The prosecution Wednesday concluded its case in the Mumbai terrorism trial as the special court said it would record the statement of the sole surviving Pakistani gunman soon. The prosecution completed presenting evidence from 610 witnesses against Ajmal Kasab and two Indian defendants, Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed, special prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said outside the special court in Mumbai. 'The trial began May 8 and in about seven months the prosecution today closed the case,' Nikam was quoted by the PTI news agency as saying. Special Judge ML Tahilyani said the court would record Kasab's statement Friday. Kasab, a militant from the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit, faces 86 charges ranging from waging war on India to murder, kidnapping and destabilizing the government. If convicted, he could be sentenced to death. The prosecution's aim was not only to prove the case against Kasab, but also expose the prime conspirators from the LeT, Nikam said. 'Kasab is one of the instruments of the terrorist outfit. He and the nine other slain terrorists were a small part of LeT which wanted to inflict serious damage to India by attacking its commercial capital,' the prosecutor said. The charges allege key planners of the assaults included LeT leaders Hafiz Saeed, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and Zarar Shah. The attacks damaged relations between the two South Asian nuclear neighbours India and Pakistan and derailed a five-year peace process. Local media reported that a verdict in the case is expected early next year. Kasab initially denied the charges, but in a dramatic confession in July admitted to his role in the bloodbath and asked to be hanged. His request was not accepted and the trial continued. According to the prosecution, Kasab was arrested early November 27 last year, the morning after he and nine other terrorists landed in Mumbai by boat from Karachi and launched the attacks. The terrorists struck with explosives and rifle fire at 13 places - including two hotels, a train station, a cafe and Jewish centre - and by the time the siege ended three days later, at least 166 people, including 26 foreign nationals, were dead.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Prosecution concludes case in Mumbai terrorism trial
Friday, December 11, 2009
Cyber terrorism next big threat to India: Cyber security Whizkid
Nov 24 (IANS) Pakistani cyber criminals deface nearly 60 Indian websites every day, says celebrity cyber security expert Ankit Fadia, adding that cyber terrorism is the biggest threat India is facing today. Fadia, 24, is considered “one of the best and the youngest ethical hackers in the country”. He is an authority on computer security systems and digital intelligence. The computer whizkid, who at the age of 16 cracked an encrypted al Qaeda mail for an intelligence agency soon after the Sep 11 attacks, has a degree in information security from Stanford University in the US. He advises top-of-the-chain global MNCs, the Singapore government and Indian police forces in network security and digital upgrades, and hosts a television show on ethical hacking. “Pakistani cyber criminals deface nearly 60 Indian websites a day, but in return only 10 to 15 Pakistani websites are defaced. It has been going on since 2001. India may be the IT capital of the world, but as far as security issues are concerned the country is lagging far behind,” Fadia said. “Most countries have been victims of cyber terrorim some time or the other. Since 2000-01, Pakistani criminals have been defacing Indian websites and writing derogatory messages against India. It is known as Hacktivism, hacking into websites to spread a political, social or economic cause.” Fadia, who was working with the Central Bureau of Investigation till a couple of years ago, said: “As more and more aspects of our lives are now online, the danger of cyber terrorism is only rising.” Terrorists are now using “VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) chats, hidden messages inside photographs, draft e-mails and encrypted pen drives to communicate across the world, he said. After the Mumbai terror attacks last year, Fadia worked with the police “to decode various VoIP messages that the terrorists passed on using various VoIP software (Skype and Google Talk) before the attacks to plan the strike. “The police had also found various e-mails that were sent by the terrorists. I worked with the police to trace the e-mails back to the source and determine the exact geographic locations of the terrorists.” Fadia said: “At that time, India needed proof that the terrorists had indeed come from Pakistan. However, the initial e-mail trace revealed that the mails were sent from Saudi Arabia and Russia. After further investigation, we realised that the mails were sent from Pakistan and the terrorists had used proxy servers to disguise their locations.” For the past couple of months, the security expert has been “working on a project on how social networking websites are the next big threat for individuals. I am also writing a book on spies, hacking and national security,” he said. According to Fadia, cyber laws in India may be quite good, “but the problem is that the police who enforce those laws are not trained properly. If anyone lodges a cyber crime complaint at the nearest police station, I am sure that nine out of 10 times, officials attending to you won’t even know what you are saying.” The threat of terrorism has “sort of legitimised the demand and the necessity for ethical hacking”, Fadia felt. “Especially after the Mumbai attacks, everyone realised the need for ethical hacking. An ethical hacker determines the various security loopholes in a company’s network and comes up with protection mechanisms to fix them. “It is like hiring a criminal to break into your house and then asking the criminal to suggest ways to prevent a real break-in from taking place.” Fadia wrote “The Unofficial Guide to Ethical Hacking” when he was just 14. It became an international bestseller, sold over three million copies and was translated into 11 languages. Fadia said: “According to NASSCOM-IDC surveys the demand for ethical hackers is estimated at 77,000 in India and 188,000 worldwide currently.” He has trained more than 15,000 executives in systems security. Fadia got his first computer when he was 10. “At 12, I suddenly developed an interest in computer hacking. The fact that it was illegal attracted me. I hacked into the database of my favourite Chip magazine at 13. I defaced the magazine website and put up my website instead. But I wrote to the editor of the magazine and told him what I had done and how he could fix the security loophole so that such incidents don’t happen again. The editor offered me a job.” Cyber law of India has covered a long distance. It has covered a journey from Informationn Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act, 2000) to the Information Technology Amendment Act 2008 (IT Act 2008). Just like any other technology law, the IT Act, 2000 is also far from perfect. Also with the passage of time, new provisions must be incorporated to address the issues of cyber crimes and online transactions. One such issue that has not received proper attention of the government of India (GOI) pertains to cyber terrorism in India. Cyberterrorism is defined by Kevin G. Coleman as “The premeditated use of disruptive activities, or the threat thereof, against computers and/or networks, with the intention to cause harm or further social, ideological, religious, political or similar objectives. Or to intimidate any person in furtherance of such objectives. Cyber Terrorism in India was first discussed and advocated in the year 2002 by Praveen Dalal, the leading Techno-Legal Expert of India and Managing Partner of Perry4Law. However, the GOI woke up very late in the year 2008 when a single provision was incorporated in the Information Technology Amendment Act 2008 (IT Act 2008) on the basis of suggestions of Praveen Dalal. Though the provision seems to be a good beginning yet there is still a long gap to cover as a single provision cannot be considered to be enough to address the menace of cyber terrorism in India. It would be a good idea if the GOI take a serious note of the existing cyber law of India and come up with good and effective amendments.
“The next big war that the country may have to wage against terror will be on the Internet. The network infrastructure of the country may be attacked any time.Social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, Orkut and Myspace may also pose a threat,” Fadia told IANS in an e-mail interview.Cyber Terrorism In India Is A National Security Hazard
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Maoists rule India's 'Red Corridor' by Sudha Ramachandran
Khagaria (Bihar), Oct 2 (ANI): At least 16 people were killed in a Maoist attack in Bihar’s Khagaria district late on Thursday night.
According to a top police official, around 100 people, suspected to be Maoists, armed with automatic weapons attacked the village Amosi Bharen Diara and fired indiscriminately late last night.
Deceased include eleven men and five children, a top police official added.
According to police, the cultivation on the disputed 30 bighas of land is said to be reason behind the attack.pecial task force has been pressed into service to nab them. (ANI)
Maoist influence runs through a stretch of territory referred to as the "Red Corridor". This extends from the Telangana region in Andhra Pradesh through Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand up to Bihar. Areas in western Orissa and eastern Uttar Pradesh are also under Maoist influence. And they have some presence in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka as well.
The area where the Maoists operate has grown dramatically in recent years. In the early 1990s the number of districts affected by varying degrees of Maoist violence stood at just 15 in four states. This rose to 55 districts in nine states by the end of 2003 and to 156 districts in 13 states in 2004. Maoists are believed to be operating now in around 200 districts (of a total of 602 districts in the country) in 17 states.
Government officials point out that these statistics and the name Red Corridor have conjured up images of Maoists being in control of a large swathe of land and posing a threat to the Indian state. An official in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region told Asia Times Online that while the Maoists do control "some area" in Dantewada district and are able to carry out big attacks in several states, in most areas of the Red Corridor they operate as a hit-and-run force.
"They do not threaten the government, either at the state or the federal level and they are nowhere near sparking off a general uprising," he said, drawing attention to the diminishing public support for the Maoists and increasing resistance to their diktats.
Human-rights activists argue that while the Maoist threat might "not have Delhi on its knees, it is a fact that the problem has laid bare India's failure to deliver good governance, to respond to the plight of the poorest and most marginalized sections of its population".
Unlike jihadi violence that comes from across the border in Pakistan, Maoist violence has its roots firmly in India. Indeed, the Maoist problem has left India red-faced.
Districts that fall in the Red Corridor are rich in minerals like iron ore and bauxite. But the people living there, who are largely Adivasi or tribal are desperately poor. Exploited by forest officials, contractors, mining companies and middlemen and neglected by the state, villagers in the Red Corridor are among the worst off in the country.
And it is to liberate them from their oppressors and the Indian state that the Maoists claim to be waging their armed struggle.
It is true the Maoists have improved life for the Adivasis by forcing local officials to dig wells or pay better wages to the villagers. But over time, the liberators have turned oppressors themselves. Villagers who don't obey the Maoists have been killed and Maoist violence stands in the way of development projects.
The scale of Maoist operations has grown dramatically over the years. In November 2005, more than 1,000 Maoists stormed a jail in Jehanabad in Bihar and freed about 350 of their jailed comrades. Armories and camps of the police and paramilitary forces have been raided. A week ago, they signaled capacity to stand and fight the security forces. Around 200 Maoists stormed a state-owned bauxite mining company in the eastern state of Orissa, taking around 100 employees hostage. They battled for more than nine hours with members of India's Special Operations Group and its Central Industrial Security Force before they finally retreated.
Analysts have drawn attention to increasing Maoist attacks on infrastructure. P Ramana, research fellow at the Delhi-based Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses, has pointed out that 62 telecommunication towers were damaged by the Maoists in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Orissa in from 2005 to 2008, with 43 of these occurring in 2008. These attacks are aimed at disrupting "communication amongst the security forces, as well as between 'police informants' - who have been provided cellular telephones - and the security forces, in order that operations against the rebels get impaired," he writes.
The Maoists have also been blowing up power lines and service towers. In May 2007, they blew up three 132 KVA high-tension towers in the Bastar region, plunging six districts into darkness for a week and disrupting normal power distribution for a fortnight. "Functioning of hospitals, communication systems and rail traffic, besides iron ore mines was badly affected," Ramana points out. In June of last year, two 220 KVA towers were blasted depriving 15,000 villages of electricity.
Maoists have displayed their military capability through their high-profile attacks on railways and other infrastructure. They have been able to inflict losses running into millions of dollars on the state they are seeking to overthrow.
But simultaneously they are inflicting heavy losses on the people they claim they are going to liberate. They have worsened the daily lives of some of India's most exploited people.
Sudha Ramachandran is an independent journalist/researcher based in Bangalore.
Source :Asia Times Online
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
India publishes 'proof' dossier on Mumbai attacks
India dramatically ramped up its diplomatic offensive against Pakistan today, releasing evidence linking "elements" in the neighbouring nuclear-armed state to the Mumbai terror attacks for the first time.
A dossier handed to Pakistan's high commission in Delhi included interceptions of telephone calls made between the ten Mumbai gunmen and their alleged handlers in Pakistan during the attacks. "The commanders in Pakistan are following events on television and are issuing real-time instructions; telling the gunmen to target certain nationalities and religions; to maximise casualties; not to touch Muslims. This is hands-on direction," a senior Indian government official told The Times.
The commands included the order to execute six foreign Jews held at Nariman House, an orthodox Jewish outreach centre, during the Mumbai atrocities, which claimed more than 170 lives in all.
Those giving the orders are alleged to be senior members of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the Pakistan-based terrorist faction that Indian officials believe still has the support of Pakistan's powerful spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). They include Zarar Shah, the LeT's communications chief, who has been arrested in Pakistan and is believed to have admitted his role to Pakistani investigators. "He played a major part," Rakesh Maria, the officer in charge of the police investigation in Mumbai, saidThe dossier, which has also been passed to diplomats from countries including the UK and US, also includes an alleged confession from Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the sole Mumbai gunman to be captured alive. He says he is a Pakistani national who was trained for more than a year by the LeT in Pakistan. Details of the terrorists' weapons, GPS navigation systems and satellite and mobile phones are also included.
India expects the dossier to increase international pressure on Pakistan to dismantle the support network used by Islamist militants within its borders, much of which dates back to the CIA's backing of Pakistan-based jihadists against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan during the Cold War.
India is also demanding that Pakistan hand over several terror suspects linked to the Mumbai attacks. However, Islamabad has already said it would not comply to such a request and may settle for access being given to them by the FBI, which helped compile key parts of the Indian dossier.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said: "It is my duty to examine the dossier carefully and be truthful to myself, to my country and the neighbourhood."
However, the file is unlikely to contain much that Pakistan's security services are not already aware of, analysts said. Ajit Doval, a former director of India's Intelligence Bureau, said: "It will not carry anything spectacular; more likely it will contain refinements of information already widely known. In any case, Pakistan already has more than enough evidence to act upon if they are willing."
Publically, Pakistan government officials have said that India has failed to provide proof of the involvement of Pakistani nationals in the Mumbai strikes. However, Pakistan's own investigators have already arrested Mr Shah, of the LeT, who has told them that he was in contact with the gunmen who carried out the attack.
Mr Shah was arrested in December in a raid on a militant camp in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir. His detention came as tensions sharply escalated between India and Pakistan over the Mumbai issue. In recent days, both countries have insisted they have no appetite for war but each has pointedly refused to rule out the possibility of conflict.
The Indian dossier falls short of explicitly implicating the Pakistani state in the Mumbai attacks but hints strongly at the involvement of the country's powerful spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which helped create the LeT. Shivshankar Menon, India's foreign secretary, said: "It's hard to believe that something of this scale that took so long in preparation ... could occur without anybody anywhere in the [Pakistani] establishment knowing that this was happening."
Over the weekend, P Chidambaram, the Home Minister, said that the dossier was "unanswerable. No one in his right mind can give answer to this evidence." He also pointed a finger at the ISI. He said:
"Somebody who is familiar with intelligence and somebody who is familiar with commando operations has directed this operation. And that can not be entirely a non-state actor."
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Citizens against Terror
A month after 60 hours of horrific Mumbai siege ended, there is widespread fear and anger amongst the country's citizens.
A CNN-IBN and Hindustan Times campaign Citizens against Terror gave voice to that anger and compiled a citizens charter containing all anti-terror recommendations, which is now ready to be presented to the Home Minister.
Here’s a look at what went into the process of bringing your voice to the country's leadership.
Thousands sent in their suggestions to hindustantimes.com and CNN-IBN website IBNLive.com. Hundreds spoke at web kiosks that were set up in all major metros.
“You don't need political interference into security agencies deployed at any place,” an angry citizen suggested at one of the kiosks. Another said, “We don't want our policemen dying of bullets. They are not even equipped with proper helmets.”
An independent panel comprising former top cop Kiran Bedi, anti-terror expert Major General Afsir Karim and former Jammu University vice chancellor Amitabh Mattoo chose the most practical and concrete suggestions.
The charter comprising the 10 best recommendations will be presented to Home Minister P Chidambaram on Friday. Here is what it suggests:
* Better crisis management and emergency response systems
* Uniform electronic identity cards for all
* Extensive use of technology to fight terror
* Fixing accountability for previous lapses
* Urgent modernisation and reform of police
* Provisions for citizen-driven anti-terror initiatives like widespread survival training programmes
* Corporate help to overcome anti-terror resource crunch
* Trained citizens' vigilante groups
* Citizen-led observation posts for coastal areas
* War book for emergency situations
“All must keep pressure on the political executive to deliver. Every three or six months, we need to know directly from the Home Minister what has happened,” Kiran Bedi says.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Since 2001
| [hide] Terrorism in India since 2001 | |
|---|---|
| Attacks with 50+ deaths in bold Indian Parliament attack – Srinagar – Akshardham Temple attack – Mumbai 2002 – 1st Mumbai 2003 – 2nd Mumbai 2003 – 3rd Mumbai 2003 – Ayodhya – Delhi 2005 – Varanasi – Jama Masjid – Mumbai 2006 – Malegaon – Samjhauta Express – Mecca Masjid – Hyderabad – Uttar Pradesh – Jaipur – Bangalore – Ahmedabad – 1st Delhi 2008 – 2nd Delhi 2008 – Western India – Agartala – Imphal – Assam – Mumbai 2008 | |
2006 Malegaon Blasts
The 2006 Malegaon bombings were a series of bomb blasts that took place on 8 September 2006 in Malegaon, a town in the Nashik district of the Indian state of Maharashtra, located at some 290 km to the northeast of state capital Mumbai.
The explosions, which caused the deaths of at least 37 people and injured over 125 more, took place in a Muslim cemetery, adjacent to a mosque, at around 13:15 local time after Friday prayers on the Shab e Bara'at holy day. Most of the blast victims were Muslim pilgrims. Security forces spoke of "two bombs attached to bicycles", but other reports indicated that three devices had exploded. A stampede ensued after the devices exploded. A curfew was imposed in the town and state paramilitaries were deployed in sensitive areas to prevent unrest. Initially Maharashtra Police associated the blasts to be the handiwork of Student Islamic Movement of India.[1].
Monday, December 8, 2008
Ajmal Amir Kasab
Mumbai:
 |
But they were then split into five groups of two each, and briefed about their task differently. Two terrorists attacked CST station, two Cama Hospital, two went to Leopold's. Two held fort at the Taj and two more at the Oberoi, while another pair were at Nariman House. All ten had student identity cards of different colleges in India and were all in the age group of 19-28.
According to Rakesh Maria, Joint Commissioner of Police, none of these were in touch with each other while the operation was on. The police have been able to create profiles of the terrorists from the only one captured alive, Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab (21), held at Girgaum Chowpatty.
Maria said the group entered Mumbai through sea on November 26 around 8 pm.
They had come to Gujarat through a boat from Pakistan. Later they hijacked the Kuber boat at Porbander. The three fishermen were killed and later thrown into the sea, while one sailor Sarang took them in the Kuber boat till the Mumbai coastline. They killed him and kept his body in the Kuber boat, then sailed to the coast on a dinghy (rubber float boat) to Sassoon Dock. They then caught five taxies and went to the assigned places.
Police have recovered 10 AK 56 guns, 10 hand grenades, two packs of eight kg explosives. All carried one bag with them an AK rifle, grenades and bullets with them.
Cops have found a satellite phone from one Ismail Khan who was killed at Chowpatty, and a Global Positioning System that helped them navigate.
Source : Mid Day
How Is He Treated :
Ajmal Amir Kasab has been refused any clothing, except for underwear, to prevent him from choking to death, according to reports.
He is being held in a room with no furniture or fittings or anything he could use to harm himself with.
All his food is tasted in advance by police guarding him, the Independent reports.
Kasab and at least nine others killed about 170 people in a series of coordinated attacks on hotels and public places in Mumbai.
Kasab, 21, is now the Indian authorities' best, if not only, source of information about the planning behind the attacks.
This week detectives plan to use sodium pentothal, a so-called “truth serum”, in order to try and obtain more information from him, despite warnings from experts that the drug often produces unreliable results.
The Mumbai Mirror said the 21-year-old from Pakistan's Punjab province was being routinely moved in order to prevent any effort by other militants to reach him.
He is fed a simple diet of tea and bread for breakfast, lentils and chapattis for lunch and more pulses and rice for dinner.
INDIA and PAK compared
Something about my Great Country India
Read this and please tell me if it is worth debating or comparing India and pakistan?
If yes please tell me in which sector pakistan can compete with India
1>India Largest Democracy in the world-: Population: 1.1 Bn
2>India 10th most industrialized country
3>The world's biggest back office
4>Among world's largest skilled workforce
5>Largest english speaking nation by 2010
6>800 movies made anuualy--bollywood overshadows hollywood
7>6 Miss Universe / Miss world titles in last 10 years
8>Low per capita income US $550 ; 26% live in poverty, literacy levels at 68%
9>The Indian Diaspora
38% of Doctors in AMerica are Indians
36% of NASA employees are Indians
34% of Microsoft employees are Indians
28% of IBM employeesare Indians
17% of Intel employees are Indians
13% of Zerox employees are Indians
10>India will eventually become world's third largest economy after China and the USA --Goldman Sachs
11>India among fastest growing GDP's in the world
12>India's GDP will exceed that of Italy in 2020, France in 2020, Germany in 2025 and Japan in 2035 -- Goldman Sachs
13>India's Foreign exchange reserves history
1990-91 $4 billion
1995-96 $20 billion
2001-02 $60 billion
2002-03 $76 billion
2003-04 $100 billion
2004-05 close to $150 billion
14>Indian Economy
Robust growth of manufacturing, agriculture and services
Low external debt
250 Fortune 500 companies outsource IT work to India
Increased disposable income, increased wealth
Large emerging affluent middle class
15>Indian Aviation
Air deccan--1 st low cose domestic carrier
Most international carriers now target India for network growth and profitability
$5 bn capital infusion in govt owned carriers
Airport privatization
16>India will be the second fastest growing travel and tourism market over 2005-2014 at 8.8% -- WTTC
17> Size of indian tourism is 330 million as of 2004
18>Indians going abroad as of 2004
Singapore -- 375,658
Saudi Arabia -- 373,636
UAE -- 336,046
Kuwait -- 293,621
Thailand -- 280,641
Bahrain -- 268,383
USA -- 257,271
China -- 213,611
U.K -- 205,065
Hongkong -- 193,705
NewZealand -- 16,862
19> India growth projections
1999 -- 2.7%
2000 -- 3.4%
2001 -- 3.6%
2002 -- 4.2%
2003 -- 4.5%
2004 -- 5.9%
2005 -- 6.9%
2006 -- 8.0%
2007 -- 9.4%
2008 -- 11%
2009 -- 12.8%
2010 -- 15%
20> Drivers of outbound growth
Increased charter operations
Upper middle income group will remain largest segment
potential consumer pie will grow to 300 Mn
Age group of 15 to 49 likely comprise 62%
Self-employed who account for over 40% will emerge as
high potential target market
Holiday finance will become popular
21> Over 50 million Indian's will travel overseas by 2020 -- WTO
source: Stratergy Page
INdia and Pakistan Fire Power
INDIA
Military Manpower: 556,075,946
Personnel Fit for Military Service: 429,389,552
Available Yearly Military Manpower: 22,112,329
Purchasing Power: $2,966,000,000,000
Gold Reserves: $275,000,000,000
Oil Production: 834,600 (barrels/day)
Oil Consumption: 2,438,000 (barrels/day)
Proven Oil Reserves: 5,848,000 (barrels)
Labor Force: 516,400,000
Ports: 9
Airports: 346
Railways: 63,221 km
Waterways: 14,500 km
Roadways: 3,383,344 km
Land Area: 3,287,590 km
Merchant Marines: 477
PAKISTAN
Military Manpower: 75,807,598
Personnel Fit for Military Service: 57,820,634
Available Yearly Military Manpower: 3,818,309
Purchasing Power: $411,900,000,000
Gold Reserves: $15,690,000,000
Oil Production: 68,220 (barrels/day)
Oil Consumption: 345,000 (barrels/day)
Proven Oil Reserves: 289,200 (barrels)
Labor Force: 49,180,000
Ports: 2
Airports: 146
Railways: 8,163 km
Waterways: 0 km
Roadways: 258,340 km
Land Area: 803,940 km
Merchant Marines: 14
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Osama BIn Laden
Osama bin Laden, with some spelling variations, is the name used in English to refer to Usāmah bin Muḥammad bin `Awaḍ bin Lādin (Arabic: أسامة بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن); born 10 March 1957). Variations commonly seen in the English version of the name include "Usama" for "Osama," and/or "bin Ladin" for "bin Laden". Osama bin Laden is a member of the prominent Saudi bin Laden family and the founder of the jihadist organization Al-Qaeda.[1] He has been designated as a terrorist by scholars, journalists, analysts and law enforcement agencies.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] In conjunction with several other Islamic militant leaders, bin Laden issued two fatwas in 1996 and then again in 1998 that Muslims should force the United States and its allies to withdraw their military forces from the Arabian peninsula, by attacking American military and civilian targets.[12][13]
He has been indicted in United States federal court for his alleged involvement in the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya, and is on the US Federal Bureau of Investigation's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
Although bin Laden has not been indicted[14] for the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, he has been reported to have orally claimed responsibility for them in audio and video tapes released to the general public.[15][16] The attacks involved the hijacking of United Airlines Flight 93, United Airlines Flight 175, American Airlines Flight 11, and American Airlines Flight 77; the subsequent destruction of those planes and the World Trade Center in New York City, New York; severe damage to The Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia;[17] and the deaths of 2,974 people excluding the hijackers.[18]
Terrorism in India
Terrorism in India can be attributed to many low intensity conflict within its borders. If terrorism can be defined as "peacetime equivalent of war crime", then these sites of low intensity conflicts are prime spots for terrorism in India. The regions with long term terrorist activities today are Jammu and Kashmir, Central India (Naxalism) and Seven Sister States (independence and autonomy movements). In the past, the Punjab insurgency led to militant activities in the Indian state of Punjab as well as the national capital Delhi (Delhi serial blasts, anti-Sikh riots). As of 2006, at least 232 of the country’s 608 districts were afflicted, at differing intensities, by various insurgent and terrorist movements. [1]
Terrorism in India has often been alleged to be sponsored by Pakistan. After most acts of terrorism in India, many journalists and politicians accuse Pakistan's intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence of playing a role. Recently, both the US and Afghanistan have accused Pakistan of carrying out terrorist acts in Afghanistan.[2]
SIMI
The Students Islamic Movement of India was formed in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh state, in April 1977. The stated mission of SIMI is the ‘liberation of India’ from western materialistic cultural influence and to convert it into an Islamic society. This organization is believed by many, including the Government of India, to be involved in terrorism [1].
SIMI was banned by the Indian Government in 2002 for its involvement in terror activities in India. However, in August 2008, a special tribunal lifted the ban on SIMI. The ban was subsequently reinstated by the Supreme Court of India on 6th August 2008
Fears exist in government circles that SIMI has been penetrated by Al-Qaeda[2]. It is suspected that SIMI is now also operating under the name of Indian Mujahideen, an outfit that has taken responsibility for the 2008 Ahmedabad blasts, Jaipur blasts and 2008 Delhi blasts[3]. Indian Mujahideen has taken responsibility of several terrorist acts in India and communicates with the Indian media under the pseudonyms of Al-Arbi and Al-Hindi[4].
Saturday, October 11, 2008
IM email
The Indian Mujahideen have sent several emails claiming responsibility for several bombings.
The complete text of the 14 page carefully drafted Indian Mujahideen email, sent 4 minutes before Ahmedabad blasts can be seen at [9], [10]. The message refers to Islamic conquerers of India -Ibn-e-Qasim, Ghauri, Ghaznawi.
It warns about havoc about to happen in five minues:
- "... Here we are back - the Mujahideen of India - the terrorists on the disbelievers - the radicals of Islam - after our triumphant and successful assault at Jaipur, once again calling you all, who disbelieve in Allah and His Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him) to accept Islam and bear witness that there is none to be worshipped except Allah, and that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah. Accept Islam and save yourselves.
- O Hindus! O disbelieving faithless Indians! Haven’t you still realized that the falsehood of your 33 crore dirty mud idols and the blasphemy of your deaf, dumb, mute idols are not at all going to save your necks, Insha-Allah, from being slaughtered?
- We call you, O Hindus, O enemies of Allah, to take an honest stance with yourselves lest another attack of Ibn-e-Qasim sends shivers down your spines, lest another Ghauri shakes your foundations, and lest another Ghaznawi massacres you, proving your blood to be the cheapest of all mankind! Have you forgotten your history full of subjugation, humiliation, and insult? Or do you want us to repeat it again? Take heed before it is too late!
- So wait! ................ Await now……….! Wait only for five minutes from now! .... Wait for the Mujahideen and Fidayeen of Islam and stop them if you can - who will make you feel the terror of Jihad. Feel the havoc cast into your hearts by Allah, the Almighty, face His Dreadful Punishment, and suffer the results of fighting the Muslims and the Mujahideen. Await the anguish, agony, sorrow and pain. Await, only for 5 minutes, to feel the fear of death...".
The email was in the form of a pdf document that included several Arabic quotes from the Quran with translation.
The past emails by Indian Mujahideen include the following [11]:
- Serial blasts in three towns of Uttar Pradesh in November 2007[12]
- May 13 2008, after the Jaipur blasts email[13], traced to a Ghaziabad cyber cafe[14].
- July 26, 2008, four minues before Ahmedabad blasts, email traced Kenneth Haywood's WiFi IP address in Sanpada, Navi Mumbai.
- August 2008, after the press conference held by the Gujarat Police, IP address traced to WiFi network of Khalsa college in Matunga, central Mumbai.
- September 13 2008,during the Delhi serial blast, IP address traced to WiFi network of Kamran Power Control Pvt Ltd, at 201-202 Eric House, 16th Road, Chembur.
They did not sent any e-mail messages claiming responsibility for the serial blasts in Bangalore on July 25, 2008.
Indian Mujahideen
Indian Mujahideen is the name of a militant Islamist group in India, that has claimed responsibility for several attacks against civilian targets in India.[1] Recently being addressed as NIM - Non-Indian Mujahideen because of their Anti-India Attacks.[2]
Believed to be a "shadow amalgam of the SIMI and Lashkar-e-Toiba", the Indian Mujahideen have been declared a "terrorist" organization, and membership in the group has been banned in India.[3]
Investigators believe that Indian Mujahideen is one of many groups composed of lower-tier SIMI members. According to the Indian Intelligence Bureau, SIMI took new titles because the top leadership of SIMI have been detained and would be available for interrogation.[4] The change in names is also believed to signal a change in tactics as SIMI-affiliated militants attempt to garner more support from India's Muslim community rather than be seen as a group consisting of foreigners.[5]
Two days after the 13 May 2008 Jaipur bombings, the Islamic extremist group[6] sent an e-mail to Indian media in which they claimed responsibility for the attacks[7] and said they would "demolish the faith (Hinduism) of the infidels of India".[8]
The biggest and boldest attack to date by the group was the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts, where it gained national notoriety with a casualty count towards 50.
This group also claimed to be responsible for the 2008 Delhi serial blasts.
Attacks claimed by Indian Mujahideen
The emails sent by Indian Mujahideen claimed that they were responsible for the following terror incidents. One warning email was received 5 minutes before the first blast in Ahmedabad. Another was received soon after the first blast of the Delhi bombings. The timing makes it impossible for any other groups to have sent the two emails.
- 23 November 2007 Uttar Pradesh serial blasts
- 13 May 2008 Jaipur bombings
- 25 July 2008 Bangalore serial blasts
- 26 July 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts
- 13 September 2008 Delhi serial blasts
Suspected leaders
It is suspected that these are the major leaders of the Indian Mujahideen group[32].
- Abdus Subhan Qureshi Alias Tauqeer, 36, sought: A software engineer from Mumbai. An expert in bomb-making and is an expert hacker.
- Safdar Nagori, 38, under arrest: Architect the transformation from SIMI to Indian Mujahideen.
- Mufti Abu Bashir, 28, under arrest: A preacher from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh.
- Qayamuddin Kapadia, 28, sought : A trader of Vadodara, he started the first-ever mosque of the Ahle Hadis Tanzeem in Vadodara a few years ago.
- Sajid Mansuri, 35, under arrest: A graduate in psychology and formerly a marketing executive.
- Usman Agarbattiwala, sought, 25: A PG diploma holder from Vadodara in human rights
- Alamzeb Afridi, 24, sought: A jobless youth from Ahmedabad. He purchased bicycles and then planted them in Ahmedabad after tying bombs.
- Abdul Razik Mansuri, 27, sought: An embroidery unit owner.
- Mujib Shaikh, 25, sought: A stone polishing artisan.
- Zahid Shaikh, 27, sought: A mobile phone repair shop owner from Ahmedabad.
- Amil Parwaz, sought: A native of Ujjain. Believed to be involved in the court bomb blasts in Uttar Pradesh in November 2007.
Posts
