Mumbai, India (GroundReport) – As events unfold in the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, intelligence sources say that terrorists had planned to kill 5,000 people in Mumbai.
The Taj Massacre was also planned to take a different twist. New reports cite sources as saying that the 13 gunmen had plans to bring down the Taj Mahal hotel. Apparently, the terrorists underestimated the external structure of the Taj, a 150-year old landmark. The Taj was burnt badly in several sections and firegighters continue to quell fires and smoke, even at 5:41 pm local time. Commandos are also in the process of sanitizing the hotel and clearing each of the approximate 525 rooms. But grenades were not enough to bring down the Taj, say news reports.
An Agence France-Presse camerawoman was brazed by a stray bullet coming out of the Taj hotel and was taken to the hospital. She is not believed to be in a serious condition.
According to the Home Ministry of India, the official death count stands at 183, with more than 300 injured. Reports say that ther are about 22 bodies that are unclaimed at hospitals.
A Brooklyn, New York-based Rabbi and his wife that ran the Nariman House as a Jewish study center for the Chabad Lubavitch group. were killed in the seige. Their baby, who turns two years old today ironically, was saved by a nanny, according to NDTV. The baby’s grandparents reportedly flew in from Israel to visit and were also killed in the attacks, say reports.
Authorities say one of the terrorists had admitted to being a member of the Lakshar group stemming out of Pakistan.
The Pakistani intelligence service, ISI’s chief will not be coming to India after the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other ministers claimed that there is evidence of inolvement of a Pakistani element in the attacks.
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