Making A Difference

Terror Colours, In Black & White

<i>Outlook</i> accesses the dossier India has sent to Pakistan and its unabridged version that proves the Pakistani link

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Terror Colours, In Black & White
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All along in denial, Pakistan blinked for the first time and admitted that Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist nabbed by the Mumbai police, was indeed from Pakistan. The admission came on January 7, 48 hours after India presented a 69-page dossier with damning evidence to the Pakistani high commissioner in Delhi and the foreign secretary in Islamabad. Simultaneously, Indian foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon gave an even more detailed 180-page dossier and a special presentation to 14 ambassadors of countries—including the United States, United Kingdom, Israel, Singapore and China—whose citizens had died in the 26/11 terror attack.

Outlook has accessed both dossiers and details of the foreign secretary’s presentation. Packed in them is clear evidence of the Pakistani link. Weapons used had Pakistani markings. Food and clothing worn by the terrorists were procured in Karachi. Soaps and detergent used were traced back to specific shops in Pakistan. The Yamaha outboard motor used during the sea journey was sold by a Pakistan distributor. Also included in the evidence were crucial phone intercepts by Indian intelligence.

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This, then, is the picture that emerges of how 26/11 was planned and executed:

The Training
In his presentation of January 5, Shiv Shankar Menon provided the following details. The Lashkar-e-Toiba initially trained 32 men for the Mumbai attack. Of these, 13 were shortlisted following a rigorous selection procedure. Six were then sent away to a still unknown destination and three new members joined, taking the group’s membership to 10. Among the new faces was Ismail Khan, who led the assault.

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Thuraya satphone: Recovered from MV Kuber along with a card

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The Planning
Investigators say planning began a year ago. The mastermind, they say, was Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, aka Chachaji or Chachu, now identified as the "supreme commander" of the LeT’s strikes. He is believed to have served in Chechnya, Bosnia, Iraq and Southeast Asia. Suspected to be a former Pakistani army commando, Lakhvi has been branded an international terrorist by the United Nations and is a Pakistani national (national identity card no. 61101-9618232). His role in the Mumbai attacks was confirmed by Kasab during interrogation. It was Lakhvi who planned and executed the plot with his operations chief, Yusuf Muzammil. They procured several VoIP accounts for internet telephony as well as Indian and Austrian numbers to maintain contact with those executing the strike.

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9 mm pistol from the Diamond Nedi Frontier Arms Company, Peshawar: Recovered from various terror spots in Mumbai

Passage To Mumbai
The group of 10 left Karachi by boat at 8 am on November 22. Forty minutes later, they boarded Al Hussaini, a vessel manned by seven LeT cadres. The following day, at 3 pm, the terrorists took over the Gujarati fishing boat, the MV Kuber, about 540 nautical miles (NM) from the Mumbai coast. Four crew members of the Kuber were killed. Only the vessel’s captain Amarsinh Solanki was allowed to live.

Between November 22 and November 26, the Kuber maintained a distance of 60-80 NM from the Indian coast. The terrorists then plotted their way using four reference points referred to as JALA 1, 2, 3 and 4. Of these, the last two—JALA 3 was 4 NM off the Mumbai coast while the last reference point, JALA 4, was Budhwar Park where the terrorists landed.

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En route, the terrorists were in touch with their handlers via a Thuraya satellite phone (+8821655526412) using a code language. Indian intelligence has cracked the code. Here is a sampling:

Code: Machhli lag rahi hai (The fish is taking the bait).

Decoded: The journey so far has been uneventful/safe.

Bhai log: This is how terrorists referred to fishing vessels sighted along the way. One such vessel, the MV Maa, tried to hail them unsuccessfully.

Yaar Log (friends): Indian naval boats.

Yaar Logon ka group (Group of Friends): Indian navy ship.

Machine: Trouble.

Maal (Goods): Help

Baraf (Ice): Journey

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The Attack
The last four nautical miles to the Mumbai shore was covered in a dinghy—after the Kuber was abandoned and its captain killed. The terrorists landed at Budhwar Park and split into five groups of two men each. Each of the men had packs of 300 rounds of ammunition, several AK-47 magazines, one assault rifle, two 9 mm pistols, grenades and dry fruits. Each team had one hand-held GPS to lead them to their final destinations—the Taj and Oberoi hotels and Nariman House. Two groups went to the CST railway station and Leopold Cafe to later hook up with the other teams at the hotels and Nariman House.

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