Deccan Mujahideen and Mumbai violence

An organisation calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen has claimed it was behind attacks with at least 26 gunmen in India's financial capital Mumbai that have left at least 146 people dead and injured around over 300 others, television channels reported on Thursday.

India has suffered a wave of bomb attacks in recent years. Most have been blamed on Islamist militants, although police have also arrested suspected Hindu extremists thought to be behind some of the attacks.

The previously unknown or little known group sent an email to news organisations claiming responsibility. Below is the message from the email:

You should know that your acts are not at all left unnoticed; rather we are closely keeping an eye on you and just waiting for the right time to execute your bloodshed. We are aware of your recent raids at Ansarnagar, Mograpada in Andheri and the harassment and trouble you created there for the Muslims.

"You threatened to murder them and your mischief went to such an extent that you even dared to abuse and insult Maulana Mahmood-ul-Hasan Qasmi and even misbehaved with the Muslim women and children there.

"If this is the degree your arrogance has reached, and if you think that by these stunts you can scare us, then let the Indian Mujahideen warn all the people of Mumbai that whatever deadly attacks Mumbaikars will face in future, their responsibility would lie with the Mumbai ATS and their guardians - Vilasrao Deshmukh and R R Patil. You are already on our hit-list and this time very very seriously."

The terror outfit also threatened to target a senior Rajasthan police official. “All the Mujahideen who shook Jaipur are absolutely safe and secure, and are preparing for our next targets, one of which is A K Jain – the DIG of Rajasthan,” claimed Indian Mujahideen.

Jain has been instrumental in arresting several SIMI members in Rajasthan in connection with the May 13 serial blasts in Jaipur. The mail bears two signatures at the end – Guru Alhindi and al-Arbi.

Are Deccan Mujahideen members Muslim or Hindus?

In the camera shots of a suspected terrorist involved in the gruesome shootout ever to be undertaken by terrorists, the AK-47 wielding youth comes across as an average youngster.

Dressed in a black half T-shirt and jeans with a blue rucksack hung over his left shoulder and red sacred thread tied on his right wrist, one might just mistake him to be just another regular college going student.

What baffles the security agencies is the sacred thread tied on his wrist which many say could be a plot to show that the attack was undertaken by probably an extreme Hindu group.

But, the claim by a terror organisation with a Muslim name has left the above theory in question, say experts.

Motive of Deccan Mujahideen attack in Mumbai

One India journalist claims the pattern of the attacks suggests that Lashkar-e-Taiba, a nasty Islamist organization based in Lahore, Pakistan, and with a significant presence in Kashmir and links to al Qaeda, may be to blame. Lashkar-e-Taiba's main goal is to expel India from Kashmir. In the past, some have accused elements of the Pakistani military and intelligence services of having ties to the group. Pakistan's government has always hotly denied such accusations.

Is Deccan Mujahideen related to Indian Mujahideen ?

Foreign Policy magazine has speculated that it is possible that the organization, if it exists, could be related to the Indian Mujahideen, the terrorist group that threatened in September 2008 to carry out attacks on sites in Mumbai. However, this fact has not been confirmed or reported by other news organizations or the Indian or Mumbai governments.

Violence elsewhere beside Mumbai

While the horrific carnage of attacks in Mumbai left the international community shaken, there are also on going violence in other parts of India that get little attention. One of those is the persecution and hate campaign in Orissa, India

CNN Investigate: What we know about the Mumbai attacks

Gunmen who arrived by boats launched attacks on at least seven locations in Mumbai, India, on Wednesday night, killing more than 146 people, authorities say.

By Friday morning, authorities believed militants still were in two luxury hotels and a Jewish center in the city.

The following is what is known about the attacks:

• Gunmen arrived by boats at the Mumbai waterfront near the Gateway of India monument on Wednesday night, police said. The gunmen hijacked cars, including a police van, and split into at least three groups to carry out the attacks, according to police.

• One group headed toward the Cafe Leopold, a popular hangout for Western tourists, firing indiscriminately at passers-by on the street. The group then opened fire and lobbed grenades at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station, authorities said.

• As police rushed to the scene of the attacks, gunmen attacked the Cama Hospital for women and infants. Several people were killed at the hospital, and a standoff there lasted until Thursday morning.

• Two other groups attacked the Oberoi and Taj Mahal hotels, taking hostages there, police said.

• Gunmen also took hostages at the Chabad House, where several Jewish families live, police said. Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, the city's envoy for the community, was being held inside with his wife, a member of the Hasidic Jewish movement said. Gunmen and hostages still were believed to be in the house Friday morning.

CNN: World leaders condemn Mumbai attacks

World leaders have condemned the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, in which more than 146 people died. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh deplored the attacks, saying they were well coordinated and apparently launched by people from outside the country.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani strongly condemned the attacks. In separate messages, President Zardari stressed the need for strict measures to eradicate terrorism and extremism from the region. Gilani urged the need for concerted efforts to make the region a peaceful place to live

U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's chief national security transition spokeswoman Brooke Anderson said: "President-elect Obama strongly condemns today's terrorist attacks in Mumbai, and his thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and the people of India. These coordinated attacks on innocent civilians demonstrate the grave and urgent threat of terrorism. The United States must continue to strengthen our partnerships with India and nations around the world to root out and destroy terrorist networks. We stand with the people of India, whose democracy will prove far more resilient than the hateful ideology that led to these attacks."

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: "These outrageous attacks in Mumbai will be met with a vigorous response. I have sent a message to Prime Minister Singh that the UK stands solidly with his government as they respond, and to offer all necessary help."


SEO: Mumbai voilence | Violence in Mumbai | deadly Mumbai attack | latest news results for mumbai violence | latest death tolls of Mumbai attack |