July 15, 2011 | FDD’s Long War Journal

21 Killed in Mumbai Bombings

Three bombings today in India's financial capital of Mumbai have killed 21 people and wounded scores more in the first major attack in the country since the terror assault on the city in November 2008.

The bombs were detonated over a period of 30 minutes. The first blast took place at the Zaveri Bazaar near a Hindu temple, the second in a taxi at Dadar, and the third at Mumbai's Opera House. The bombs were detonated in areas and at times that ensured a maximum number of civilian casualties, according to Indian officials.

Twenty-one people have been killed and more than 130 have been wounded, according to The Times of India.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the so-called Indian Mujahideen is the prime suspect. India's Intelligence Bureau has previously denied that the Indian Mujahideen exists. Instead the Bureau has claimed the terror group is a creation of the Bangladesh-based Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, or HUJI-B, an al Qaeda affiliate. HUJI-B created the Indian Mujahideen to confuse investigators and cover the tracks of the Students Islamic Movement of India, or SIMI, which provides logistics for the attacks.

SIMI is a front group for the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami and Lashkar-e-Taiba inside India. It receives support from Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence and is an al Qaeda affiliate. SIMI provides logistical support for attacks in India.

Mumbai was the scene of the November 2008 terror assault that was carried out by a team of Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives who were trained in Pakistan. The terror assault shut down Mumbai for three days as Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives fanned out and struck multiple targets, including hotels, a train station, a police station, and a Jewish center. The terrorists killed 166 people during the siege. Pakistan's ISI has been directly implicated in the attack.

Today's attack in Mumbai is rumored by The Times of India to be a “birthday present” for Mumbai attacker Ajmal Kasab, the only surviving member of the suicide assault team. Kasab, a Pakistani member of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, was born on July 13, 1987. Kasab has been convicted of murder by an Indian court and has been sentenced to death.

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Al Qaeda Pakistan