THE NARIMAN HOUSE STORY
BEFORE THE ATTACKS:
The drama started weeks before the terrorist attacks - at a Jewish residential complex In Mumbai run by the Chabad-Lubavitch ultra-orthodox movement.
From CBC News (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/11/28/mumbai-attacks.html
In a telephone interview with CBC News from outside the centre, freelance journalist Arun Asthhana said there are reports that some of the militants had stayed at a guest house there for up to 15 days before the attacks.
"They had a huge mass of ammunition, arms and food there," Asthhana said.
That some stayed there before the attacks seem no longer in question.
Later news reports state that the terrorists came to Nariman House posing as Malaysian students and were given lodging. Why Ultra-orthodox Jews would give lodging to these unknown Malaysian Muslim students is baffling; they could have been 'terrorists'. After all they did not know them.
However, it is well known that those housing quarters are rented only to religious Jews passing through Mumbai, so much so that the Indian Police wanted to know why they were rented to non-Jews in this instance.
From Times of India
"Police are trying to find out how Nariman House rooms were given to non-Jews. Police has taken all the records books of for verification"
Guardian of UK
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/27/mumbai-terror-attacks-terrorism2
"Locals said the owners of Nariman House was a Jewish Israeli family who rented out flats to other religious Jews."
:
Mid-Day News (MID-DAY is a 28 year old well respected media establishment in Mumbai):
Food ordered in
http://www.mid-day.com/news/2008/nov/281108-Nariman-House-terror-hub.htm
"The role that Nariman House is coming to play in this entire attack drama is puzzling. Last night, residents ordered close to 100 kilograms of meat and other food, enough to feed an army or a bunch of people for twenty days. Shortly thereafter, the ten odd militants moved in, obviously, indicating that the food and meat was ordered, keeping their visit in mind, another cop added."
DNA INDIA is another well-established, well-known Indian Media house.
They reported:
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1209852
"The terrorists came to Colaba on Wednesday evening," Mukund Shelke, who runs a grocery shop at Colaba Market, said. "Before barging into Nariman House, they had purchased adequate food to last them at least three days," he said.
"They had purchased around two crates of chicken and liquor worth Rs25,000 from two shops in Colaba," another resident Joseph D'Mello said.
Here the quote says that "they" had purchased the food, and from the text, which would be a translation of the eyewitness account, it would suggest that the terrorists did the shopping. But the policeman's report and quote is more credible because any group of terrorists going to take over a place during a city-wide attack would not stop to do shopping first, selecting meat, and liquor and other items, unless of course they were right at home.
The Attacks Start:
According to a changing and shifting narrative all attackers came in by boats.
Why they did not stay in Mumbai after spending days scouting the place is unknown. That would have made much more sense. Maybe the commanders came in just in time for the operation.
It is now being reported that they landed and split into groups with two men going to the office of the ultra-orthodox Jewish group Chabad-Lubavitch which runs Nariman house. There they supposedly held an unknown number of persons hostage, while killing some.
However, eye-witnesses, and the earliest reports, state that all the men from the boat went straight to the Nariman House complex before dispersing to carry out attacks.
From Mid-Day News
http://www.mid-day.com/news/2008/nov/281108-Nariman-House-terror-hub.htm
"Mumbai: India's financial capital, Mumbai seems to be going through its longest night for the last two days. Wednesday, 9.40 pm, the affluent south Mumbai was struck by terrorists, at 12 different locations, including the VT station, a hub for all railway trains, to two of the most luxurious hotels, Taj Mahal and Oberoi Trident.
24 hours later, the attention has riveted to these hotels, and a tiny nondescript building, barely a few meters away from the Taj Mahal hotel. Housing a five-storied guest house for Israeli nationals, this building is turning out to be the 'den' for the militants.
"I saw 6 to 7 boats coming in on Wednesday evening and about ten people unloaded many bags from these boats and then gradually took them into the building, Nariman House', Vitthal Tandel, a fisherman in the area said. "The building has many rooms and these are used as guest houses by travelers, largely Israeli residents. None of us know what their names are", he said.
"Virendra Ghunawat, a television journalist who has been tracking the Nariman House shootout since the time it took place Wednesday night, said even the cops have been cagey about details".
From the Guardian of UK
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/27/mumbai-terror-attacks-terrorism2
"They came by sea, on a small skiff, and made their way in the dark through the narrow streets of old Colaba to the six-storey apartment building called Nariman House. There they stayed – an unknown number of mystery gunmen who besieged the building from the inside."
From The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/29/world/asia/29tock.html?bl=&ei=5087&en=c7382f26209af6ce&ex=1228194000&pagewanted=all
"When the terrorists landed in front of Mr. Dhanur's boat, they were just three blocks straight down a narrow lane from Nariman House, a five-storey building housing a Jewish center run by a young Rabbi, Gavriel Holtzberg, and his wife, Rivka, who had moved from New York.
But the attack does not appear to have started there. According to India's Home Ministry, the first shots were fired at the train station, and soon after that at the Leopold Café."
The account of eyewitnesses and the earliest reports are very clear. The 'terrorists' went into Nariman House. Later reports keep insisting that they 'stormed' the house.
What did they look like?
At least some of the terrorists were fair-skinned foreigners.
From the Guardian of UK
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/27/mumbai-terror-attacks-india4
"One police officer who encountered the gunmen as they entered the Jewish centre told the Guardian the attackers were "white""
"I went into the building late last night," he said. "I got a shock because they were white. I was expecting them to look like us. They fired three shots. I fired 10 back."
Now, Indians know fair skinned Indians and Pakistanis. They meet them every day, especially in Mumbai, where all the upper class Indians congregate. Indians know foreigners and they call Americans and Europeans "foreigners" or "white". It is easy for an Indian to tell the difference between a fair skinned Indian or Pakistani and a "foreigner"
Other eyewitnesses at other locations also describe the terrorists as "foreign" or fair skinned.
From the BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/south_asia/7752625.stm
Then, the "foreign looking, fair skinned" men, as Mr Mishra remembers them, simply carried on killing.
"They did not look Indian, they looked foreign. One of them, I thought, had blonde hair. The other had a punkish hairstyle. They were neatly dressed," says Mr Amir.
While at the Nariman House:
Celebrations:
From DNA India
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1209852
"Some residents claimed that the suspects were keeping track of the police's movements through a television in Nariman House.
"When the news of top police officials getting killed flashed in the television, we heard loud noises from the flat. It seemed they were celebrating," Anand Raorane, a resident in a building opposite Nariman House, said."
Some in India claim that the terrorists were targeting some of India's top anti-terrorist officers, and indeed a number of top officers including Hemant Karare, who were in the process of investigating an explosive case of terrorist activities by army officers and politicians, were killed. It is very strange that these exceptionally experienced men would so easily be killed. Some reports say they were ambushed. It was at the time that the news of these men's demise was announced that sounds of celebration came from the Chabad office.
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%2FS
"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:
http://www.zeenews.com/world/2008-11-28/487051news.html
"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 at Nariman:
According to recent police reports there were fifteen terrorists in all who came by boat.
From TIMES ONLINE
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5265938.ece
"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
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1209852
"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
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20081128/wl_time/08599186266100
"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 siege
Fron the New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/29/nyregion/29chabad.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=all
"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
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/3775205.cms
"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%2FShowFull
Haka 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:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5265938.ece
"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 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. Lets hope that the trauma does not lead her to commit suicide or anything like that.
BREAKING NEWS
Breaking News: Nanny going to Israel
From the Jerusalem Post:
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1227702371988&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
"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: Nanny already in Israel:
From the Indian Express:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/after-funeral-baby-moshe-leaves-for-israel/392990/
"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 India Telegraph:
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081202/jsp/nation/story_10193938.jsp
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.
Lets see what comes of it.
MORE BREAKING NEWS….
BREAKING NEWS
NO AUTOPSIES ON ISRAELI BODIES.
From: The India Telegraph
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081202/jsp/nation/story_10193938.jsp
"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 conclusion
Indian 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, and if Indian 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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