India and the Deccan Mujahideen

The escalating tensions in Mumbai have once more brought the epic tragedy of violent attacks against humanity to our virtual doorsteps.

At present, over 100 people have been killed and almost 300 injured, while an unknown number of hostages are being held in hotels around the city’s tourist district.

The fear that follows shock at such an unfathomable attack is further compounded by the unknown that surrounds the group responsible, the Deccan Mujahideen.

The previously little-known group claimed responsibility via an e-mail to news organisations earlier today.

As the stand-off continues, ambiguous insights both pin-point and admit confusion at their identity and objective: for example, the BBC’s security correspondent, Frank Gardner, states that:”It implies an Islamist motive – attacks inspired or co-ordinated by al-Qaeda” while equally “it could be a hoax or assumed name for another group.”

Terrorism analysts have since stated that it is unlikely that an unknown terrorist group could carry out such a highly-organized and heavily-armed attack.

Whether it is a self-styled group along the template of al-Qaeda, or an veritable affiliate, remains to be clarified; the notion that a self-styled group could coordinate an extreme attack provides an additional edge of anxiety, for with limited or no understanding of the group, the question of whether such attacks from previously unknown quarters could be detected in future is raised.

According to Rohan Gunaratna, an international terrorism expert, only the Indian Mujahideen had the resources to carry out the plan.

The Indian Mujahideen, has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly attacks throughout 2008, and cautioned in a September e-mail that Mumbai would be its next target.

The e-mail accused Mumbai’s police of harassing Muslims:

If this is the degree your arrogance has reached, and if you think that by these stunts you can scare us, then let the Indian Mujahideen warn all the people of Mumbai that whatever deadly attacks Mumbaikars will face in future, their responsibility would lie with the Mumbai ATS and their guardians. You are already on our hit list and this time very, very seriously. [Source]

Interestingly, today’s e-mail bears uncanny resemblance to that which was issued by the Indian Mujahideen:

You should know that your acts are not at all left unnoticed; rather we are closely keeping an eye on you and just waiting for the right time to execute your bloodshed. We are aware of your recent raids at Ansarnagar, Mograpada in Andheri and the harassment and trouble you created there for the Muslims.

You threatened to murder them and your mischief went to such an extent that you even dared to abuse and insult Maulana Mahmood-ul-Hasan Qasmi and even misbehaved with the Muslim women and children there.

If this is the degree your arrogance has reached, and if you think that by these stunts you can scare us, then let the Indian Mujahideen warn all the people of Mumbai that whatever deadly attacks Mumbaikars will face in future, their responsibility would lie with the Mumbai ATS and their guardians – Vilasrao Deshmukh and R R Patil. You are already on our hit-list and this time very very seriously. [Source]

Doubtless, the attackers will reveal their origins and objectives in due course; for now, however, it is the victims of their actions who bring the inhumanity of the movement to the fore.

The British MEP, Sajjad Karim, was resident at the Taj Mahal Hotel for the duration of an EU-India Summit, when he witnessed a man opening fire in the lobby. Speaking from the basement of the hotel, he described the scene:

All I saw was one man on foot carrying a machine-gun type of weapon – which I then saw him firing from and I saw people hitting the floor, people right next to me. I was in the lobby of the hotel when gunmen came in and people started running. There were about 25 or 30 of us. Some of us split one way and some another. A gunman just stood there spraying bullets around, right next to me. I managed to turn away and I ran into the hotel kitchen and then we were shunted into a restaurant in the basement of the hotel. We are now in the dark in this room and we’ve barricaded all the doors. It’s really bad. [Source]

Another Briton working in Mumbai accounted:

A guy burst in with a machine gun. He was in western dress wearing jeans and he asked for British and American tourists. They told everybody to stop and put their hands up and asked if there were any British or Americans. My friend said to me, ‘don’t be a hero, don’t say you are British’. I am sure that is what this is all about. [Source]

It is a recurrent conclusion but one that is logical: if the perpetrators behind the attacks are motivated by religion, they are doing the faith an immense injustice.

If it is political, then they have succeeded in garnering the world’s attention, but at the cost of closing the door to negotiations forever.