Intel Sparse On Mumbai Attack Group

Deccan Mujahideen Mostly Unknown To Major Spy Agencies; Experts Rule Out Al Qaeda Link

(CBS/ AP)  Spy agencies around the world had little warning of the terrorist attack in Mumbai, which bore some al Qaeda hallmarks but appears unlikely to be linked to the group's core leadership, global intelligence officials said Thursday.

Westerners in India's financial center were targeted in the spectacular attack comprised of multiple, simultaneous assaults - a signature of past al Qaeda actions including the Sept. 11 attacks. But the Indian attack was carried out by gunmen and not the suicide bombers frequently employed by al Qaeda and its affiliates.

More than 100 people have been killed with at least 300 people wounded.

The group that claimed responsibility - Deccan Mujahideen - was unknown to security officials, a British security official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity surrounding the work. He said terror threats in India had been increasing but the scale of the attack on Wednesday was a surprise and there were no indications attacks would target Westerners.

"We have been actively monitoring plots in Britain and abroad and there was nothing to indicate something like this was about to happen," the official told the AP.

CBS News correspondent Bob Orr reported that U.S. officials had not heard of Deccan Mujahideen before Wednesday.

Britain is the former colonial power in India and Pakistan and closely monitors terrorist suspects in those countries. The majority of the nearly 2 million British Muslims are of Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin. More than 2,000 terror suspects are being monitored in the UK alone, with dozens more being watched in other countries, Britain's security services have said.

Another British security official told the AP on condition of anonymity that, though it is too early to know for sure, the attack doesn't look to have been directed by al Qaeda's core leadership. But he said the fact Westerners had been singled out suggested it was inspired by Islamic extremist ideology.

Western security officials believe attacks organized, directed and funded specifically by al Qaeda's core leadership along the Afghan/Pakistan border are not frequent. More common are incidents in which terrorists have either some limited contact with al Qaeda leaders, or are inspired to carry out attacks by the ideology of Islamic extremism.

A U.S. counterterrorism official warned against leaping to conclusions but said the Mumbai attacks bore some hallmarks of operations by Pakistani groups that have fought Indian troops in the divided Kashmir region.

"Some of what we're seeing is reminiscent of past terrorist operations undertaken by groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed," the official said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh blamed "external forces" and the Indian navy said its forces were boarding a cargo vessel suspected of ties to the attacks.

Navy spokesman Capt. Manohar Nambiar said Thursday that the ship, the MV Alpha, had recently come to Mumbai from Karachi, Pakistan.

Pakistan's Port and Shipping Minister Nabil Gabol said Indian authorities had not asked him for information about what he called a "false allegation."

"They should not drag Pakistan into this just to overcome their own political problems," he told The Associated Press.

Pakistani officials in Britain said they were unaware of the plot. In September, a massive suicide truck bomb devastated the Marriott Hotel in the capital, Islamabad, killing at least 54 people, including three Americans and the Czech ambassador.

"This type of terrorism is spreading, through Pakistan and now India, but we were all surprised by such a large-scale attack like this," said Wajid Hassan, Pakistan's High Commissioner in London. "This is no coincidence that this type of attack happened so soon after the bombing of the Marriott Hotel. People from all countries are being paid to fight this al Qaeda war. This is a war that goes beyond any nationality."

Few terrorism experts have heard of the Deccan Mujahideen.

"Initially we saw violence in India imported from outside - with allegations of Pakistani government support - but now we are seeing new, homegrown groups," said Nigel Inkster, director of Transnational Threats at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.

"There is a possible link to al Qaeda," he said. "Logically it would be easier for al Qaeda to get things done in India than in the U.S. and Europe. Everyone's been expecting some type of pre-U.S. election or post-U.S. election spectacular, and there is some speculation that this is it."

[platteman]

Take all but one of the terrorists, islamic terrorists, behead all of them, dig a hole, slaughter a few pigs and bury them with the dead terrorists. Then send a video of the event to the rest of the islamic terrorist news media and tell them, more of the same will follow.

After a few dozen of these incidents, they will stop to think and they will find that their goals won''t ever be met.

Since they won''t get the virgins that they thought about, they will change their tune. Time to fight fire with even more fire. Political correctness has run amuck and the new media keeps wanting to make friend with these thugs. They are killers, they will kill everyone they can.

[hatesthecolt]

This is a hilarious nonarticle. The media does not know what the intelligence community knows or doesn''t know. They can only report what they are being TOLD the community knows or doesn''t know.

[andrew_693]

I think this is a backlash for all the people we were killing in iraq, afghanistan and pakistan....you know the constant bombings of men women and children by mistake that never made the headlines.

[andrew_693]

it was probably planned by the the friends of bush, the saudis, the egyptians, all those called freedom fighters that reagan and his party like to refer to as their comrades.

[larryhammick]

The nationalities of the terrorists are probably various, but no one doubts that they are all Muslims.

Now where did they train? SE Asia?

Who provided the ship and paid the considerable other expenses of this group? I''ll be watching the Sunni Arab reaction to this news. Terrorism sponsors need not be governments; they can be rich individuals, fake charities, or clerics who control a lot of zakat money. Mercenary criminal gangs might have been enlisted for logistics and weapons.

[jowand]

Its the Taliban and/or Al Quaeda, just one in a long line of attacks traceable back to Pakistan. It''s just a matter of time, unless the goverment of Pakistan does something, before India squashes Pakistan big time. These Muslim crazies want a world war to, they think, usher in the world wide Muslim Paradise on earth. Just like they have in Pakistan, Iran, Gaza, Lebanon, Somalia, Syria and Afghanistan. Where they chop off limbs for stealing a loaf of bread and blow school children up so they can go to their Paradise.

[dilonsiel]

Dilonsiel: Your post is a classic example of political correctness. In PC Rule #1, whenever a Muslim commits a terrorist act, you must substitute the word religion for Islam.

-------Posted by downsteamjim

Actually, I only said religion because I lacked enough information to say Islam. I have not read all the news articles. But if it is known that they did it in the name of Islam, then I am certainly happy to be more specific.

[dilonsiel]

Did the Deccan Mujahideen say why they did this when they claimed responsibility? Or was that answered in another article that I missed?

[downsteamjim]

Dilonsiel: Your post is a classic example of political correctness. In PC Rule #1, whenever a Muslim commits a terrorist act, you must substitute the word religion for Islam.

[dilonsiel]

These attacks were brought to you by religion and delivered in the name of God. They were irrational, yes, but cowardly? I don''''t think so. Religion makes people insane, not cowardly.

---------Posted by Voltaire777

I think it would be more accurate to say: These attacks were brought to you by extremists and delivered in the name of religion.

[dilonsiel]

Muslim extremists would be more accurate than Muslims.

[downsteamjim]

Voltaire: This was done by Muslims but your political correctness requires that you always substitute religion for Islam.

[voltaire777]

These attacks were brought to you by religion and delivered in the name of God. They were irrational, yes, but cowardly? I don''t think so. Religion makes people insane, not cowardly.

[larryhammick]

I never heard of Deccan Mujahideen before. Has there been any use of that name except in the email claiming responsibility?
Anyway, we will know more soon.