At Least 10 Dead in Attack on Indian Parliament
December 13, 2001 12:23 AM Subscribe
At Least 10 Dead in Attack on Indian Parliament Just heard the news break. Apparently 5 terrorists broke into the building and opened fire. 4 of them were killed. CNN doesn't have anything yet (2:30am Central).
manero: the shit hit the fan in 1948. in terms of the current pile of scatological material, though, i give it about 2 weeks before Sharon finally goes off the deep end and starts something irreversable.
posted by phalkin at 12:44 AM on December 13, 2001
posted by phalkin at 12:44 AM on December 13, 2001
It looks like they were killed at a security checkpoint of some kind, resulting in them, the guards, and possibly nearby civilians in the tens being (wounded) casualties.
Fortunately the death toll is still just 11. The smart money would bet on this being the work of the Kashmiri separatists (who, not to complicate matters, have support from Pakistan, and many of whom trained with al Qaeda in Afghanistan). Of course, India has also experienced terrorism and political violence from other sources.
Notably, Eid el Fitr (the end of Ramadan) is probably this coming Sunday the 16th, which might allow certain extremists to launch attacks. Ramadan doesn't always seem to influence this stuff, though.
More on the Kashmiri Parliament attack in October. There do seem to be similarities, though this attack was far more foolhardy (bigger target, smaller team). Still, that's terror for you.
posted by dhartung at 2:01 AM on December 13, 2001
Fortunately the death toll is still just 11. The smart money would bet on this being the work of the Kashmiri separatists (who, not to complicate matters, have support from Pakistan, and many of whom trained with al Qaeda in Afghanistan). Of course, India has also experienced terrorism and political violence from other sources.
Notably, Eid el Fitr (the end of Ramadan) is probably this coming Sunday the 16th, which might allow certain extremists to launch attacks. Ramadan doesn't always seem to influence this stuff, though.
More on the Kashmiri Parliament attack in October. There do seem to be similarities, though this attack was far more foolhardy (bigger target, smaller team). Still, that's terror for you.
posted by dhartung at 2:01 AM on December 13, 2001
According to a cameraman who witnessed the attack, one of the gunmen blew himself up in an apparent suicide attack. Sound familiar? According to this BBC report, they may be Kashmiri militants. If that's it, India is going off on Pakistan.
posted by Mack Twain at 2:08 AM on December 13, 2001
posted by Mack Twain at 2:08 AM on December 13, 2001
Was just reading about the attacks at The Times of India site, but can't get through. It had up-to-date information and a list of those injured or killed as well. Maybe check back at http://www.timesofindia.com/ later?
posted by massless at 2:16 AM on December 13, 2001
posted by massless at 2:16 AM on December 13, 2001
Dang, it is religiously significant -- Wednesday is the 27th of Ramadan, the Night of Power, when good (Islamic) deeds are especially favored and prayer is ordained. The US capital is already supposed to be on high alert.
An alernate url is timesofindia.indiatimes.com; and Hindustan Times is up. India on highest-ever alert ... Blasts along LoC (line of control in Jammu/Kashmir, the effective border with Pakistan) ... No group claims responsibility so far.
More Indian papers.
posted by dhartung at 2:36 AM on December 13, 2001
An alernate url is timesofindia.indiatimes.com; and Hindustan Times is up. India on highest-ever alert ... Blasts along LoC (line of control in Jammu/Kashmir, the effective border with Pakistan) ... No group claims responsibility so far.
More Indian papers.
posted by dhartung at 2:36 AM on December 13, 2001
Or maybe that was already yesterday in India.
Anyway, if you're wondering why the Indian defense minister has a Hispanic-sounding name (Fernandes), it's probably because he's from the Goa region, which used to be a possession of Portugal. I was just trying to find out more on that yesterday.
posted by dhartung at 2:44 AM on December 13, 2001
Anyway, if you're wondering why the Indian defense minister has a Hispanic-sounding name (Fernandes), it's probably because he's from the Goa region, which used to be a possession of Portugal. I was just trying to find out more on that yesterday.
posted by dhartung at 2:44 AM on December 13, 2001
Full Times of India article. It works, but it's v e r y . s l o w. Apparently the minister said India had received reports of a planned attack in the country following the rout of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, but there's no indication yet of who might be responsible.
posted by walrus at 3:06 AM on December 13, 2001
posted by walrus at 3:06 AM on December 13, 2001
Best quote so far: A Pakistan-based militant group first claimed responsibility for that attack, but later denied having carried it out.
"We did it. No, wait, we didn't. I mean we did it if this terrorizes Indians and helps us with recruiting, but we didn't do it if America starts bombing us."
Obviously these are Pakistani militants backed by or part of al-Queda. I say it's time for Vajpayee to get 'midevil on the Islamic militants' ass'.
posted by Rastafari at 4:47 AM on December 13, 2001
"We did it. No, wait, we didn't. I mean we did it if this terrorizes Indians and helps us with recruiting, but we didn't do it if America starts bombing us."
Obviously these are Pakistani militants backed by or part of al-Queda. I say it's time for Vajpayee to get 'midevil on the Islamic militants' ass'.
posted by Rastafari at 4:47 AM on December 13, 2001
Oh come on they had grenades made in China, RDX (Bombay blasts), AK-47s (Weapon of choice for the terrorizing criminal in India), gee I wonder who that might be?
I for one hope that India works this with a level head, rather than in the heat of the moment.
posted by riffola at 5:11 AM on December 13, 2001
I for one hope that India works this with a level head, rather than in the heat of the moment.
posted by riffola at 5:11 AM on December 13, 2001
According to CNN Israeli tanks are in Gaza, they say that Arafat is 'irrelevant'. So we'll have to see what the indian response is to this, but it looks like Bin Laden may get his wish.
posted by delmoi at 5:14 AM on December 13, 2001
posted by delmoi at 5:14 AM on December 13, 2001
US, Pak & Britan condemn the attacks; Vajapayee pledged to fight a "do or die battle" against terrorism
posted by riffola at 5:24 AM on December 13, 2001
posted by riffola at 5:24 AM on December 13, 2001
I just saw Doordarshan news, all I can say is unbelievable. Cameras running, you can see the police and Black Cat commandos in action, you can hear shots being fire somewhere off camera, and there were one or two blasts. The terrorists car apparently collided with one of the cars in the vice-president's convoy. The vice-president's car had 4 bullet holes on it. (In India the President and Vice-President are just figureheads. The nation is actually run by the Prime Minister and his cabinet.)
Unbelievable, just unbelievable.
posted by riffola at 6:13 PM on December 13, 2001
Unbelievable, just unbelievable.
posted by riffola at 6:13 PM on December 13, 2001
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posted by manero at 12:25 AM on December 13, 2001