The first event was detailed at 20:10 IST on 26 November: a boat carrying around ten terrorists with several large bags docked at Macchimar Nagar, Mumbai's Cuffe Parade neighbourhood, where six of the men disembarked and the rest continued sailing along the shore. When local residents asked about their occupation, the group responded that they were students. At 20:30 another such incident played out in Colaba, when 10 Urdu-speaking men in inflatable speedboats came ashore. They reportedly told local Marathi-speaking fishermen to mind their business before they split up and headed two different ways; the fishermen's subsequent report to police received little response. The attacks began around 21:20, when two terrorists armed with AK-47 rifles entered the passenger hall of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) railway station, opened fire and threw grenades, killing at least ten people. Two terrorists held fifteen hostages, including seven foreigners, in the Taj Mahal hotel.Facade of the Taj Mahal hotel where hostages were held Several motorcycles lie in a pool of blood.CNN reported at 23:00 that the hostage situation at the Taj had been resolved and quoted the police chief of Maharashtra state as saying that all hostages were freed; however, it was later learned that there were still hostages in the hotel. Forty people were being held as hostages in the Oberoi Trident hotel. Six blasts were reported to have taken place at the Taj hotel and one at the Oberoi Trident. The Taj Mahal Hotel was reported to be completely under government control at 04:22 and Indian commandos killed two gunmen inside Oberoi hotel and took control of the building.
Both hotels were on fire and were surrounded by Rapid Action Force and Army personnel. About 400 Army commandos and 300 National Security Guards (NSG) commandos and 36~100 MARCOS commandos were sent to the spot. Reports emerged of terrorists receiving live feeds broadcast by television stations; feeds to the hotels were subsequently blocked. All terrorists were out of the Taj hotel, and police and firefighters were working to rescue the estimated 50 people trapped inside. Low-intensity blasts were reported in Vile Parle and a grenade attack in Santa Cruz. Two blasts were reported in the Nepean Sea Road area of south Mumbai. Local Mumbai Suburban Railway trains on the Western Railway were running, whereas those of the Central Railway were suspended. More blasts were reported at the Oberoi as the siege continued. Meanwhile, police seized a boat filled with arms and explosives anchored at Mazgaon dock off Mumbai harbour.
Interior of Oberoi Trident hotel where forty hostages were heldA number of European Parliament Committee on International Trade delegates were staying in the Taj Mahal hotel when it was attacked, but none of them were injured. British Conservative MEP Sajjad Karim (who was in the lobby when gunmen initially opened fire there) and German Social Democrat MEP Erika Mann were hiding in different parts of the building. Also reported present was Spanish MEP Ignasi Guardans, who was barricaded in a hotel room. Another British Conservative MEP, Syed Kamall, reports that he along with several other MEPs left the hotel and went to a nearby restaurant shortly before the attack. Kamall also reported that Polish MEP Jan Masiel was thought to have been sleeping in his hotel room when the attacks occurred. He did not leave his room for a long time, but he finally managed to safely leave the hotel. Kamall and Guardans report that a Hungarian MEP's assistant was shot.
Also caught up in the shooting were the President of Madrid, Esperanza Aguirre, while checking in at the Oberoi Trident, and Indian MP N. N. Krishnadas of Kerala, while having dinner at a restaurant in the Taj hotel.
The New York Times reported that terrorists held several hostages at the Mumbai Chabad House (also known as Nariman House) in Colaba, owned by Chabad Lubavitch. It was reported in the early morning of 29 November that Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivka Holtzberg, who was six months pregnant, were tortured and murdered with other hostages inside the house. Times Online reports about Sir Gulam Noon - MBE's experience on how he escaped the bombed Taj Mahal Hotel.
Maharashtra state home secretary Bipin Shrimali later announced that the police killed four gunmen when they attempted to flee in cars in two separate incidents, and state home minister R. R. Patil has said that nine suspects were also arrested.
The army was reported to have secured one of the hotels, and eight hostages have been freed at the Jewish outreach group. On 29 November The Times of India reported that the battle for Mumbai has ended after 60 hours of operation by Indian security forces. The final operation at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel was completed at 08:00 on 29 November. The security forces rescued 250 people in Oberoi, 300 in Taj and 12 families of 60 people in Nariman House. A total of 172 people were reported to be killed by the terrorists.
DAY 1 - Wednesday, Nov 26, 2008
- Terrorists strike across Mumbai, opening indiscriminate fire and throwing grenades and killing people at will.
- The places that come under attack are Oberoi Hotel at Nariman Point, Taj Mahal Hotel
opposite Gateway of India, Café Leopold in Colaba, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), Nariman House, Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai headquarters opposite CST, Gokuldas Tejpal Hospital and Cama Hospital near CST, Metro Cinema. Bombs go off in Vile Parle, Mazgaon and Napean Sea Road.
- Owing to the heavy firing, security agencies first misinterpret the attacks as gangwar. Within a few hours, it is clear that it's a terrorist strike.
- Security forces engage the terrorists at several places, killing some of them. Meanwhile, the civilian casualties are rising fast.
- Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare dies in one of the gunbattles with the terrorists.
- Commandos of the National Security Guards, army and navy are roped in for the operations.
- Finally, some terrorists take hostages at Oberoi, Taj and Nariman House.
- The dome of the Taj hotel catches fire.
- Commandos lay siege at Taj and Oberoi hotel and Nariman House, where the terrorists are keeping hostages and firing.
- The fire at Taj rages on.
- Firefighters struggle to douse the flames.
- Commandos engage the terrorists in an exchange of fire at Taj and Oberoi.
- Large explosions are heard from the hotels from time to time.
- Some guests are evacuated from inside the hotels, but the terrorists remain in control.
- This is the most decisive and eventful day of the anti-terror operations.
- Commandos kill two terrorists and take full control of Oberoi Hotel.
- Around 200 hostages, including many foreign nationals, are rescued from the premises.
- A part of the hotel catches fire.
- At Nariman House, security forces intensify operations.
- Commandos are airdropped on the building's roof.
- A prolonged gunbattle and explosions later, the commandos enter the house and kill both the terrorists.
- All five hostages are found dead; one NSG commando is killed in the operation.
- Late into the night, Nariman House is secured and handed over to the authorities.
- But the terrorists at Taj hotel stay put.
- At least 25 big and small explosions, along with heavy gunfire, are heard from the Taj throughout the day. Even the media comes under fire.
- However, by the end of the day, the commandos take full control of the new wing of the hotel. It's now clear the terrorists are holed up somewhere in the old part of the building.
- Gunbattle at Taj hotel intensifies in the morning.
- The three terrorists holed up are finally killed.
- Commandos set afire two retail stores in the hotel to successfully smoke out the terrorists and kill them.
- Security forces run a security check to sanitise the hotel complex. Live bombs, grenades and several kilos of RDX recovered.
- Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare, NSG commando Sandeep Unnikrishnan and NSG Constable Gajender Singh, three of the many security personnel killed in the terror attacks, are cremated. Thousands attend their funerals.
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