2008 Mumbai attacks: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|Terrorist attacks in India}}

{{bulleted list |[[Leopold Café]]|[[Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus]]|[[The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel]]|[[Trident Hotel, Nariman Point|Oberoi Trident]]|[[Cama Hospital]]|[[Nariman House]]|[[Metro Adlabs|Metro Cinema]]<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-fg-police3-2008dec03,0,798102.story |title=Facing attackers with little more than courage |last=Magnier |first=Mark |date=3 December 2008 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=3 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206235300/http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-fg-police3-2008dec03%2C0%2C798102.story |archive-date=6 December 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref>|[[St. Xavier's College, Mumbai|St. Xavier's College]]<ref name="FOXNews-Sites-List" />}}

| type            = [[Bombings]], [[shootings]], [[mass murder]], [[hostage crisis]],<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://articles.latimes.com/print/2008/nov/27/world/fg-mumbai27 |title=Terror attacks ravage Mumbai |first1=Mark |last1=Magnier |first2=Subhash |last2=Sharma |date=27 November 2008 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |page=A1 |access-date=28 November 2008 |archive-date=26 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126024934/http://articles.latimes.com/print/2008/nov/27/world/fg-mumbai27 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[siege]]

The '''2008 Mumbai attacks'''<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://specials.manoramaonline.com/Onmanorama/2018/mumbai-attack/index.html |title=10 years on, revisiting Mumbai's terror hours |website=[[OnManorama]] |access-date=16 November 2018 |archive-date=26 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181126135240/https://specials.manoramaonline.com/Onmanorama/2018/mumbai-attack/index.html |url-status=live}}</ref> (also referred to as '''26/11''', pronounced "twenty six eleven")<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/26-11-mumbai-terror-attacks-aftermath-security-audits-carried-out-on-227-non-major-seaports-till-dat-1780189 |title=26/11 Mumbai Terror Attacks Aftermath: Security Audits Carried Out On 227 Non-Major Seaports Till Date |agency=[[Press Trust of India]] |date=26 November 2017 |publisher=[[NDTV]] |access-date=7 December 2017 |archive-date=23 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190623070847/https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/26-11-mumbai-terror-attacks-aftermath-security-audits-carried-out-on-227-non-major-seaports-till-dat-1780189 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{efn|name=NoteA|The expression "26/11" is pronounced "twenty-six eleven". The [[Slash (punctuation)|slash]] is not part of the pronunciation.}} were a series of [[Terrorism|terrorist attacks]] that took place in November 2008, when 10 members of [[Lashkar-e-Taiba]], an [[Islamist]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Mumbai Terror Attacks Fast Facts |date=19 September 2013 |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2013/09/18/world/asia/mumbai-terror-attacks/ |publisher=CNN |access-date=21 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150522031149/http://edition.cnn.com/2013/09/18/world/asia/mumbai-terror-attacks/ |archive-date=22 May 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> terrorist organisation from [[Pakistan]], carried out 12 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks lasting four days across [[Mumbai]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/opinion/18friedman.html |title=No Way, No How, Not Here |first=Thomas |last=Friedman |date=17 February 2009 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=17 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120829011434/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/opinion/18friedman.html |archive-date=29 August 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Indian Muslims hailed for not burying 26/11 attackers |url=http://sify.com/news/indian-muslims-hailed-for-not-burying-26-11-attackers-news-international-jegsNXehjhc.html |date=19 February 2009 |website=Sify News |access-date=15 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101023095818/http://sify.com/news/indian-muslims-hailed-for-not-burying-26-11-attackers-news-international-jegsNXehjhc.html |archive-date=23 October 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="abc20091125">{{Cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/mumbai-terror-attacks-pakistanis-charged/story?id=9176592 |title=Mumbai Terror Attacks: 7 Pakistanis Charged&nbsp;– Action Comes a Year After India's Worst Terrorist Attacks; 164 Die |first=Nick |last=Schifrin |date=25 November 2009 |website=[[ABC News]] |access-date=17 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091127091951/http://abcnews.go.com/International/mumbai-terror-attacks-pakistanis-charged/story?id=9176592 |archive-date=27 November 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> The attacks, which drew widespread global condemnation, began on Wednesday 26 November and lasted until Saturday 29 November 2008. A total of 175 people died, including nine attackers, and more than 300 were wounded.<ref name=Journal.Mortality /><ref name="Britannica">{{Cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/event/Mumbai-terrorist-attacks-of-2008 |title=Mumbai terrorist attacks of 2008 |website=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=26 November 2018 |archive-date=26 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626195250/https://www.britannica.com/event/Mumbai-terrorist-attacks-of-2008 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Guardian-condemn">{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/28/mumbai-terror-attacks-international-response |title=Attacks draw worldwide condemnation |last=Black |first=Ian |date=28 November 2008 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London, UK |access-date=5 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201072241/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/28/mumbai-terror-attacks-international-response |archive-date=1 December 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Eight of the attacks occurred in [[South Mumbai]]: at [[Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus]], the [[Trident Hotel, Nariman Point|Oberoi Trident]], the [[The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel|Taj Palace & Tower]],<ref name="FOXNews-Sites-List">{{Cite web |date=27 November 2008 |title=Wave of Terror Attacks Strikes India's Mumbai, Killing at Least 182 |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,457885,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204073907/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C457885%2C00.html |archive-date=4 December 2008 |access-date=3 December 2008 |publisher=Fox News}}</ref> the [[Leopold Cafe]], the [[Cama Hospital]],<ref name="FOXNews-Sites-List" /> the [[Nariman House]],<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/world/asia/03jews.html |title=Jews of Mumbai, a Tiny and Eclectic Group, Suddenly Reconsider Their Serene Existence |last=Kahn |first=Jeremy |date=2 December 2008 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=3 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140820093304/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/world/asia/03jews.html?ref=world |archive-date=20 August 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/ten-years-after-26/11-chabad-house-continues-to-stand-tall/articleshow/66784843.cms |title=Ten years after 26/11 Chabad House continues to stand tall |newspaper=The Economic Times |access-date=25 February 2020 |archive-date=8 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308104856/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/ten-years-after-26/11-chabad-house-continues-to-stand-tall/articleshow/66784843.cms |url-status=live}}</ref> the [[Metro Adlabs|Metro Cinema]],<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-fg-police3-2008dec03,0,798102.story |title=Facing attackers with little more than courage |last=Magnier |first=Mark |date=3 December 2008 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=3 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206235300/http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-fg-police3-2008dec03%2C0%2C798102.story |archive-date=6 December 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> and in a lane behind the ''[[Times of India]]'' building and [[St. Xavier's College, Mumbai|St. Xavier's College]].<ref name="FOXNews-Sites-List" /> There was also an explosion at [[Mazagaon]], in Mumbai's port area, and in a taxi at [[Vile Parle]].<ref name="Tracing the terror route">{{Cite news |date=10 December 2008 |title=Tracing the terror route |newspaper=[[The Indian Express]] |location=Mumbai |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Tracing-the-terror-route/396335 |url-status=live |access-date=9 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225200354/https://indianexpress.com/article/news-archive/tracing-the-terror-route/ |archive-date=25 February 2021}}</ref> By the early morning of 28 November, all sites except for the Taj Hotel had been secured by the [[Mumbai Police]] and security forces. On 29 November, India's [[National Security Guards]] (NSG) conducted Operation Black Tornado to flush out the remaining attackers; it culminated in the death of the last remaining attackers at the Taj Hotel and ended the attacks.<ref name="BBC-2008-11-29">{{Cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7756068.stm |title=Police declare Mumbai siege over |date=29 November 2008 |website=BBC News |access-date=29 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081129143000/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7756068.stm |archive-date=29 November 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Ajmal Kasab]],<ref name="Terrorist's name lost in transliteration">{{Cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/06/stories/2008120661211200.htm |title=Terrorist's name lost in transliteration |date=6 December 2008 |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |location=Chennai |access-date=7 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208090328/http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/06/stories/2008120661211200.htm |archive-date=8 December 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> the sole surviving attacker, disclosed that the attackers were members of the terrorist group [[Lashkar-e-Taiba]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cfr.org/publication/17882/ |title=Profile: Lashkar-e-Taiba (Army of the Pure) (aka Lashkar e-Tayyiba, Lashkar e-Toiba; Lashkar-i-Taiba) |first=Jayshree |last=Bajoria |date=14 January 2010 |website=[[Council on Foreign Relations]] |access-date=31 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100605151918/http://www.cfr.org/publication/17882/ |archive-date=5 June 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and were [[Agent handling|controlled]] from Pakistan, corroborating initial claims from the Indian Government.<ref name="NPR-2008-12-03">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/04/world/asia/04india.html |title=Ex-US Official Cites Pakistani Training for India Attackers |last1=Schmitt |first1=Eric |last2=Sengupta |first2=Somini |date=3 December 2008 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=14 February 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090402032918/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/04/world/asia/04india.html |archive-date=2 April 2009}}</ref> Pakistan later confirmed that the sole surviving perpetrator of the attacks was a Pakistani citizen.<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 January 2009 |title=Mumbai siege: 'Kill all the hostages – except the two Muslims' |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/mumbai-siege-kill-all-the-hostages-ndash-except-the-two-muslims-1232074.html |access-date=26 November 2020 |website=The Independent |language=en |archive-date=26 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126064047/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/mumbai-siege-kill-all-the-hostages-ndash-except-the-two-muslims-1232074.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="TIME08JAN2009">{{Cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1870267,00.html |title=Pakistan Continues to Resist India Pressure on Mumbai |first=Omar |last=Waraich |date=8 January 2009 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |access-date=8 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114080611/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0%2C8599%2C1870267%2C00.html |archive-date=14 January 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> On 9 April 2015, the foremost ringleader of the attacks, [[Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi]], was released on bail and disappeared;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-32250763 |title=Mumbai attack suspect Lakhvi released on bail in Pakistan |work=BBC News |date=10 April 2015 | access-date=10 April 2015 | archive-date=12 April 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412183524/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-32250763 | url-status=live}}</ref> he was arrested again in [[Lahore]] on 2 January 2021.<ref>{{cite web |first=Asim |last=Tanveer |url=https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-2008-mumbai-attacks-counterterrorism-mumbai-india-aa6214946a60375bcd0bd7a60ae193db |title=Pakistan arrests key militant on terror financing charges |work=Associated Press |date=2 January 2021 | access-date=2 January 2021 | archive-date=4 January 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210104113819/https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-2008-mumbai-attacks-counterterrorism-mumbai-india-aa6214946a60375bcd0bd7a60ae193db | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bukhari |first=Mubasher |date=2 January 2021 |title=Pakistan arrests alleged militant group leader Zaki ur Rehman Lakhvi on terrorism financing charge |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/pakistan-arrest-mumbai-idUSKBN2970C0 |access-date=4 January 2021 |work=[[Reuters]] |archive-date=5 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105095106/https://www.reuters.com/article/pakistan-arrest-mumbai-idUSKBN2970C0 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2018, former Pakistani prime minister [[Nawaz Sharif]] suggested that the Pakistani government played a role in the 2008 Mumbai attack.<ref name="Farmer2019">{{cite news |last1=Farmer |first1=Ben |title=Pakistan trained al-Qaeda, says Imran Khan |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/09/24/pakistan-trained-al-qaeda-says-imran-khan/ |website=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |access-date=24 September 2019 |date=24 September 2019 |quote=Pakistan's security apparatus has in the past angrily rejected politicians linking it to militancy. Nawaz Sharif, the former prime minister, faced treason charges last year after an interview where he suggested the Pakistani state played a role in the 2008 Mumbai attack that killed 166 people. |archive-date=24 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190924190928/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/09/24/pakistan-trained-al-qaeda-says-imran-khan/ |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2022, one of the masterminds of the attack, [[Sajid Mir (terrorist)|Sajid Majeed Mir]] —who had been earlier claimed to be dead by the Pakistan Government— was convicted for funding terrorist activities by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pakistan quietly jails 26/11 handler Sajid Mir for 15 years |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/pakistan-quietly-jails-26/11-handler-sajid-mir-for-15-years-in-terror-financing-case/articleshow/92449112.cms |website=timesofindia.indiatimes.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Following are the top foreign stories at 1700 hours |website=The Week |date=2022-06-25 |url=https://www.theweek.in/wire-updates/international/2022/06/25/fgn41-top-foreign-stories-at-1700-hours.html | access-date=2022-06-27 |quote=was earlier declared dead by Pakistan, has been jailed for over 15 years in a terror-financing case}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Pakistan Court Sentences 26/11 Terror Attack Mastermind to 15 Years in Jail |website=The Wire |date=2018-11-26 |url=https://thewire.in/law/pakistan-court-sentences-26-11-terror-attack-mastermind-to-15-years-in-jail | access-date=2022-06-27 |quote=Pakistani authorities had in the past claimed he had died, but Western countries remained unconvinced and demanded proof of his death.}}</ref>

A group of men, sometimes stated as 24 and at other times 26,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5265938.ece |title=City fears five terrorists are missing |first=Rhys |last=Blakely |date=2 December 2008 |newspaper=[[The Times]] |location=London, UK |access-date=23 April 2010 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> received training in marine warfare at a remote camp in mountainous [[Muzaffarabad]] in [[Pakistan]]. Part of the training was reported to have taken place on the [[Mangla Dam]] reservoir in Pakistan.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/dec/01/mumbai-terror-attacks-india-pakistan1 |title=Rumours abound as inquiry begins its search for truth |last1=Rahman |first1=Maseeh |last2=Jones |first2=Sam |date=1 December 2008 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London, UK |access-date=1 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202011506/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/01/mumbai-terror-attacks-india-pakistan1 |archive-date=2 December 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref>

*Psychological: [[Indoctrination]] to [[Islamist]] Jihadi ideas, including imagery of atrocities suffered by Muslims in India,<ref name="hindu.com">{{cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/02/stories/2008120259961000.htm |title=A journey into the Lashkar |first=Praveen |last=Swami |date=2 December 2008 |location=Chennai |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205005025/http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/02/stories/2008120259961000.htm |archive-date=5 December 2008 |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Chechnya]], [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] and across the globe.

*Advanced Training: Selected to undergo advanced combat training at a camp near [[Mansehra]], a course the organisation calls the ''Daura Khaas''.<ref name="hindu.com" /> According to an unnamed source at the [[United States Department of Defense|US Defense Department]] this includes advanced weapons and explosives training supervised by former members of the [[Pakistan Army]],<ref name="NPR-2008-12-03" /> along with [[survival training]] and further [[indoctrination]].

*[[Commando]] Training: Finally, an even smaller group selected for specialized commando tactics training and marine navigation training given to the [[Fedayeen]] unit selected in order to target Mumbai.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-mumbai-militants-sb-idUSTRE4AS09W20081129 |title=Militants in Mumbai wanted an Indian 9/11 |last=Williams |first=Matthias |date=29 November 2008 |work=Reuters |access-date=16 November 2015 |archive-date=17 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117022700/http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/11/29/us-india-mumbai-militants-sb-idUSTRE4AS09W20081129 |url-status=live}}</ref>

From the recruits, ten were handpicked for the Mumbai mission.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/02/AR2008120202968_2.html |title=Indian Investigators Reveal Details Culled From Arrested Gunman |last=Lakshmi |first=Rama |date=3 December 2008 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=3 December 2008 |archive-date=13 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113084552/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/02/AR2008120202968_2.html |url-status=live}}</ref> They also received training in swimming and sailing, besides the use of high-end weapons and [[explosives]] under the supervision of LeT commanders. According to a media report citing an unnamed former Defence Department Official of the US, the intelligence agencies of the US had determined that former officers from Pakistan's Army and [[Inter-Services Intelligence]] agency assisted actively and continuously in training.<ref name="NPR-2008-12-03" /> They were given blueprints of all the four targets&nbsp;– [[The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel]], [[Trident Hotel, Nariman Point|Oberoi Trident]], [[Nariman House]] and [[Mumbai CST|Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus]].

A number of [[European Parliament]] [[Committee on International Trade]] delegates were staying in the Taj Hotel when it was attacked,<ref name="MEP">{{Cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5240689.ece |title=Tory MEP flees for his life as gunman starts spraying the hotel bar with bullets |first=David |last=Charter |date=27 November 2008 |newspaper=The Times |location=London, UK |access-date=21 February 2008 |archive-date=18 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110918074117/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5240689.ece |url-status=live}}</ref> but none of them were injured.<ref name="dpa-eu-del">{{Cite web |url=http://www.topnews.in/node/93372 |title=EU trade delegation in Mumbai safe, delegate says |first=Sahil |last=Nagpal |date=27 November 2008 |agency=[[Deutsche Presse-Agentur]] |website=TopNews.in |access-date=23 February 2009 |archive-date=5 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105071408/http://www.topnews.in/node/93372 |url-status=live}}</ref> British [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[Member of the European Parliament]] (MEP) [[Sajjad Karim]] (who was in the lobby when attackers initially opened fire there) and German [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democrat]] MEP [[Erika Mann (politician)|Erika Mann]] were hiding in different parts of the building.<ref name="MEP" /> Also reported present was Spanish MEP [[Ignasi Guardans]], who was barricaded in a hotel room.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1227738722.36 |title=EU parliament staff member wounded in India shootout |date=27 November 2008 |website=EU Business |access-date=21 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203141240/http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1227738722.36 |archive-date=3 December 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://euobserver.com/9/27253 |title=MEP attacks EU consular reaction in Mumbai |last=Runner |first=Philippa |date=8 December 2008 |website=EUobserver |access-date=22 September 2019 |archive-date=22 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190822003735/http://euobserver.com/9/27253 |url-status=live}}</ref> Another British Conservative MEP, [[Syed Kamall]], reported that he along with several other MEPs left the hotel and went to a nearby restaurant shortly before the attack.<ref name="MEP" /> Kamall also reported that Polish MEP [[Jan Masiel]] was thought to have been sleeping in his hotel room when the attacks started, but eventually left the hotel safely.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.tvn24.pl/12691,1574853,,,relacja-polaka-z-piekla,wiadomosc.html |title=Relacja Polaka z piekła |trans-title=Pole's report from hell |date=27 November 2008 |agency=Reuters |website=TVN24 |language=pl |access-date=21 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405070542/http://www.tvn24.pl/12691,1574853,,,relacja-polaka-z-piekla,wiadomosc.html |archive-date=5 April 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Kamall and Guardans reported that a Hungarian MEP's assistant was shot.<ref name="MEP" /><ref name="MEPs-staff">{{Cite news |url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/EU_parliament_staff_member_wounded_in_India_shootout/articleshow/3762103.cms |title=EU parliament staff member wounded in India shootout |newspaper=The Economic Times |location=Mumbai |date=27 November 2008 |access-date=21 February 2009 |archive-date=13 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413065729/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/EU_parliament_staff_member_wounded_in_India_shootout/articleshow/3762103.cms |url-status=live}}</ref> Also caught up in the shooting were the [[President of Madrid]], [[Esperanza Aguirre]], while checking in at the [[Trident Hotel, Nariman Point|Oberoi Trident]],<ref name="MEPs-staff" /> and Indian MP [[N. N. Krishnadas]] of [[Kerala]] and [[Gulam Noon]] while having dinner at a restaurant in the [[The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel|Taj Hotel]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/mumbaiterrorstrike/Story.aspx?ID=NEWEN20080074226&type=News |title=200 people held hostage at Taj Hotel |agency=Press Trust of India |date=27 November 2008 |publisher=[[NDTV]] |access-date=21 February 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101122183237/http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/mumbaiterrorstrike/Story.aspx?ID=NEWEN20080074226&type=News |archive-date=22 November 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5245365.ece |title=Sir Gulam Noon, British 'Curry King': how I escaped bombed hotel |last1=Thomson |first1=Alice |first2=Rachel |last2=Sylvester |date=27 November 2008 |newspaper=The Times |location=London, UK |access-date=27 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110814104652/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5245365.ece |archive-date=14 August 2011}}</ref> [[Gautam Adani]], a billionaire business tycoon of India was having dinner in Taj at 26 November night, he hid in the hotel basement for the night.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.timesnownews.com/business-economy/throwback-gautam-adani-indias-richest-man-survived-2008-mumbai-terror-attack-kidnapping-article-90626081 | title=Throwback: Gautam Adani, India's richest man survived 2008 Mumbai terror attack, kidnapping }}</ref>

Mumbai police department originally identified 37 suspects—including two [[Pakistan Army|Pakistani army]] officers—for their alleged involvement in the plot. All but two of the suspects, many of whom are identified only through aliases, are Pakistani.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5806381.ece |title=Pakistani Army colonel 'was involved' in Mumbai terror attacks |first=Rhys |last=Blakely |date=26 February 2009 |newspaper=The Times |location=London, UK |access-date=26 February 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110814030052/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5806381.ece |archive-date=14 August 2011}}</ref> [[David Coleman Headley]] and [[Tahawwur Hussain Rana]] arrested in the United States in October 2009 for other attacks were also found to have been involved in planning the Mumbai attacks.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/who-are-david-headley-tahawwur-rana/105433-3.html |title=Who are David Headley, Tahawwur Rana? |date=17 November 2009 |website=[[CNN-IBN]] |access-date=21 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091121085401/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/who-are-david-headley-tahawwur-rana/105433-3.html |archive-date=21 November 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Headley-link-traced-to-Pak-2-LeT-men-arrested/articleshow/5205152.cms |title=Headley link traced to Pak, 2 LeT men arrested |first1=Vishwa |last1=Mohan |date=7 November 2009 |newspaper=The Times of India |access-date=21 November 2009 |archive-date=16 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190716145353/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Headley-link-traced-to-Pak-2-LeT-men-arrested/articleshow/5205152.cms |url-status=live}}</ref> One of these men, [[Pakistani Americans|Pakistani American]] [[David Headley]] (born Daood Sayed Gilani), was found to have made several trips to India before the attacks and gathered video and [[Global Positioning System|GPS]] information on behalf of the plotters.

|{{flagu|Austria}} || – || 1<ref name="NDTV 13 dead">{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081129/jsp/jharkhand/story_10182204.jsp |title=13 foreigners died in Mumbai: MHA |first=Raj |last=Kumar |date=29 November 2008 |newspaper=[[The Telegraph (Kolkata)|The Telegraph]] |location=Kolkata |access-date=30 November 2008 |archive-date=20 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020074731/https://www.telegraphindia.com/1081129/jsp/jharkhand/story_10182204.jsp |url-status=live}}</ref>

*''[[Arrambam]]'' (2013), Indian action-thriller film by [[Vishnuvardhan (director)|Vishnuvardhan]] about counter-terrorism operations in India, inspired by the attacks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/tamil/article/98861.html |title=Rumors on Aarambam Storyline |publisher=IndiaGlitz |date=19 October 2013 |access-date=31 October 2013 |archive-date=22 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022060356/http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/tamil/article/98861.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

 

* ''[[Kasab: The Face of 26/11]]'' (2010) by [[Rommel Rodrigues]] focuses on [[Ajmal Kasab]], the sole terrorist who was caught. It is the basis of the aforementioned film ''The Attacks of 26/11''.<ref name="attacksof2611">{{cite web |title=The Attacks Of 26/11 |url=http://www.attacksof2611.com/ |website=attacksof2611.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130218092040/http://www.attacksof2611.com/ |archive-date=2013-02-18 |date=18 February 2013}}</ref>

 

* ''[[The Siege: The Attack on the Taj]]'' is a non-fiction book by Cathy Scott-Clerk and Adrian Levy. It is an account of the 2008 attacks on [[The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel]] in Mumbai, India, during the night of 26 November 2008. The book was first published by [[Penguin Books]] in 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/the-siege-takes-the-reader-into-the-heart-of-the-2611-attack/437423-40-101.html |title=The Siege takes the reader into the heart of the 26/11 attack |publisher=[[CNN-IBN]] |access-date=3 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206123948/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/the-siege-takes-the-reader-into-the-heart-of-the-2611-attack/437423-40-101.html |archive-date=6 December 2013}}</ref>

 

* In 2014, ''Black Tornado: The Three Sieges of Mumbai 26/11''<ref>{{cite web |title=Book Review: BLACK TORNADO: THE THREE SIEGES OF MUMBAI 26/11 – Senior Journalist Sandeep Unnithan's extensively researched book and first ever semi-official account of the deadliest terror attack on India |url=https://www.indiastrategic.in/book-review-black-tornado-the-three-sieges-of-mumbai-2611/ |website=India Strategic |access-date=5 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=26/11 Mumbai terror attacks: Films, books and documentaries that encapsulate the horrors of a city under siege |url=https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/2611-mumbai-terror-attacks-films-books-and-documentaries-that-encapsulate-the-horrors-of-a-city-under-siege-9054511.html |access-date=5 February 2022}}</ref> was published by Indian journalist Sandeep Unnnithan, a non-fiction book, presented a blow-by-blow account of the terrorist strike and how the siege of [[Mumbai]] was thwarted by India’s security forces. The book covers the heroic efforts of Marine Commandos of [[Indian Navy]] as well as an ill-equipped yet valiant [[Mumbai Police]]. But its primary focus is on the 51 Special Action Group of [[National Security Guards]], commanded by the decorated [[Indian Army]] Special Forces officer, then Colonel, now [[Brigadier]]. [[Sunil Sheoran]] [[Sena Medal]] (Bar). The book delves into the reasons for the delayed arrival of the NSG, including incredible facts like the then Home Minister of India, [[Shivraj Patil]], wanted to fly in the NSG aircraft and came 1 hour late to board the plane which inturn delayed the NSG's arrival into the city and that the then Southern Army Commander, Lt. General. Noble Thamburaj, notoriously toured the [[Taj Mahal Palace Hotel]] with his wife while the NSG operation was still on. It was adapted into the web series ''[[State of Siege: 26/11]]'' (2020).<ref>{{cite news |title=26/11: Southern Army Commander's terror tourism during Mumbai attack |url=https://www.dailyo.in/politics/26-11-southern-army-commanders-terror-tourism-during-mumbai-attack/story/1/807.html |access-date=5 February 2022 |ref=Sandeep Unnithan's book Black Tornado reveals that Lt Gen Noble Thamburaj toured the Taj Mahal Palace hotel with his wife on 28 November 2008 even as NSG commandos engaged four terrorists there.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Sandeep Unnithan's book on 26/11 attacks to be made into a web series |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/television/web-series/story/sandeep-unnithan-s-book-on-26-11-attacks-to-be-made-into-a-web-series-1521688-2019-05-10 |access-date=5 February 2022}}</ref>

 

* Aziz Burney wrote a book titled ''26/11: RSS ki Saazish?'' ("26/11: An RSS conspiracy?") hinting that [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] was somehow linked to the attack and launched the book in presence of [[Indian National Congress|Congress]] leader [[Digvijaya Singh]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.firstpost.com/india/after-nawaz-sharifs-admission-of-pakistan-role-in-2611-time-congress-apologised-to-rss-india-4467507.html |title=After Nawaz Sharif's admission of Pakistan role in 26/11, time Congress apologised to RSS, India |first=Raghav |last=Pandey |date=13 May 2018 |website=Firstpost |access-date=22 May 2019 |archive-date=7 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190807084400/https://www.firstpost.com/india/after-nawaz-sharifs-admission-of-pakistan-role-in-2611-time-congress-apologised-to-rss-india-4467507.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Later as ''[[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh|RSS]]'' filed a case against him, he had to apologise for it.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/for-linking-rss-to-2611-aziz-burney-says-sorry-on-front-page/743433/0 |title=For linking RSS to 26/11, Aziz Burney says sorry on front page |first=Seema |last=Chishti |date=29 January 2011 |newspaper=The Indian Express |access-date=22 May 2019 |archive-date=15 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615140844/http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/for-linking-rss-to-2611-aziz-burney-says-sorry-on-front-page/743433/0 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-rss-rejects-aziz-burney-apology-to-pursue-case-against-him-1501809 |title=RSS rejects Aziz Burney apology, to pursue case against him |date=1 February 2011 |newspaper=[[Daily News and Analysis]] |access-date=22 May 2019 |archive-date=21 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180921013013/https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-rss-rejects-aziz-burney-apology-to-pursue-case-against-him-1501809 |url-status=live}}</ref>

 

* In his 2020 memoirs, ''Let Me Say It Now'', former IPS officer [[Rakesh Maria]], who was given the responsibility of investigating the attacks and personally interrogated [[Ajmal Kasab]], revealed the extent to which terrorists had gone to ensure their bodies would be mis-identified as Hindus, to lend credence to the narrative that the attack was the handiwork of Hindu extremists, and thus provide the Pakistani authorities with [[plausible deniability]]. According to Maria, [[Lashkar-e-Taiba]] wanted Kasab to be killed as a Bengaluru resident named ‘Samir Dinesh Chaudhari’, with a "red (sacred) thread" tied around his wrist to portray the attack as a case of ‘Hindu terror’, but their plan apparently did not succeed and the police nabbed Kasab. LeT had even given each terrorist a fake identity card listing an Indian address, to further strengthen the circumstantial narrative. If everything went according to plan, Kasab would have died as Chaudhari and the media would have blamed 'Hindu terrorists' for the attack. Kasab, in his confessional account, acknowledged this plot, as did [[David Coleman Headley]], who corroborated this account by confirming that the sacred threads to be worn around the terrorists' wrists to identify them as Hindus, were procured from Mumbai's [[Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai|Siddhivinayak Temple]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/national/ajmal-kasab-was-given-hindu-identity-to-make-it-appear-hindu-terror-retired-ips-officer-rakesh-maria-805876.html |title=Ajmal Kasab was given Hindu identity to make it appear Hindu terror |first=Mritunjay |last=Bose |date=18 February 2020 |newspaper=Deccan Herald |access-date=27 April 2019 |archive-date=30 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530051403/https://www.deccanherald.com/national/ajmal-kasab-was-given-hindu-identity-to-make-it-appear-hindu-terror-retired-ips-officer-rakesh-maria-805876.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/let-planned-to-project-26/11-attack-as-hindu-terror-rakesh-maria/articleshow/74192048.cms |title=LeT planned to project 26/11 attack as ''Hindu terror'': Rakesh Maria |date=18 February 2020 |newspaper=The Economic Times |access-date=27 April 2019 |archive-date=18 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218203604/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/let-planned-to-project-26/11-attack-as-hindu-terror-rakesh-maria/articleshow/74192048.cms |url-status=live}}</ref>