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At Least 78 Killed in India Attacks

Aired November 26, 2008 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: All right.

And as Kyra just said, the latest on what we have been watching in India right now. The number now, according to IBN, at least 55 killed in attacks that have been happening there, several attacks. At least seven different locations have been attacked there. IBN reporting also that 200 people have been injured.

The places that have been attacked that we know of, at least two luxury hotels, a crowded train station, a restaurant that is a landmark there, a police question. But attacks may still be going on.

What we understand from authorities there, some of these attackers have been lobbing grenades, have been firing rifles and weapons and bullets. So now 55 now is the word of how many have been killed.

Jim Clancy is with me here from our CNN International to help us out on this story.

And, Jim, we talked about these locations where this is happening. One of these luxury hotels you have actually stayed there. Describe this hotel, the security around it, and I guess just the point of these being actually very much strategic locales that are being attacked.

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly. This is -- obviously we are looking at seven attacks. We are looking -- and maybe more. We are looking at a very coordinated operation taking place at roughly the same time unfolding right now.

We don't know all the details. That is number one. We don't know what has happened. But you are right. I have been to that hotel. I have visited the Oberoi. I have visited the Taj Mahal. They have good security in place. But imagine this. Gunmen arrive and they arrive with suitcases loaded with weapons and ammunition and hand grenades and then they pull out small arms when they arrive at the security that is supposed to check those bags.

That may be the way that they got into these hotels. Once inside, we are hearing accounts of all kinds of carnage in there, blood-stained floors, shoes abandoned by visitors who just simply ran out of them.

HOLMES: And explain the importance of these places. We talk about the police headquarters, these hotels in particular, this restaurants as well, the police station, why these places?

CLANCY: Well, we don't know who is behind the attack, but we know the government is the target.

And they picked these high-profile locations to reach out to the Indian people, to get publicity there. But when they hit the international travelers -- and that is what we're talking about with the Taj Mahal and the Oberoi Hotel, when they go after this -- there was a delegation of European lawmakers at the Taj Mahal, and this make headlines then around the world. It makes you and I talk about it and it increases the pressure on the Indian government.

HOLMES: All right. And I'm told now we have with us a witness on the line from Mumbai who was actually at one of these hotels.

I did not catch your name. If you can, say your name to me at the top here and also tell me what you saw and where you were when all this went down.

GAUTHOM PATEL, WITNESS: It's Gauthom Patel.

And I was on the Trident Hotel on the 11th floor when I heard two large sounds from -- seemed like it was coming from within the hotel. And it sounded loud enough to be -- to suspect it was a bomb or some bomb blasts.

And then I looked on the left from the window on the left of my hotel room, and I could see one of the restaurants in the neighboring hotels called the Oberoi restaurant was in flames. And I knew something was wrong. So, left the room, went down the fire exit to the basement of the hotel. And I was escorted by some hotel staff to a large banquet room, where I think there were about 150, 200 people, and the lights were out.

And we were told to stay there until, you know, we had any further instructions. I was there for about an hour and at that point we also heard some -- a couple of other bomb blasts of the same magnitude, and some -- I believe some machine gun fire. And then maybe 20 minutes, 30 minutes later, we were told to assemble in groups of 10 people.

And then we were going to exit the building, escorted to -- and we were told to run across the street, clear of the hotel, to a neighboring cinema. And we were standing outside the cinema, and by that point, I didn't see any police or anything around, so I called my driver and told him to meet me at a particular spot and then drove home.

HOLMES: So where are you? You said you are home now. Did things seem to be I guess calming down at the point? You were at this hotel for so long, like you said, for an hour and several other minutes later, and you heard bomb blasts still going on. Is there chaos around still? Is there panic and people still worried that these attacks might still be ongoing?

PATEL: From what I have heard on the news, there was a recurring bomb blast about literally 15 minutes ago at the same hotel, so I think it is recurring. And there are other parts of the hotel that are on fire right now, so, yes, I am quite sure it is recurring.

HOLMES: And you were not able to see. Like you said, you heard things, but did you see anything as far as any attackers?

PATEL: No, did not see anything.

HOLMES: All right.

Again, Mr. Patel on the line with us, a witness for us from Mumbai, we appreciate you.

Jim Clancy, again, here still with us.

And what is the government doing now? This could still be going on. I guess we are waiting to get more word. And we might still keep getting more reports of something else being attacked. What is the government doing right now?

CLANCY: Well, they are putting the army on the streets. That's what they're doing. They're going after the people that have taken over these hotels.

As we look at the situation -- and, again, we don't know the full extent of it -- there could be hostages. They are still holding some part of the hotels where there are so many international travelers and important business people that at there at those locations.

This is a very dramatic move by the militants. The government has to respond as best it can right now.

HOLMES: And you said by the militants. There's sometimes the automatic speculation and assumption about who is going to get the blame, but is there anything out there just yet? Nobody taking responsibility just yet. What will the word be and the speculation be about who could possibly be responsible?

CLANCY: Well, as we look at the scenes that have unfolded here, it is pretty clear that this is going to go back probably to Islamic militants. The government is going to quickly point a finger at the Pakistani militants in all of this.

It's going to require all of us to take some time to really examine what has happened here. There's no doubt about the coordination. This is the kind of attack that takes months and months to plan. So, you are going to see it pointing to Pakistan to begin with, but that has yet to be confirmed. Like you say, there has been no claim of responsibility, but in this case, when people are looking at it, believe me, past is prologue.

HOLMES: And you are talk about this takes so much, so many months possibly coordination, but they seem in some ways erratic, like you said, grenades and just firing. It seems like very simple ways attacking, some of it, but some bombings as well. But does that still require a high level of sophistication almost... (CROSSTALK)

CLANCY: Certainly, everything, everything, from acquiring the weapons to getting them in place, getting the people that are going to carry these out.

These are essentially suicide attacks. I doubt that those -- the people inside those hotels, inside those restaurants that have carried out these attacks really expected to survive, T.J., in all of this. And at the same time we know that they are committed to this cause. That all had to be put together. It costs money. There had to be transportation. They had to arrange all of this and pick their targets.

HOLMES: Right. What do we know about the government's track record in tracking down those who have been responsible for attacks in the past?

CLANCY: Well, the government will be the first to tell you it has a good record at that. And if you look at the record, there is one.

But these attacks have been going on since 1993, when a similar wave of bombings cost more than 250 lives. India is no stranger to all of this. But, again and again, the government has been saying it is putting better security in place.

And these hotels, I can tell you, T.J., they knew they were targets. These places knew they were targets, prime targets, and they had their own security as well.

(CROSSTALK)

CLANCY: There was Indian security at these hotels outside, in the parking lot, at the entranceway, in the lobby, and still, these people came in and according to one eyewitness were simply spraying the lobby with AK-47 fire.

HOLMES: And we want to remind our viewers -- many of you may have been just joining us here -- what we have been watching here the last couple of hours in India, attacks that have happened, at least seven different spots in Mumbai targeted, mainly in southern Mumbai.

But we know of two luxury hotels, a crowded train station there as well, restaurants, a police headquarters, at least 55 dead, according to IBN, our sister network over there, and also 200 injured.

Andrew Stevens, one of our reporters on the ground there for us, on the phone for us now.

You set the scene. Tell us where you are, and tell us, do the authorities think these are still going on? Any evidence that they are continuing?

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At this stage it does appear that they are continuing in the Taj Hotel, the Taj Palace Hotel and the Oberoi Hotel as well.

There has also been reports coming in from one of the hospitals, one of the big hospitals in south Mumbai, where most of these attacks are taking place, is that there still may be an ongoing situation there.

It is a very fluid, situation, T.J. It's very difficult to confirm exactly what is happening. This is a vast, sprawling city. Just to give you the background, we are over here reporting. We were coming back from an assignment, and we are actually staying at the Taj Palace Hotel.

We got to the palace, and my producer got to the palace ahead of me. He saw -- he found out there was an incident going on. The police had closed the area around. We couldn't get any closer. He advised us to go to the Oberoi Hotel. I got to the Oberoi Hotel just as two or three dozen people came running out in panic. And it appeared that there were gunmen in the lobby there.

That is the background to it. Now, since then -- this happened only about two hours ago -- as you have been just reporting, there have been these explosions, gunfights all across these at least seven areas. We are now hearing that -- and there has been firing heard in another hotel, the Ramada Hotel, which is in the north of the city.

So, at this stage, it does appear that this is ongoing. We don't yet know the scale of this situation. I just heard from -- I listened to an interview with a police spokesman, who said that -- who has described this as terrorist attacks, confirming that -- the targets that I just spoke to you about.

At this stage, four or five people were dead in the Taj Palace Hotel, four or five were dead in the Oberoi Hotel. I can't give you any more than that. But if you -- if anybody has been to Mumbai, they will certainly know the Taj Palace Hotel. It is a magnificent old building right on the waterfront in southern -- south Mumbai. It is a business district. It is a very luxury part of this city.

This hotel is right next to the Gateway of India. It is very popular hotel with tourists and businessmen. We are also hearing that there could actually be a hostage situation in that hotel. There have been explosions heard in this hotel. Only in the last 10, 15 or 20 minutes, we have been hearing reports on local media there has been explosions in the hotel.

An eyewitness was interviewed on local television, speaking English, who said that he was in the Taj Hotel. He saw two gunmen coming down and taking about 15 hostages. He said those gunmen were asking for people with U.S. or British passports.

He said he thought that about half had British or U.S. passports.

Now, T.J., I need to make it quite clear CNN cannot confirm this at the moment. We are watching this. It is a very difficult city -- it's virtually impossible to get around this city at the moment. I am about half-an-hour away by car from where these attacks have been taking place. The city pretty much is in lockdown. Police are telling people to stay indoors. There are checkpoints on the main road.

So, this is the situation at the moment.

HOLMES: And, Andrew, do we know if anything or -- and what is possibly being done to possibly protect other areas that are potential targets around the city?

Well, the government, the local state government says it has ordered commandos into the city. It says that the navy and the army in this city -- and there is a big naval base, particularly in Mumbai -- have been put on alert. There are police flooding the streets of the city.

Just on security, it was interesting. The Taj Palace was on absolutely high-grade security rating for the last couple of months in the wake of bombing in Islamabad at the J.W. Marriott. The hotel here, which is also a luxury hotel here, went on full alert. It only took that heavy security down last week and it reverted back to a more normal security situation. That's where we were staying. It was quite easy for us to come in and out.

People would check your bags. You would go through a scanner. But it certainly was not difficult or wouldn't have been difficult to get into that hotel. But obviously in the wake of what has happened in the last two or three hours, as I say, there are police fanning out across the city. There's also commandos who we are being told are flying -- being sent down from the capital, Delhi.

HOLMES: All right.

Andrew Stevens, as you stand by there for us as well, Jim Clancy here with me as well from CNN International, again, a city you have spent time, that particular hotel that is still under siege, we understand, a place you have stayed in.

What did you pick up listening to on-the-ground report there from Andrew Stevens? A few things he pointed out, these might be ongoing situations, not just a place was attacked and the attackers moved on. These might be hostage situations we have going on and still issues happening still at the two hotels.

And I'm getting word now that we have gotten word that IBN, our sister network, is telling us, in fact, there are two hostage situations going on at two different hotels there.

So, what else did you pick up? The Ramada, he mentioned, another place that is possibly under attack. This sounds like a city under siege.

CLANCY: It is a city under siege. It is a democracy under siege, India, the largest democracy in the world. And militants have hit hard here. Again, they are hitting at the federal government. They're going after the government of India, and they're doing it by hitting some of these international targets, because this is going to get them worldwide publicity for these attacks, get them more recognition.

These are likely suicide commandos that are carrying this kind of a thing out right now. All of it, who the perpetrators are, we have to wait and find out. It is the response of the Indian authorities at the state level, the police, and, as we heard, the navy there, others. As Andrew was telling us, it is just an unfolding situation that we don't yet know the true dimensions of.

HOLMES: What has been the track record as well of -- like we talked about, these things go back to really 1993. There have been several, I guess, big attacks, if you will. But, back in 1993, that was 257-plus, I believe, that were killed in that attack.

And there have been several others where I guess major attacks, but what about the smaller-scale things that happened in between those big ones? Are those still -- I mean, does the government do pretty well about tracking these terrorists before...

CLANCY: They have got good counterterrorism.

HOLMES: Yes.

CLANCY: They have got good police services. They will get to bottom of it, but obviously what they would like to do is be able to prevent it.

In this case, they obviously haven't been able to do it. Andrew Stevens pointed out they had only just taken down the increased security here. And as also he pointed out, if someone is determined to get into one of these locations and they come that well-armed, three or four attacked armed with automatic weapons, there is almost no keeping them out. But right now you can bet that that security is going to be reevaluated and it may well be changed.

HOLMES: All right.

Andrew Stevens, you are still on the line with us there. I believe you are, a reporter there in Mumbai, like you said, just a little outside of where these attacks happened.

And, again, reminding our viewers of what we're watching here, IBN telling us that at least 55 people are dead, another 200-plus injured. And we know of at least two hostage situations that are going on right now at two different hotels there. Terrorists have attacked at least seven different locales, two luxury hotels, very well-known hotels there, a train station, a restaurant, a police headquarters, a lot of this happening in southern Mumbai.

But right now as Jim Clancy sitting next to me saying, this is a city right now under siege, because these attacks didn't just happen and they ended. It appears that this is an ongoing situation right now and these attacks continue, again, two hostage situations that we know of going on at two separate hotels right now.

We had our Andrew Stevens, who was on the phone, our reporter, saying that some of these terrorists were going in asking for those who had British and American passports with them, so it appears that maybe some people are being targets, some foreigners in particular being targeted.

Now, there is a chief of police in Mumbai that we are hearing from right now, spoke about what is happening right there, that situation. Let's take a quick listen to him.

VILASRAO DESHMUKH, CHIEF OF POLICE: The issue absolutely -- I mean, it's a grave situation, but we need the cooperation from the people. They should keep calm and be at their home only. (INAUDIBLE) position now. And we (INAUDIBLE) of course from Delhi. And so we are alerting the military to come in.

And police are fighting and they're trying to get ahold of those terrorists.

QUESTION: Right. Mr. Deshmukh, it has been going on for now more than two hours, but the situation looks nowhere close to normal. It doesn't seem whether the police has been able to get that situation back to normal. What are your police officers telling you? Is this really the same group that is going from location to location? What are the details that you have, sir?

DESHMUKH: Well, because you see (INAUDIBLE) Mumbai and (INAUDIBLE)

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: Yes.

DESHMUKH: What (INAUDIBLE) I am getting, I am getting on telephone. I am just rushing back to Mumbai immediately.

Prime Minister and the congress president, they just called me on my mobile. And I just apprised them about this grave situation in Mumbai. And they're all concerned, and they are saying that whatever help they need, they (INAUDIBLE) provide, send some special (INAUDIBLE) commandos and (INAUDIBLE) and (INAUDIBLE) Mumbai by any time by plane (INAUDIBLE) Mumbai.

QUESTION: Right. Mr. Deshmukh, one question. We do believe the army and the CRPF, the paramilitary, as well as some officers of the Navy, are now being pressed into action. Are you now going to get the army on to the streets, or it's just the police?

(CROSSTALK)

DESHMUKH: We have just tell them -- I mean, told them to be on alert. Whenever we require, we immediately call them.

QUESTION: OK. What are your police officers telling you, sir? Exactly how man locations are under a terror threat currently or...

(CROSSTALK)

DESHMUKH: The report which I (INAUDIBLE) there are about five to seven places.

QUESTION: OK.

DESHMUKH: And they're all on the job. First of all, we are to rescue the people who were injured to be admitted in the hospital. And we will call all the doctors. And everybody is on the job.

QUESTION: Mr. Deshmukh, what is the briefing that you received from your police officials as far as those two hotels are concerned where we believe terrorists are inside and are still continuing to fire indiscriminately?

DESHMUKH: Yes, they are inside and (INAUDIBLE) going on.

QUESTION: OK.

Mr. Deshmukh, just one final question. I'm sure a lot of people who have loved ones in Mumbai or perhaps switched on to their television sets in Mumbai are currently watching you. What would you like to say to them? Because these are really panic-stricken scenes that we are seeing, where Mumbaikars -- the average Mumbaikar is really ducking, doesn't know where the next bullet is going to come from.

DESHMUKH: Well, that is true.

But, you see, the situation is definitely -- it's a very serious situation. And we all are trying to control the situation. I can appeal to the people of Mumbai, please, as we are shown all the time the spirit of Mumbai, and you have to be very cooperative, and you must inform the police if you find things suspicious or suspicious persons nearby, so that immediate action will be taken.

QUESTION: I understand the fact that you are currently on your way from (INAUDIBLE) to (INAUDIBLE), but as far as the joint commissioner of police, et cetera, are concerned, are they currently in a meeting? What is really happening on that front, if you could just give us a quick update on that?

DESHMUKH: I am in touch with them, and I will come back to you.

HOLMES: All right.

And, again, the situation we continue to watch in Mumbai, in India today, where there have been terrorist attacks that are ongoing, we understand. At least seven different locales have been attacked today. According to government sources now, the number of dead is up to 78. And government sources also as well saying a couple of hundred at least have been injured as well.

We will continue to follow this breaking news story. We have our reporters there on the ground. We will continue to follow this here at CNN and bring you the very latest as we get it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

HOLMES: And hello again, everyone.

The breaking news story we are watching out of Mumbai and India, where at least 78 are dead, according to government sources, right now, after a series of attacks. At least seven different locations in India, in Mumbai specifically, have been attacked, most of them in the southern part of the city. Again, some 200 we understand have been injured, but the thing is that now that the attacks seem to be ongoing.

They don't seem to have been one-time attacks in different places. It seems that the terrorists are moving around and possibly attacking different locations and new locations, but also some of the ones that have already been attacked are still under siege.

We understand that a couple of hostage situations are going on at a couple of the hotels, really the best known hotels and resorts there in the city of Mumbai, that the Taj and also the Oberoi have been attacked, but also hostage situations are happening there. We heard from one of our reporters on the ground that, in fact, there were reports that the terrorists were actually asking for British passports and also American passports. Anyone holding those, they wanted to identify those people.

So it is really a city under siege, as I have been sitting here talking to my colleague, Jim Clancy, from CNN International, a man who has been to this city and has spent some time in this city, and also specifically this hotel, the Oberoi, that is now under siege.

As we say and we talk about this, these hotels know they are targets. The government tries to help with the security there. The hotels themselves try as well with their own security, but sometimes in this situation, as we see, it is not enough.

CLANCY: No, it is not.

It is the early-morning hours now in Mumbai, the commercial capital of India, a teeming city of millions of people. And this -- these attacks for the most part are taking place in what is called the southern area of the city. It's like a finger, a peninsula. You can think of Florida, this huge bay that separates it from the neighboring mainland.

And this is an area of very high-priced real estate, if we can say that, lot of office towers and a lot of luxury hotels. This is where the terrorists chose to hit as they carried this out. And it is far from over.

This is what is most concerning. It is a night, an overnight of terror for the people in the city of Mumbai, and for the government of India right now, and they do not know when it's going to end. And one can only hazard a guess, what it is like for the people that may be held hostage this hour?

HOLMES: And we don't know -- I want to reiterate here don't how many may be held hostage, but we do have word that the hostage situations are happening at two of those hotels.

And, again, a very fluid situation and a situation now we have seen the numbers continue to change. It went from 16 killed, 18 killed, 40 killed, 78 killed, as well, we're up to now, according to government sources, and also that some 200 have been injured.

We are looking at these pictures that have been coming in to us for a little while there now and you can see the scene there. It is chaos. And we heard one of the CNN anchors actually who was interviewing the police chief of Mumbai saying people don't know where the next bullet is going to come from there in Mumbai right now.

But, again, some of these pictures, many of them are hard to watch, people there trying to, as you see here, trying to get injured, trying to get help to those people right now.

And, Jim, again, these locations specifically, why would you want to go after this landmark restaurant? Why would you want to go after these two hotels in particular we have already talked a lot about? Why would you want to go after the police headquarters?

CLANCY: Because you can put more pressure on the government of India by going after international targets. You can discourage visitors from coming to the country and put economic pressure on India.

Look, India, like every other country, is facing hard economic times. You could also be specifically targeting westerners. And it is very disturbing, T.J., as you were outlining it there, to hear reports that they were asking for the passports, for those carrying passports of Britain or the United States to step forward.

Were they really the targets here? Certainly, the government is the target, but were they also going after some hostages in order to, you know, extract some kind of a ransom?

HOLMES: What -- and, again, we have talked about a few attacks we have seen here in the past several years, within the past 10, 15- plus years or so. Are these the ones -- and, again, we were talking about this a little bit earlier, I know, already, but are these the ones that go after -- they wanted to get the attention?

In between the big attacks, like the one in 1993, there was another one in '07 that killed 150 or so people. Are those the big, spectacular attacks that many of these militant, many of these terrorists want, or are there smaller attacks in between that maybe don't get so much coverage here that still are meant to terrorize the people of that city?

CLANCY: Well, certainly, there are smaller attacks take place for perhaps individual reasons or for groups with limited capacity.

This attack right now is the really -- the biggest impression that I get from this, it is a major attack. There's no doubt about that. It was well organized. No doubt about that either. The most disturbing thing is, it is not over, that hostage component to all of this.

T.J., we are looking at the possibility that this won't be ended quickly. We may be talking about this hours, even days from now, as an ongoing situation if they have hostages inside these hotels. The hotels are in some ways defensible for anyone who was able to get in there and depending on how many people they got in. And we don't know the answers to those questions.

HOLMES: So, if we are talking about, as you say there, there is a possibility we could see this go on for some time -- it seems like certainly right now this is an ongoing situation -- if we see this, like you say, for the next few hours, next few days possibly, does this make this attack unique?

CLANCY: Well, I think...

(CROSSTALK)

HOLMES: ... to what you are used to seeing in this city?

(CROSSTALK)

CLANCY: Remember that they have attacked the Indian parliament building, causing heavy casualties. They have done some pretty spectacular raids. That was eventually linked to Kashmir, I believe.

This would not appear to have that same reference point, if you will. We haven't had any claims of responsibility. It's only safe to wait the hours. I am sure we're going to hear from the people that are behind this. There is no doubt that they want to claim responsibility for these attacks.

They want to be identified as an organization that carried them out. There will be speculation about al Qaeda. There will be speculation about Pakistani Islamists. There will be Kashmiri separatists and all of that.

We're just going to have to wait, T.J., and see the outcome. My God, you look at these.

HOLMES: Yes, some of these.

CLANCY: These pictures are horrific -- the eyewitnesses saying that they just walked into the lobby of these hotels and opened up with automatic weapons.

HOLMES: And, you know, some of these pictures, to our audience here, we are seeing a lot of these ourselves, getting a lot of fresh video in and the fresh pictures. And, again, a fluid situation here that continues. But the word, at least 78 have been killed in these attacks in Mumbai. At least seven that we know of -- different locations -- have been attacked -- as we've been saying, two very popular luxury resorts there, a police headquarters, a crowded train station. Also, a restaurant had been attacked. And it's on going, as Jim Clancy, my colleague here from CNN International, has been saying. It appears to be an ongoing situation that will not stop. We do know that two hostage situations are going on at two of those two particular hotels. The word is that many of these terrorists went in and started just shooting indiscriminately in these lobbies. You saw some of these pictures. There was blood all over the floor -- smeared all over the floor, just chaos on the streets and still -- well, a couple of particular locations there.

We do know that the government has mobilized and put commandos, as our Andrew Stevens, on the ground, a reporter there -- has gotten them out in force, trying to get this under control.

But it is a city under siege quite literally, as we've said. And 78 people killed in the attacks, at least another 200 injured. Those are the numbers we've been getting from government sources so far.

And, Jim, I'll bring you back in here.

This -- is this a city -- when you go to this city, is there evidence all around that they're always prepared and know that the next attack could be coming at any moment?

CLANCY: Oh, yes. You're going to see heavier security than you see on any U.S. street, for the most part. You're going to see guys armed with automatic weapons that are standing guard, especially around religious festivals and things that have, in the past, been targets. At these luxury hotels that we're talking about, there are people that are armed with automatic weapons that are there on sentry duty.

Still, I think it would be easy to get over that. I do think, at this time, that the Indian government, no doubt, understands the severity of the problem and the impossibility of allowing this -- allowing this to go for days. You can bet right now -- we heard there from the police chief or from others, I believe at IBN, that were telling us commandos had been put out on the streets.

I think the Indian government is going to have to move swiftly to get the upper hand here, to get control of the situation. And, sad to say, that poses a risk to the hostages that might be held in the hotels, as well.

HOLMES: And we talked, as well, about, you know, it sounds like -- it sounds erratic. It doesn't sound too organized when you hear that somebody walked in and just started searching. It doesn't seem like, you know, that it's a...

CLANCY: The chaos.

(CROSSTALK)

CLANCY: The chaos is the strategy.

HOLMES: That is the part of it, as you were explaining there, you know. Still, that takes a whole lot of planning. This was quite coordinated (INAUDIBLE). CLANCY: Yes. You know, they had the right weapons in place to hurl some hand grenades, to open fire with automatic weapons, to overpower the sentries and security guards that were in place. They had already analyzed that, no doubt. They're inside and apparently, in at least a couple of locations, they are in control in some areas there. And our word is that they may have hostages. We have hostage situations here.

Very concerning tonight. And, you know, you look at India -- and, yes, it's a city of the Orient and it's a -- you know, beautifully colorful and everything. But remember, this is the biggest democracy in the world. More than a billion people here with very Western ideals. And it has been a target over the years. The Indian people have paid the price for their democracy.

HOLMES: All right.

And I want to get now on the line -- and I believe I have the name right. It's Sajjan Gohel, someone on the line with us who is not in Mumbai, but we understand has friends who say they are being held right now at one of the hotels in Mumbai -- who are being held hostage.

Sajjan is with us from London on the line.

Please explain to me how you come to know this information about your friends.

SAJJAN GOHEL: Well, I'd just correct you slightly,

HOLMES: OK.

GOHEL: But I do have friends in the Taj Hotel. They were escorted to a safe part of the hotel as soon as the gunmen entered the particular location. But they're being kept away from where certain individuals have been taken hostage. And it's a real very worrying situation and an uncertain situation, because although India has been a victim of terrorism in the past, this type of attack and event has not been seen before.

What was conveyed to me by my friends before they had to shut down their cell phone was that the gunmen were making a very clear statement of intent. They wanted to separate American and British citizens from other Europeans and basically use them as a potential hostages. And what is, I believe, transpiring right now are two major counter-terrorism operations in two hotels to try to ascertain just how big is the situation is.

Unfortunately, the whole of the city is currently being kept hostage. This hasn't just happened in one part of Mumbai. It is happening in a number of different locations. Think about the places like New York or Los Angeles -- it happening in the main centers. This is quite a big event and certainly something the Indian counter- terrorism agencies have not witnessed in the past.

HOLMES: And you say your friends -- I understand. Thank you for making sure we got that straight at the top there.

You say your friends, however, there are still in the hotel, but they are not under the control of any gunmen or any terrorists, did I hear that correctly?

GOHEL: That's correct. They were in the bar when the gunmen entered the hotel. The security in the hotel was quite effective. They escorted as many people as they could to a safe location, a safe point, where the gunmen couldn't actually enter.

But what has happened, unfortunately, is that the other people were caught up in the melee. And the gunmen are still believed to be there. In fact, when police tried to enter the location, grenades were actually thrown at them. And I do believe that so far, the authorities have actually apprehended two terrorists and have killed two more. But it is believed there are far more -- many individuals that are involved in this particular type of operation. Certainly, these individuals could not have approached these hotels without a car, without transportation.

What else happens in hotels in the subcontinent is that there are checks done on their car at the booth in the back. But never are there checks done on the inside, where the passengers are sitting. And these gunmen could have probably just taken their weapons on board with them without there being proper security checks.

And, unfortunately, it's that type of gap and hole that can be exploited. And, unfortunately, now we're seeing a situation where Westerners have been caught in the middle of this situation, because India has become a major economic and tourism destination. Mumbai is very much the economic hub.

And, unfortunately, as India becomes more successful economically and more important, you will see attacks like this take place.

HOLMES: All right. And stay with us, Sajjan, if you can.

Again, a terrorism expert actually here on the line with us, talking to us about this from London, who actually has friends who are there and who are at one of those hotels where we understand hostages are being held. However, his friends are not among those being held.

We do have our Andrew Stevens, a reporter who is there on the ground for us in India -- Andrew, we talked to you just a short time ago.

Do you have any updates about the situation there that you could pass along to us?

And, also, just what do we know and just what do you know just from -- from looking outside, as far as the chaos that is still going on in that whole area?

I know you're a little ways away from where the attacks happened. But, still, we understand that this is kind of branching out.

(AUDIO GAP)

HOLMES: All right. Our Andrew Stevens is possibly not on the phone with us, our reporter there on the ground.

We'll try to get him back up with us.

Also, our Mike Brooks, security analyst, I believe we have him with us right now, as well -- and, Mike, you -- you see things like this as far as trying to protect an area that some people or a hotel or a building that people are just determined to attack.

Do you get to a point where sometimes, if you've got just a determined terrorist out there, there's only so much you're going to be able to do?

MIKE BROOKS, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Especially. Absolutely. And, you know, we just heard from Mr. Gohel -- I mean he's one of the -- one of the premier experts on terrorism in the world right now. And I've worked with him on -- down at the University of Virginia in a critical incident analysis group. And he knows what he's speaking about.

But when you have multiple attacks like this, T.J. , you know, it's very, very difficult, especially at the late hour, when you're looking at a hotel like this -- extreme -- there's a big vulnerability, just like there is at train stations.

In fact, let me just -- let me just point out, a lot of people have been asking me today since this happened, Mike, does this have anything to do with the terror threat in New York?

I just want to make sure that our -- to tell our viewers right now that it has nothing to do. They cannot link the threat here in New York City to the one -- to the actions going on in Mumbai. So let me just, with that said (INAUDIBLE)...

HOLMES: But, Mike, will some out there be trying to make sure there's not a link or do we have people working in the background to make sure this stuff has nothing to do -- one has nothing to do with the other?

BROOKS: Oh, absolutely. In fact, I just spoke with one of my federal law enforcement sources and to -- just to make sure that that was the case. And they say no. Right now, they cannot make any link whatsoever.

That would be kind of a quantum leap to say, yes, it's involved. But I can guarantee you, the intelligence agencies out there, T.J. , are looking and listening to hear anything at all, to see if there's any chatter back and forth associated with Mumbai and New York.

But right now, I just want to say, there is nothing right now linking the threat in New York to the actions in Mumbai.

But I can tell you, also, T.J. , that the FBI -- they have a legal attache, which is basically the FBI liaison -- they have an office there in Mumbai. My law -- one of my FBI sources tells me that the Indian government doesn't usually ask the United States for help.

So I'll be anxious to see whether or not there are Westerners and, you know, U.S. citizens and Brits involved in this, whether or not they will ask for help.

But one of the things also taking place right now, T.J. , there in Mumbai, the U.S. State Department Bureau of Diplomatic Security, they're going to -- I can tell you one thing they're going to do right now is go through the entry papers of people who came into India from the United States to try to find out where they are and hopefully try to contact them to see if they're involved in this as possibly a victim or they are safe.

HOLMES: All right, Mike Brooks for us.

You stand by.

You're going to stay here with us.

Jim Clancy is here from CNN International with us, as well.

And, also, we're going to get a live report. Our Andrew Stevens there on the ground for us in Mumbai, in that area. He is there. We'll talk to him after the break, as well.

I also wanted to let you know about a statement we're just getting from the White House about what we're seeing. And it's a small -- it's a two line statement, but still, from the White House, saying: "We condemn these attacks and the loss of innocent life. We continue to seek more information."

That's the initial statement from the White House. We're possibly going to get a bigger statement, a more full statement, in a little while from them. But again, I want to remind you, what we're watching, Mumbai -- a series of attacks, an ongoing situation, a city under siege. At least 78 dead, 200 injured in this series of attacks.

Stay here with us. We are continuing to monitor this situation. We'll be back right after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

HOLMES: And hello again, everybody.

We're letting you know the breaking situation we are keeping an eye on right now in Mumbai in India -- a city that is under siege right now. A series of attacks today that have left some 78 people dead, another 200 injured. That, according to government sources, after a series of attacks in at least seven different locations that we know of, including two very well-known luxury resorts there in Mumbai; also, a police station; also, a crowded train station; also, another restaurant.

But it's an ongoing situation right now. These weren't one and done attacks. It appears now that we have hostage situations that are going on in a couple of different hotels -- the Taj and the Oberoi, these two luxury hotels there in town.

We do not know how many hostages possibly have been taken or how many people are still being held right now. But we understand from a reporter on the ground that, in fact, these attackers were actually asking for people who held British or American passports. So it appears that maybe particular foreigners were targeted.

We have our Andrew Stevens, I believe, still on the line with us, our reporter there in Mumbai. He has been on the ground -- and, Andrew, are you with us?

I believe you are.

Tell me the situation now.

Is there any update from what we talked to you a little earlier?

Have you been able to get any more information?

And have you been able to just simply see, is the city essentially still in chaos?

STEVENS: The city is, apart from the affected areas, which have been cordoned off, most of the city, from where I've been able to see around where we are, T.J. , is pretty much indoors. I mean the police have told people -- directed people to stay indoors while this -- while this ongoing incident unravels.

I mean we -- we just don't know where this is going to end. What you were saying there, I can't take it forward as far as numbers. But I can confirm that listening to eyewitnesses on local television, it appears that some 15 or so hostages were taken at the Taj Hotel. And perhaps half of those may have had European -- excuse me, British or U.S. passports. I cannot confirm this. This is -- was coming from an eyewitness there.

It's actually very difficult to confirm this at the moment. But what I can tell you is that apart from the hostages at the Taj Hotel, we're also getting reports that there are gunmen on the roof of the hotel who are lobbying grenades -- hand grenades at anti-terror forces which are gathered below.

I'm just being passed a note by our producers who say that commandos have now arrived at the Oberoi Hotel. This is the second five star hotel in South Mumbai where hostages have also been taken. We have no details yet on how many or what nationality. But what I can tell you is that the local media is reporting now that commandos have arrived at the Oberoi Hotel.

So, T.J. , obviously an exceptionally fluid situation at the moment. We don't know how big -- what scale these attacks are going to end up being. Reports of gunfire heard at hotel in Northern Mumbai, at a Ramada Hotel, another well-known chain. So this is still not over yet. HOLMES: And that Ramada Hotel that you're meaning there, that is a little ways away from where we have seen the rest of these attacks. Most of them -- and I do understand this right -- have been in the southern part of that city?

STEVENS: That's right. That's what's worrying authorities at the moment. It appeared to be -- these attacks appeared to be contained to the southern Mumbai area.

Now, let me just fill in. The Southern Mumbai area is a very wealthy commercial center, obviously, of some 19 million people. It's where many of the big ritzy hotels are, also, a lot of corporate headquarters down here and some very wealthy individuals, as well.

In fact, the Taj Hotel, to anybody who's been to Mumbai, which is the commercial capital, would be easily recognized because it's a huge Victorian-era building right on the waterfront next to the gateway of India, which is probably the most famous landmark in Mumbai.

So now we have reports of an attack about -- it would take about an hour to get to this hotel from the Taj, in Northern Mumbai.

At the moment, that is an isolated report. We haven't heard reports from other parts of Mumbai, outside that Southern region. But at this stage, though, we certainly can't say whether it -- whether it's over or not.

I just listened to an earlier interview you did with your security analyst talking about how gunmen could have gotten guns into a hotel like the Taj. We were actually staying -- we are all -- the CNN crew here -- have checked into the Taj. We've been staying there for the last three days. And the only reason we were not there when the gunmen arrived is we were coming back from an assignment.

But you could drive the car virtually to the front door. And there was a fairly rudimentary scanning device and a guard looking -- giving a cursory look inside briefcases. So security certainly wasn't that high.

HOLMES: All right.

Our Andrew Stevens there, making a point there about the security at these hotels.

Jim Clancy here with me, my colleague from CNN International.

The Oberoi Hotel that you have spent some time in, what was security like when you were there?

CLANCY: Well, you know, security was a bit better than that. There were people, from time to time, checking vehicles in the parking lot. And I think that's a fairly common practice, but perhaps not all of the time. And we have heard reports that they have stood down some of the more intense security when we were -- listened to some of the people tell us what had been going on in Mumbai. Obviously, these hotels -- these luxury hotels that were hubs for foreigners, international travelers and businesspeople, they well knew that they could be targets of terror.

Did they let their guard down here?

That's going to be something that's debated, I'm sure, in the hours, the days, the weeks ahead.

But at this hour, you know, it would seem that -- what makes sense here is that any group of three or four people armed with automatic weapons could overpower any security that I ever saw at any of these hotels. They just weren't prepared for that. They had scanners to look and make sure they weren't bringing in a bomb. But these would appear to be people that were willing to risk or give their own lives in order to get into that hotel.

HOLMES: Is there any sense that maybe these hotels didn't want to -- and maybe we know the answer to this and maybe we don't -- they don't want to make those tourists who are coming over feel like they're staying in a place that's under siege?

That's understandable (INAUDIBLE).

CLANCY: Well, you know, it's pretty -- you know, you're in the west of India here. You're in Mumbai, you know, a city, as we just heard, of 19 million people -- a teeming city. You know there's going to be some security. I don't know many international travelers that are going to resent seeing good security at their hotels.

And I think that in all of these hotels, you have a sense that the security was adequate, but certainly not adequate for this kind of an attack.

HOLMES: This kind of an attack.

And our Mike Brooks is still standing by here with us.

I'm going to get a question into you here in just a second, Mike.

But, first I want to read a State Department statement that we just got a moment ago. And it says -- and I'm quoting here: "We strongly condemn the terrorist attacks that have taken place in Mumbai, India. Our sympathy go out to the family and friends of those who were killed and injured and to the people of Mumbai. We are monitoring the situation very closely and stand ready to support the Indian authorities as they deal with this horrific series of attacks. At this point, we are unaware of any American casualties."

Again, that last line there -- we are unaware of any American casualties.

We did get the word that, in fact, from our Andrew Stevens, who's on the ground, one of our reporters who is there, talking about the reports he is seeing on local television -- in fact, that 15 or so hostages are at the Taj Hotel and that possibly half of them had U.S. or British passports. Again, this is according to local news reports that our reporter is seeing there, that possibly half of the hostages had U.S. or British passports, who are being held right now at the Taj. We do know that the Oberoi -- the other luxury hotel there -- there's a hostage situation going on, as well.

Mike Brooks, this is -- this is all over the place. What do you -- I mean there's just so much happening. It seems like nothing really is getting under control and there is no sense that this is about to -- to stop anytime soon. Jim Clancy even here mentioning we could see this thing go on for several more hours, certainly even a couple of more days -- several more days in what we're seeing here.

BROOKS: I...

HOLMES: Go ahead.

Why don't you jump in?

BROOKS: No, absolutely, T.J. You know, and especially when you're dealing with a hostage situation like this and you had it with multiple locations. And, you know, we talk about the security at the hotels. And what Jim and Andrew were talking about, most of the time, security that you put in place anywhere is usually intelligence- driven.

So my question is, you know, did the Indian government have any intelligence that something like this was about to happen?

That remains to be seen. I'm sure it's something that's going to be looked at and that the U.S. officials there will be getting together with Indian officials to find out whether or not there was any intelligence, maybe to drive a higher security profile.

But right now, with the multiple locations you have with this incident, T.J. , it's going to be very, very difficult, because you add that command and control phase during that -- right initially during a situation like this. And it sounds like right now that there's not too much command and not too much control right whatsoever.

HOLMES: There's not too much of either happening right now.

Mike, you stand by with us.

Thank you so much.

I want to remind our viewers before we get a quick break in exactly what we are seeing and the latest that we know. Seventy-eight dead, 200 injured, according to government sources in India, after a series of attacks. Seven different locations, at least, have been attacked. It appears that more are being attacked as we speak. We're trying to get confirmation on those. And this thing could be ongoing and ongoing -- a terrorist situation, a city under siege in Mumbai, India.

You're seeing some of these pictures -- some of the latest that are coming into us of all that have been injured, all -- just some -- some horrific scenes we have been watching.

We will continue to monitor this situation.

Stay here with CNN. A quick break. We are right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

HOLMES: Now a breaking story -- a series of attacks we continue to watch in Mumbai, India. It happened just a little bit ago. It's coming up on probably 3:00 in the morning hour, I do believe now, in Mumbai, India. So this is happening overnight.

We understand that the city is pretty much indoors, according to our reporter there, after a series of attacks. At least seven different locations attacked today. Some 78 people killed. Two hundred injured in these attacks. Those numbers could go up. We understand that this is an ongoing situation, because we are learning of different places -- new places, aside from the original seven that we knew of, that are possibly being attacked now, as well, in different parts of the city.

Most of these happened in the southern part of Mumbai. Now we understand that a hotel in the northern part of the city is possibly under attack right now. Two hostage situations still happening at two different hotels -- the main resorts there, the Oberoi and the Taj Hotel -- two separate hostage situations.

According to our reporter there on the ground, listening to the local media reports, that possibly half of the citizens -- or, excuse me -- half of the hostages at one of those hotels, the Taj, could be holding U.S. or British passports. Reportedly, some of these terrorists went in and started asking for people who were holding British or American passports.

The attacks happened with -- through grenade attacks, also through gun attacks -- gunmen walking into the lobbies at some of those hotels and just firing indiscriminately. You're seeing some of these pictures as we've been getting them over the past several hours and minutes. And they continue to come into us and we continue to bring you the latest on this very scary situation.

And Jim Clancy, my colleague, has been with me for the past hour, from CNN International here.

A city that you have spent time in.

Tell us about, once again, the southern part of this city. This is the hub of this city. This is the -- this is a major sprawling democracy, as you talked about. But the significance of the southern part here, is it's a -- it's a big financial hub.

CLANCY: It is. It's like going into the financial district in many large cities. You'll see tall, multistory, glass-covered towers rising up -- the office buildings for some of the major Indian n international firms there. And surrounding that on either side of what is a peninsula that makes up this part of Mumbai, you will see some of these luxury hotels looking out on it.

And those hotels have known for some time that they could be targets. They what I would consider to better than normal security. Obviously, in this case, it wasn't up for it. And what we have is a city of 19 million people not under lockdown, certainly, but certainly undergoing a night-long ordeal here with terror, coming to grips with this.

And this isn't going to be like of the bombings that they've seen in the past in different locations where it happens, suddenly it's over and the police begin their investigation.

As you have rightly noted here, T.J. , this is an ongoing hostage situation that may -- it may include foreigners. We don't know that for sure at this time. We do know from reports that we've got that they were looking for Americans, that they were looking for people carrying British passports, as well. There was a member of the -- some members of the European parliament there who were on a -- they were at the Taj Palace Hotel, the Taj Mahal Hotel. They were there on a visit. One of them recounted how, you know, they escaped to the basement. One of them recounted how suddenly he saw this guy next to him standing there and spraying the lobby with gunfire. And he was able to slip into the kitchen and slip away.

We're going to hear more accounts like that. But right now, we're still really in a fluid situation.

HOLMES: And, as you mentioned, there are about -- about possibly Americans and British citizens being held hostage. We don't want to know -- a note that we got from the State Department that -- from a statement, they are unaware of any American casualties in this thing. Again, the State Department says unaware of any American casualties.

Mike Brooks, we want to get another quick question in to you here.

What do you do?

How do you stop somebody if they decide they just want to walk into the lobby of the place and start spraying it?

These -- these places have adequate and certainly better than adequate security -- better than most.

But still, how do you stop that?

BROOKS: Oh, T.J. , just like Jim was saying, you know, there is not that much. And what Andrew Stevens, our reporter on the ground there, was saying, there really is not much.

And if you have a determined terrorist, it's going to be very, very difficult to stop that person from their initial actions, whether it be gunfire, whether it be explosives. If they have their minds set to it, they will go ahead and carry out this act. And that's one of the things that, you know, law enforcement officials here in the United States are always concerned about, these same kind of things.

HOLMES: These same kind of things.

Mike Brooks, our security analyst, has been with us this past hour, again, watching this situation; Jim Clancy, as well, a colleague from CNN International, has been with us, as well, during this story.

But, again, I will leave you with the headlines that we have been watching out of Mumbai, India. A series of attacks -- at least seven different locations attacked, 78 people killed, 200 injured, at least, in an ongoing situation. These were not one and done attacks. It appears we have at least two hostage situations going on and different areas may be attacked as we speak.

We will continue with our coverage here on CNN.

Miles O'Brien is sitting in today in THE SITUATION ROOM -- Miles.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, T.J.