One of the darkest days in Indian history occurred when terrorists carried out one of the most horrific terror attacks ever on 26 November 2009. Ten Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists entered Mumbai and carried out a four-day series of shooting and bombing operations, killing 164 people and wounding more than 300.
Terrorists who took part in the 26/11 assaults were trained at the time, and they entered India via the sea route. Their major goal was to instil fear and secure the release of some key terrorists, similar to the Kandhar hijacking.
Here are 10 fast facts as mentioned by Free Press Journal in one of their articles.
1. In Muzaffarabad, 24 young men were trained for the Mumbai assaults. Commando training, combat training, and indoctrination were all part of the training. Only ten of the 24 were chosen for the challenge.
2. The strikes had been prepared for several months. At least three SIM cards acquired on the India-Bangladesh border were utilised by the assailants. A SIM card was also reported to have been acquired in the US state of New Jersey.
3. Inflatable speed boats were used by the ten terrorists to enter Mumbai from the coast. Six of them alighted in Macchimar Nagar, and when local fishermen inquired about their identities, they identified themselves as students. When queried about their identities, the other four alighted in Badhwar Park in Cuffe Parade and urged the fisherman to mind their own business. The fisherman reported the event to the police, but they were dismissed.
4. To stay awake and active before landing in Mumbai, the attackers consumed LSG, cocaine, and steroids.
5. The only terrorist arrested alive, Ajmal Kasab, was charged under the Arms Act, the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, the Explosives Act, the Customs Act, the Waging War Against the Country Act, and other provisions of the Railway Act. He was also charged with entering railway facilities without a valid ticket, which was one of the several charges filed against him.
6. NSG soldiers fast-roped onto the roof of Nariman House from helicopters during the operation. However, before landing on the roof of the Nariman House, the commandos were dropped in the wrong building due to a pilot error.
7. Tukaram Omble, an assistant sub-inspector with the Mumbai Police Department and a veteran army man, gave his life to apprehend the lone surviving terrorist Ajmal Kasab. Omble received the Ashoka Chakra for gallantry and bravery in the line of service.
8. Hafiz Saeed, the leader of Jamaat-Ud-Dawa, is claimed to be the mastermind behind the attacks. 8. Saeed is claimed to have planned and carried out the entire scheme from Pakistan. In Pakistan, he was held under house arrest in January 2017, but on November 23, a Judicial Review Board of Judges in the Lahore Court released him. His release comes just four days before the 9th anniversary of the Mumbai terrorist attacks of 26/11.
9. Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officers are suspected of assisting Lashkar-e-Taiba militants, according to US sources.
10. During his testimony before a Mumbai court, Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist David Coleman Headley confessed that the same gang attempted two failed attacks on the city in September and October before the November 2008 bombings.
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