DTN News - BOSTON MARATHON EXPLOSIONS: Deadly Attack At Boston Marathon

DTN News - BOSTON MARATHON EXPLOSIONS: Deadly Attack At Boston Marathon 
STORY HIGHLIGHTS

*NEW: An 8-year-old boy was one of two killed

*The bombs were small, with no initial sign of high-grade explosive material, an official tells CNN

*The blasts at the marathon were 50 to 100 yards apart, officials say

*Obama vows those guilty "will feel the full weight of justice"

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources CNN

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 15, 2013: Doctors are "pulling ball-bearings out of people in the emergency room," the expert said, suggesting the bombs were designed to propel shrapnel.

"Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups, will feel the full weight of justice," President Barack Obama vowed.

Boston "is a tough and resilient town," he said, adding that Americans will stand by Bostonians "every single step of the way."

'Like a huge cannon'

The terrorist attack, near the marathon's finish line, triggered widespread screaming and chaos, shattered windows and barricades and sent smoke billowing into the air at Copley Square.

The blasts were about 50 to 100 yards apart, officials said, on a stretch of the marathon course lined with spectators cheering runners through the final yards of a 26-mile, 385-yard endurance feat.

"It felt like a huge cannon," a witness told CNN about one of the blasts.

Photos from the scene showed people being carried away on stretchers. One man in a wheelchair had blood all over his face and legs.

The bombs shook buildings, sending people to seek shelter under tables, witnesses said.

Federal authorities are classifying the bombings as a terrorist attack, but it's not clear whether the origin was domestic or foreign, a federal law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation said.

A federal law enforcement official told CNN that both bombs were small, and initial tests showed no C-4 or other high-grade explosive material, suggesting that the packages used in the attack were crude explosive devices.

Running list of things we know

Another explosive device found

Authorities in Boston found at least one other explosive device that they were dismantling, Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said.

Rep. Bill Keating of Massachusetts, meanwhile, said there were two more found.

One unexploded device was found at a hotel on Boylston Street near the bomb site and another unexploded device was found at an undisclosed location, Keating, a Democrat and member of the House Homeland Security committee, said, calling the bombing a "sophisticated, coordinated, planned attack."

Davis said a third blast at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library was believed to be related to the marathon bombings, but police later said that incident was believed to be fire-related. The library said all staff and visitors are safe.

It was unclear who may have planted the marathon bombs. There were no credible threats before the race, a state government official said.

There is no suspect in custody, but many people are being questioned, Davis said.

As authorities searched the scene, numerous suspicious packages were found, possibly because people fled the area, leaving items behind. Investigators were checking them.

All off-duty Boston police were called in.

The Marriott hotel at Copley Place was evacuated as a precaution.

The Lenox Hotel was also evacuated as a precaution, the Boston Globe reported.

Flights banned over Boston Marathon blast site

'Horrific day'

Crowds were in the area watching the runners take part in the world's oldest annual marathon.

It was also Patriot's Day, commemorating the opening battle of the Revolutionary War.

Within seconds, the festive occasion turned into devastation.

"This is a horrific day in Boston," Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick said in a statement.

"My thoughts and prayers are with those who have been injured. I have been in touch with the president, Mayor (Thomas) Menino and our public safety leaders. Our focus is on making sure that the area around Copley Square is safe and secured. I am asking everyone to stay away from Copley Square and let the first responders do their jobs."

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder spoke with FBI Director Robert Mueller and U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz, a Justice Department official said.

Holder has directed the full resources of the Justice Department to be deployed to ensure the matter is fully investigated, the official said.

The Federal Aviation Administration placed a flight restriction over the site of the blasts.

Other cities, including New York and Washington, tightened security as a result. Following standard protocol, the White House cleared out an area in front of the West Wing.

"If you see something, say something," Mark Boughton, mayor of Danbury, Connecticut, wrote on Twitter. "All cities will be on a heightened state of alertness per Homeland Security protocols."

Mike Baingon, who works at the Atlantic Fish Company in Boston, said an explosion took place in front of the restaurant and that he was right by the front door at the time.

The explosions occurred at about 2:45 p.m., more than two hours after the first of the race's nearly 27,000 runners had crossed the finish line, CNN Producer Matt Frucci reported.

The race was halted as was subway service into the area.

Runners east of Massachusetts Avenue were directed to Boston Common; those west of Massachusetts Avenue were directed to Kenmore Square, the state's emergency management agency said.

Troops from the Massachusetts National Guard, already at the site as part of the marathon's security and crowd-management plan, were assisting police as well.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources CNN
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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DTN News - AL-QAEDA PAKISTAN CONNECTION: Feds Watching Possible Terror Plot For NY, D.C.

DTN News - AL-QAEDA PAKISTAN CONNECTION: Feds Watching Possible Terror Plot For NY, D.C.

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources CBS

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 8, 2011: CBS News has learned that officials Thursday are very concerned about new information that there could be a terror strike on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, and this new potential plot could target New York or Washington, D.C.

According to CBS News correspondent Bob Orr, this threat is "specific and credible but unconfirmed," meaning that intelligence agencies across the government has picked up a threat stream from overseas, and that there is a full court press by the FBI, CIA and others to refute or corroborate the information.

Sources told CBS News that the threat specifically has come from Pakistan, which is home to terror groups, including the Pakistani Taliban, the organization behind the failed Times Square bombing attempt.

A federal law enforcement source told CBS News that operatives are acting on Osama bin Laden's wishes to time an attack to the anniversary.

While the report is unconfirmed, a number of officials say that there are enough elements lined up to have them concerned about this threat stream more so than the others they have seen in recent days.

A Federal source told CBS News that FBI and intelligence authorities are currently tracking two distinct threat streams -- one involving a car bombing threat in New York or Washington and a separate threat against bridges and tunnels in New York. It is unknown if there is a correlation between the two threats.

A White House official told CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller that President Obama was briefed about the threat Thursday morning and had been updated all day. "The United States government has already significantly enhanced its security posture in advance of the 9/11 anniversary to protect the country against possible terrorist threats," said the official. "Nevertheless, the President directed the counterterrorism community to redouble its efforts in response to this credible but unconfirmed information."

White House officials said there were no plans to change Obama's travel schedule on Sunday in light of the threat. The president is scheduled to mark the 9/11 anniversary with stops at New York's ground zero, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pa. He will also deliver remarks Sunday night at a memorial concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington.

"It's accurate that there is specific, credible but unconfirmed threat information," Homeland Security Department spokesman Matt Chandler said in a statement. "As we always do before important dates like the anniversary of 9/11, we will undoubtedly get more reporting in the coming days."

The U.S. has not raised its official terror threat level.

Earlier, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said there was no information about a specific threat around the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks but there is "a lot of chatter."

Napolitano told reporters Thursday that "in the intel world there is lots of chatter and we are taking it very seriously."

CBS News reports that the secretary said more federal air marshals would be deployed for the anniversary but wouldn't specify other measures being taken by Homeland Security and other agencies other than that they were "preparing accordingly."

Special Section | 9/11: Ten Years Later Special Section: 9/11 Videos Special Section: 9/11 in Photos

Napolitano said Homeland Security would warn the public if a threat arose.

Pentagon Memorial

Asked about the threat of "lone wolves," Napolitano said it is a "key concern" that "more and more Americans in-country are being radicalized to the point of violence" and that Internet recruiting by those like U.S.-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki is having an impact, CBS News reports.

Speaking generally and not in reference to the 9/11 anniversary, Napolitano said a 9/11-style plot would be "much more difficult" to execute now than 10 years ago because of the multiple security layers now in place, better intelligence gathering and better intelligence sharing, among other improvements, CBS News reports.

Defense chief: Threat of 9/11 repeat "very real" Pictures: 9/11 images, before and after A look at United Flight 93, 10 years later

Flight 93 Memorial: Shanksville, Pa.

In New York, despite no specific terrorism threats against the city, thousands of extra police officers will be deployed, officials said Wednesday.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, in remarks at a security conference in midtown Manhattan, cited evidence found in Osama bin Laden's compound after his death suggesting he hoped to strike on the anniversary.

"For that reason alone, we need to take precautions as if an actual plot is under way," Kelly said.

The New York Police Department plans to form a zone around the World Trade Center for a Sunday observance that President Obama and former President George W. Bush plan to attend. Along with extra officers -- the department won't reveal an exact number -- the security also will include hundreds of surveillance cameras trained on the site, Kelly said.

The World Trade Center gathering also will showcase a new police command of 212 officers dedicated to protecting the site. The officers have received special counterterrorism training, including on how to spot people conducting reconnaissance and how to respond to suicide or truck bombers.

Visiting ground zero & lower Manhattan

The command conducted drills this week on evacuating the National September 11 Memorial & Museum and its adjacent plaza, which opens Monday.

Sunday's observance is one of more than 30 commemorative events scheduled for the week that the department is laboring to protect, Kelly said.

"We don't presume that ground zero alone is a potential target," the commissioner said. "That would be shortsighted."

The department also will deploy so-called quick-strike reaction forces to respond to potential threats outside lower Manhattan, Kelly said. The teams include officers in heavy armor, bomb squad technicians and hostage negotiators who will have highway patrol escorts on standby if needed.

New Yorkers will see more officers in the subways as well. Many will concentrate on busy transportation hubs such as Grand Central Terminal, Pennsylvania Station and the Herald Square subway station.

There are other security concerns: Extra patrols also will be deployed in Queens for Sunday's U.S. Open tennis finale. And the department is gearing up for next week's U.N. General Assembly, working with the Secret Service to protect 130 heads of state and coordinate 220 motorcades, Kelly said.

"In other words, we have a lot on our plate," he said. "But we have the talent and the resources to deal with it."

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources CBS

*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News

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DTN News - MUMBAI BLASTS: Terror Returns To Mumbai 21 Killed And 140 Injured

DTN News - MUMBAI BLASTS: Terror Returns To Mumbai 21 Killed And 140 Injured

Source:This article compiled by Roger Smith - DTN News

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 13, 2011: Three bomb blasts rocked India's largest city, Mumbai, in congested areas during the evening rush hour Wednesday, killing at least 21 people and injuring more than 100 others.

Prithviraj Chavan, Maharashtra state's chief minister, said it was too early to talk about suspects but at least one of the apparently coordinated blasts was "quite powerful." He warned the death toll could rise.

Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram called the explosions a "coordinated attack by terrorists" and appealed for calm as Mumbai residents voiced anger at the government because their city has been a repeated target for terror.

"The entire city of Mumbai has been placed on high alert," said Chidambaram, who inspected the sites late Wednesday and early Thursday. "I would appeal to the people of Mumbai to remain calm and maintain the peace."

The bombings Wednesday brought back haunting memories in a city that has suffered before, including the massive assault by Pakistani gunmen that killed 164 people in November 2008.

3.28pm: Three explosions have rocked Mumbai during rush hour, in a series of coordinated terrorist attacks on the city, India's home ministry said.

There were no confirmed numbers of fatalities or injuries but NDTV quoted reports saying 10 people have been killed.

Two of the explosions took place in the Opera House district in South Mumbai at Opera House and in Zaveri bazaar. A third occurred in Dadar in the centre of the city.

Six people have died in the Dadar blast and four in the explosion at Zaveri Bazaar, according to NDTV. NDTV has rolling television coverage here.

3.38pm: The blasts occurred about an hour ago. At least 60 people have been injured, according to the Maharashtra home secretary (Maharashtra is the state in which Mumbai lies).

The Maharastra government is not describing the blasts as terrorist attacks at the moment but the home ministry in Delhi has unequivocally said that the explosions were acts of terrorism.

Mumbai was of course the scene of 2008 terrorist attacks by gunmen, which killed 166 people.

3.50pm: On the Mumbai Help blog, a series of useful phone numbers have been posted. They are also offering to try to contact people you know in the city if you're having trouble reaching them.

People are also putting their phone numbers and in some case twitter names in a google spreadsheet being rapidly updated to offer other people in the area help.

(Links provided by my colleague Laura Oliver)

3.53pm: Police say at least 8 people have been killed and 70 others injured, Reuters reports.

NDTV says Mumbai police are blaming the Indian Mujahideen for the attacks.

3.57pm: Maseeh Rahman sends these details from Delhi:

The home ministry said it's a terrorist attack and has rushed three teams from the newly-created National Intelligence Agency to Mumbai, including forensic experts.

Most people were injured at Zaveri Bazaar, where Mumbai's bullion traders and jewellery shops are located, and at Opera House, where diamond exporters have their offices and workshops.

Zaveri Bazaar is close to the city police headquarters, and has been bombed by terrorists twice in the past - in 1993 and in 2002. This time the improvised explosive device was placed inside an electrical meter box.

The third blast was near Dadar Railway Station in central Mumbai at a road intersection known as Kabutar Khana (Pigeon House), where devout Hindus come to feed the city's pigeons.

Manohar Joshi, former parliament speaker and a leader of the militant Mumbai Shiv Sena party said: "The message from this is not good."

4.07pm: I mentioned that Mumbai police are reportedly blaming the Indian Mujahideen. This group was described by NDTV in 2008, before the terrorist attacks the same year, as a "front for groups operating out of Pakistan most likely the Lashkar-e-Taiba".

Lashkar-e-Taiba planned the commando-style attacks in the city in November 2008.

The BBC says of today's blasts: "According to some reports, the blasts came on the birthday of Mohammad Ajmal Amir Qasab, the sole surviving gunman from the 2008 attacks."

4.10pm: Here's a map of where the attacks took place, provided by my colleague Paddy Allen:

View mumbai bomb attacks july 2011 in a larger map

_

4.18pm: If you have are an eyewitness or have any information/links you believe may be useful please contact me on email at haroon.siddique@guardian.co.uk or on twitter @haroon_siddique.

4.28pm: At a press conference, south Mumbai representative Milend Deora said:

The message that I would liek to give to the people is the same I gave after the 26/11 attacks. People should be calm and refrain from rumour mongering.

He urged people not to believe what was being said on text messages and on the internet and called for "communal harmony".

4.31pm: The union home minister, P Chidambaram, just confirmed that 10 people have been killed and 54 admitted to hospital.

4.34pm: Union home minister, P Chidambaram also said • there have been three blasts (there have been reports circulating of others) • the entire city has been put on "high alert"

He also urged people to "remain calm and not panic".

4.38pm: I've just received information from the Mumbai bureau ofOutlook magazine which says the report that today's attacks come on the birthday of the only surviving gunmen in the November 2008 attacks (see 4.07pm) appears to be wrong.

D

oubts about today being Kasab's birthday. General view is the BBC picked it up from Wikipedia which had been edited to push the revenge story.

4.39pm: The chief minister of Maharastra says 13 have been killed and 81 injured.

4.48pm: Raw video is emerging taken in the aftermath of the attacks.This one (WARNING VERY GRAPHIC) is said to have been taken at Zaveri bazaar. It shows a fire and at one point pans to a dismembered body.

Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said Opera House was subjected to the highest intensisy blast. He said it was too early to say who was responsible for the attacks.

An eyewitness at Opera House told NDTV:

There was too much big noise. First we see there's a fire but after five minutes [there was] too much smoke [for it to be a fire].

We saw 20 to 20 people are on the road. We see that there is too much bomb and so many people are injured.

I think two or three people have lost their legs.

5.04pm: NDTV is reporting that two members of the Indian Mujahideen, who have been blamed by Mumbai police for the attacks, were arrested in the city yesterday.

Meanwhile, Press Trust of India, is reporting a red alert has been issued in Kolkata and its vicinity following the blasts in Mumbai.

Police sources said a close watch was being kept on railway and metro stations, airport, port, hotels and shopping malls.

5.19pm: The death toll has risen to 17, according to Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan .

He told CNN-IBN: "The vehicles used were scooters and motorcycles (in the attacks)."

Aagam Doshi, a witness of the blast at the Opera House and a diamond merchant in south Mumbai, said:

We heard a big blast. The building shook, the windows shattered. It was deafening. We came outside, and the area was filled with black smoke. There were bodies lying all over the street, there was lots of blood...We saw many bodies missing arms and missing legs.

A policeman controls the crowd at the site of an explosion at Dadar in Mumbai, India. Photograph: Rajanish Kakade/AP

_

5.23pm: I've received an email from Kunal Kothari, who said one of the blasts was outside his workplace:

The one at Opera House happened outside my office building. The sound it made made us immediately aware that it was a bomb going off. The watchman said many many people are dead. He was shaken and crying. His windows were shattered as well. It was an extremely crowded area, one where you can't walk at anywhere close to normal speed. Jam packed. So if it was a powerful bomb, I am sure dozens could be dead.

5.33pm: My colleague Hannah Waldram has created this map which displays tweets using the #Mumbaiblasts hastag in the last 24hours which are geotagged and coming from the Mumbai area. Click on the bubbles to view the tweets and zoom in for more detail.

View #Mumbaiblasts tweets mapped in a larger map

Several hashtags including #here2help and #mumbaihelp are being used on Twitter to try to coordinate help.

@indianomics tweets:

#needhelp "Is anybody near Dadar? Prathamesh Shirsat needs more hands to move the blast victims to hospital. Contact him at 9768957812.

5.36pm: Zee News has been collating the reaction of Bollywood stars on Twitter to the attacks (link passed on by my colleague Saptarshi Ray). Here's a selection:

Amitabh Bachchan- "Bomb blasts in Mumbai .. !! God ! I hope people are safe !!"

Shahid Kapoor- "3 blasts in mumbai .. Please head home !!!!!"

Abhishek Bachchan- "Hope and pray that you people are safe and home" Dia Mirza- "People please don't panic. Stay calm. Get home safe."

Anupam Kher- "#MumbaiBlasts. Anger, frustration and helplessness is NOT the answer. Hanging the terrorists already convicted is. Prayers for all." Priyanka Chopra- "Terrible news about the blasts. A request - please do not cause panic by tweeting/ spreading rumors / unconfirmed news."

5.43pm: The death toll has been raised to 20 with the majority at Opera House and Zaveri bazaar, the home minister said. The blasts took place between 6.50pm and 7.04pm (2.20pm and 2.34pm BST)

5.45pm: The home ministry says 113 people were injured.

5.52pm: Here's an extract from the latest story by the Associated Press, which paints a vivid picture of the carnage following the blasts:

Blood-covered bodies lay on the streets and people hugged and wept. Others carried the wounded to taxis. Crowds gathered in the blast areas as police questioned witnesses, and bomb squads inspected the undercarriages of vehicles searching for clues and other explosives.

Motorcycles were charred, shopfronts shattered and a bus stop ripped apart. A photograph showed victims crowding into the back of a cargo truck to be taken to a hospital.

The first blast struck the Zaveri Bazaar at 6.54pm, tearing through the famed jewellery market. A minute later, a second blast hit the busy business district of Opera House, several miles away in southern Mumbai. At 7:05 p.m., the third bomb exploded in the crowded neighboUrhood of Dadar in central Mumbai, according to police.

An eyewitness at Zaveri Bazaar described two motorcycles exploding in flames and saw at least six bodies. "People were shouting 'Help me, help me,'" the man told Headlines Today television. Another witness showed cellphone clips of several bodies sprawled across the street to the NDTV news station.

6.02pm: Delhi and Chennai have also been put on high alert following the Mumbai blasts, reports NDTV. (They join Kolkata and of course Mumbai).

6.11pm: Another fatality has been confirmed taking the death toll to 21.

6.23pm: I've just been speaking to Kunal Kothari in Mumbai, who was in his office in the Opera House district when the blast occurred (apologies for the quality of the audio). He said people were angry that the only surviving perpetrator of the 2008 attacks has not received the death penalty and they were already pointing the finger at Pakistan:

We were in the office, eight to 10 of us and we heard a big big blast.

The watchman of our building had a look at the blast...he was very shaken. Actually he must have had a look at the scene. He was crying and telling us many people had died.

I saw hundreds and thousands of people running away from the scene.

The anger is very much there. Everyone is really angry, not just about this blast but the fact that previous blasts were not punished the way they should.

It's probably some groups who have support from across the border, from across the border in Pakistan, that's what people are thinking.

_

6.25pm: The home ministry has confirmed that the blast at Opera House was caused by an improvised explosive device hidden under an umbrella, NDTV reports.

Photograph: Carl Court/AFP/Getty

6.31pm: The UK foreign secretary, William Hague, has condemned the attacks. He said:

I send my deepest condolences to all those who have lost relatives or been injured in the bomb blasts in Mumbai. These were deplorable acts of terrorism. The UK stands firmly with India in the face of such atrocities. We are committed to working with the Indian government and our allies and partners to combat the threat from terrorism in all its forms. A Foreign Office consular team is already in Mumbai to provide consular support to any British nationals who may have been caught up in these events, and the Foreign Office is in close contact with the Indian authorities.

Photograph: Alex Brandon/ASSOCIATED PRESS

6.35pm: Barack Obama has described the attacks as outrageous in a statement (via USA Today). The US president said:

I strongly condemn the outrageous attacks in Mumbai, and my thoughts and prayers are with the wounded and those who have lost loved ones.

The US government continues to monitor the situation, including the safety and security of our citizens. India is a close friend and partner of the United States.

The American people will stand with the Indian people in times of trial, and we will offer support to India's efforts to bring the perpetrators of these terrible crimes to justice.

During my trip to Mumbai, I saw first-hand the strength and resilience of the Indian people, and I have no doubt that the India will overcome these deplorable terrorist attacks.

6.42pm: This video shows the aftermath of the blast at Zaveri market. It shows an injured man being carried away and twisted wreckage:

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6.46pm: Kunal Kothari, who I spoke to earlier (see 6.23pm), has sent me some more details he said he forgot to mention earlier. He said:

The blast happened right smack bang in the middle of the biggest diamond market of the world, where people routinely trade in them on the streets of the market. So very very crowded (so much so that women avoid taking these streets), and I wouldn't be surprised if millions of dollars worth of diamonds are strewn on the street/washed away in the rain.

The security in the diamond market is lax/non-existent. Anyone/any car can enter the main streets of the market. Only some of the main buildings are somewhat protected. This might be due to complacence since there has been no attack so far on the diamond market in spite of it's vulnerability. Me and my brother reflect upon this anomaly many times, the standard conclusion is that terrorists groups or their masters have some kind of vested interest in the diamond market, although there is no evidence, and only a few anecdotes to validate this theory.

While we were rushing out, I must mention that there were a lot of fearless people helping the injured to get to the hospitals.

6.48pm: The Indian tabloid Mid Day is tweeting the names of some of the injured in hospital.

6.52pm: Pakistan's president and prime minister have condemned the attacks in Mumbai, Dawn.com reports.

A statement from Pakistan's foreign ministry said:

President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, the government and the people of Pakistan, have condemned the blasts in Mumbai and expressed distress on the loss of lives and injuries.

The President and the Prime Minister have expressed their deepest sympathies to the Indian leadership.

India's Hindu nationalist party, the BJP, is already calling for an investigation into whether there is any Pakistani link to the attacks. India's home ministry says it is too soon to assign responsibility.

7.06pm: The Indian home minister is going to Mumbai in the aftermath of the blasts, the Press Trust of India reports (thanks to my colleague Saptarshi Ray for passing this on):

Home minister P Chidambaram is arriving here tonight to take stock of the situation and meet the injured and victims and their family members. Official sources said the home minister is expected to arrive late in the night and then visit the three blast sites, meet the injured admitted in the hospitals and some of the family members of the dead. Chidambaram will chair a meeting with Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and top civil and police officers to take stock of the situation in Mumbai following this evening's three explosions.

I'm handing over the blog to my colleague Barry Neild now.

7.24pm: This is Barry Neild, taking over from Haroon. We've switched off our comment section below, but feel free to email me with any details or comments you might have. I'm reachable at this address

7.36pm: IBN has published a document listing names of the dead and injured it says has been released by local authorities. This list, credited to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, puts the death toll at 17 with130 hurt.

7.57pm: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has condemned the attacks in a statement that also urges calm, the Times of India reports.

Singh said he had asked Ashok Chavan, the chief minister of Maharashtrathe region to provide relief to the injured and to the families of the deceased.

Meanwhile, NDTV has been speaking to Chavan on his way to visit some of the injured in hospitals. The minister said many were being treated for serious burn injuries similar to those caused by Molotov cocktails.

8.13pm: Inevitably, a lot of comparisons are being made to the last major attack on Mumbai in November 2008 in which more than 160 people were killed when Pakistan-based militants went on the rampage across the city. Several people have pointed out that whereas the 2008 attacks targeted luxury hotels used by foreigners, today's focused on areas frequented by ordinary Mumbai citizens. The tactics are also different with improvised explosive devices causing today's blasts rather than a crew of well-drilled militants arriving by speedboat.

Reuters quotes Stratfor, a strategic affairs think tank with this to say:

This tactic is much more in line with those used by more amateurish groups such as the Indian Mujahideen who have targeted crowded urban areas before.

The same Reuters report adds that today's attacks come two days after the fifth anniversary of a series of train bombings in Mumbai that killed 188 people, many of them diamond merchants, an attack also blamed on Pakistan-based militants.

It goes on to say:

There was no immediate indication any Pakistan group was involved. But any suggestion of attributing blame to Islamabad would complicate a fraught relationship with India and further unravel ties with the United States which has withheld some military aid to Pakistan to pressure it to buckle down in the war on terror.

8.28pm: More on previous attacks endured by India in recent years from the Hindu newspaper, which has published a chronology charting more than 20 bomb attacks since 2005. The worst of these appears to the 2006 Mumbai train bombings and the 2008 hotel attacks.

8.53pm: This via the Associated Press: Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, is planning to go ahead with a scheduled trip to New Delhi and Chennai starting next Tuesday. Clinton said she believes "it is more important than ever that we stand with India".

8.57pm: Further to the last post, here's a link to fuller version of the Clinton statement and a video. courtesy of the US State Department.

9.17pm: A couple of images taken from the sites of the blasts here. They're not as graphic as some I've seen on Indian news websites that show pretty gruesome scenes in terms of casualties.

Photograph: EPA

This first, shows the aftermath in the Opera House area, where the second explosive device was detonated.

Photograph: AP

This second photo shows a blast victim being taken to hospital. More than 130 are reported injured. The latest official death toll is 21.

I've seen a few other images published on Indian news website that show some pretty graphic scenes in terms of injuries and casualties.

9.35pm: Some first-draft analysis here from B Raman, a former Indian government official turned strategic expert. Raman tells IBN the attack bears hallmarks of earlier strikes by the Indian Mujahideen, a homegrown Islamist terror outfit said to have links with Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistan-based group blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

9.43pm: My colleague Jason Burke has some background on Mumbai's past as stage for previous outbreaks of violence, and a bit more on the Indian Mujahideen. The full article is here, but here's a few of key paragraphs:

Over the years, India's commercial capital has witnessed much violence, from communal riots to gangland wars to terrorist operations. The most spectacular of the latter were the attacks of November 2008, which saw Pakistani militants from the Lashkar-e-Taiba group raid a series of targets in the city, killing more than 160 people. Two luxury hotels, a Jewish centre, a cafe and a main railway terminal were attacked.

In Delhi in October, gunmen opened fire on tourists shortly before the opening of the Commonwealth Games in Varanasi, and a bomb exploded beside worshippers along the river Ganges in the holy city. Following this attack, a home-grown militant outfit calling itself the Indian Mujahideen threatened to unleash violence. It is this organisation that was blamed for Wednesday's blasts.

The "Indian mujahideen" is a label applied to a range of groups. There are also theories that several recent attacks originally blamed on Muslim extremists were in fact the work of Hindu radicals.

10.07pm: And here's our news piece on today's blasts, by Maseeh Rahman in Delhi.

There will be more on this topic tomorrow. At this point, the death toll from the three blasts is 21 people.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith - DTN News

*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News

Contact:

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