Mumbai attack, 2008

The Attack

On November 22, 2008, ten Lashkar-e-Taiba gunmen boarded a ship in Karachi. The organization apparently decided to approach Mumbai by sea because security along the coast was lax. Once in Indian waters, the men hijacked a fishing boat, killed its crew, and forced its captain to sail them to Mumbai. After killing the captain, the men landed in small boats on the evening of November 26, 2008. The men then broke up into five two-man teams to conduct their attacks.

The first team attacked the Leopold Café, a restaurant and bar in southeast Mumbai that is popular with both foreign tourists and wealthy Mumbaikars. The two men opened fire on the café, killing several people. They then went to the nearby Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, a large luxury hotel, where they met a second two-man team that had gone directly to the hotel. The four men attacked the Taj Mahal with bombs, grenades, and guns, destroying the first floor restaurant. They went from room to room in the hotel, taking some guests hostage and executing others. The third two-man team traveled to the Oberi and Trident hotels, two large hotels that occupy a single complex in southwest Mumbai. The men took hostages and holed up on a high floor of the Oberi hotel, firing down on police.

The fourth team attacked a building called Naiman House, which was apparently selected because it contained a Jewish center. Unlike the other targets, Naiman House was not a notable landmark—indeed, it was somewhat difficult for visitors to find. The fact that the terrorists were able to go directly to it indicated that a significant amount of advance planning went into the attack. Likewise, the teams at the Taj Mahal and the Oberi/Trident complex were apparently quite familiar with the layout of the hotels, which put them at a considerable advantage when repelling attacks by Indian forces.

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