Historical Dictionary of Terrorism Third Edition

456 • MUMBAI ATTACKS OF 26–29 NOVEMBER 2008MUMBAI ATTACKS OF 26–29 NOVEMBER 2008. Beginning9:20 p.m. on 26 November 2008, 10 attackers struck 10 targets inMumbai, India, with machine-gun and grenade bomb attacks, includingthe Taj Mahal Palace and Oberoi Trident, both luxury hotels, theChhatrapati Shivaji train station, the Chabad House (an OrthodoxJewish community center), and the Leopold Café, a restaurant popularwith tourists. Hostage-barricade situations continued at the OberoiTrident hotel until 3:00 p.m. on 28 November 2008, at Chabad Houseuntil 7:30 p.m. 28 November 2008, and at the Taj Mahal Palace,where commando operations were hampered by a fire continuingin parts of the hotel, until 8:00 a.m. on 29 November 2008, whenoperations were officially ended by Indian security forces. At least173 people were killed, including many Indian police and securityofficials, and at least 308 injured. Six Jewish hostages were killed atthe Chabad House, two of whom were Americans. All told, 134 Indians,four Americans, four Israelis, three Germans, two Australians,and two Canadians were killed, with the remaining 15 victims beingof different nationalities. Nine of the 10 attackers were killed, whilethe one survivor, Ajmal Amir Kasab, a Pakistani national, confessedthat the attack was the work of Lashkar-e Tayyaba. This attack,the worst in India’s history since its independence in 1947, has ledto a severe crisis in Indian-Pakistani relations. Although it was seenas an attack on India, it also constituted a severe challenge to thegovernment of Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, whosecoalition government was under pressure by India to extradite thesupposed masterminds behind this attack but also constrained by fearof appearing excessively weak and conciliatory before Pakistani publicopinion, which was resentful of Indian government accusationsof Pakistani involvement in these attacks. The head of Pakistan’sInter-Services Intelligence (ISI) refused a request by Gilani that he togo to India to give an account of possible involvement by rogue ISIelements. The ISI had previously defied the Gilani government whenordered to close a political group by the civilian government.MUNAZZAMAT AL JIHAD (EIJ). Also known as Tanzim al Jihad,Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ), or simply Jihad, this is the Sunni Islamicfundamentalist group in Egypt responsible for the assassination ofAnwar Sadat on 6 October 1981. This group was an offshoot of alTahrir al Islami, itself an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. It