water etc to people stuck in the traffic.

Even the vehicles are packed. Cars and bikes which usually go half-empty are giving rides to people going in their directions. And of course, shopkeepers and residents along the road are on the streets with food and water, helping the travellers out.

Update 8:In times like these political parties can do one simple thing to help - shut up.

Main Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday blamed the ruling United Progressive Alliance government's 'soft approach' on terrorism for the serial bombings in Mumbai and Srinagar.

Update 9:The attacks were masterminded from abroad

According to him, "The level of sophistication and organisation needed to carry out such a widespread and tightly coordinated attack is beyond the known capabilities of any of the Islamic groups operating in either Kashmir or elsewhere in India."

In an e-mail to rediff.com immediately after the blasts, he said, "This has all the hallmarks of a Special Forces/Intelligence operation... it may have been carried out by expendable extremists, but those who were the promoters and brains have military training."

Continued here