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Campbell Brown

Over 80 Killed in India Attacks

Aired November 26, 2008 - 20:00   ET

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

TOM FOREMAN, CNN ANCHOR: A series of organized, brutal attacks on one of the largest cities in the world's biggest democracy, Mumbai, India, locked down, as police battle heavily armed gunmen who allegedly came hunting American and British tourists.
The toll so far, more than 80 killed, nearly 200 wounded, an unknown number of hostages apparently being held in several locations, and the fighting goes on.

Thank you for joining us on this eve of Thanksgiving. I'm Tom Foreman.

We lead off with these terrifying images which are filling TV screens all over the world at this moment. An undetermined number of terrorists armed with automatic weapons and grenades staged a series of coordinated, sustained attacks in Mumbai, apparently aiming their violence at Westerners.

Witnesses describe a chaos and screams and gunfire. The attacks began late Wednesday night, Mumbai time, and clashes between the gunmen and police have raged for about eight hours now. This city is on India's west coast. There are 13 million residents in it, the country's financial and entertainment center.

And here are the target of these attacks, luxury hotels, a population restaurant, the train station, all places that are frequented by tourists and visiting officials. And fighting has spread out from around these areas as well.

Also hit, a hospital and police forces that responded. The head of the state's anti-terrorism forces there is reported to be among the dead.

And claiming responsibility for all of this is a little known group calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen. Reaction there, of course, is chaos.

We have been hearing from people living through it. Here is Yasmin Wong, a CNN employee staying at the Taj Mahal hotel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YASMIN WONG, CNN EMPLOYEE: There was smoke everywhere. And the only option I had was just to run down this atrium, where I guess a lot of the gunfire had gone on.

And I passed bodies and people with bullet wounds. And I guess an old man had passed out from the flames. And then I got down to the lobby, and I think obviously it was barricaded. But the lobby entrance was locked. So, I ran out the pool entrance, and escaped to the back of the pool, where, you know, I basically found the street and all the fire trucks and the policemen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOREMAN: We're going to bring you all the details of this developing story in the next hour, including a very close look at who this group might be and why they might have done that.

CNN's Andrew Stevens was also there when it all began at the Taj Mahal Hotel as it was attacked. He's with us now by phone from Mumbai with the latest.

Andrew, you're just blocks away from one of these attacks. Give us a sense of how this played out and exactly what happened.

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: From -- it was around about 10:00 p.m., eight hours ago, that the first attack on the Taj happened.

We were actually on assignment on the outskirts of Mumbai. We were coming back to the hotel. We were actually staying at the Taj. And the car in front of us was stopped. They were told there was an incident at the hotel. They couldn't go any further.

They ran us and diverted us to the Oberoi. And just as we got to the Oberoi Hotel, we were just about to turn in when someone raced out holding their hands out, saying do not come in, followed by 40 or 50 people, panicked guests and patrons, coming out of the hotel and just taking cover where they could.

We tried to get in to see what was going on, but we taken -- we were basically were shooed away by police. And that pretty much was the start of these attacks and these coordinated attacks across the south Mumbai area.

As you have been reporting, the Taj was hit. It's still a live hostage situation. There's still a live hostage situation in the Oberoi as well. A hospital was hit. The central terminus was hit, the central railway station. This is a railway station that carries hundreds of thousands of people every day.

At 10:00 p.m., it's still busy. Gunmen burst in there, opened fire with AK-47s and lobbed grenade into the crowd. This is what local TV is reporting. It's very difficult, Tom -- and I'm sure you can understand -- to get confirmed facts at the moment. The death toll stands at 87. The security forces have moved in. There are commandos around the two hotels. There are military inside the hotels.

There's a very heavy, heavy police presence on the roads. There's a lockdown here in Mumbai. You can't get anywhere without having to pass several checkpoints. My colleague was coming back. He was trying to get close to the hotel. They were stopped at gunpoint by police and told to get out of the car and questioned. So, that's the scene here at the moment. It's a very, very tense city as the city wakes up this morning.

(CROSSTALK)

FOREMAN: And it is just beginning to light up now, Andrew. Is there a sense that people are expecting change as morning comes here or do you think this will be a reassessing time to see if maybe people can start moving a little bit and getting their bearings?

STEVENS: Well, it's just (INAUDIBLE) because we still have these live hostage situations. We're also hearing that there could be a third hostage taking as well, this at a hospital, women's and children's hospital, we're being told, also in south Mumbai.

While these events, while these incidents are live, this whole part of south Mumbai, which is the commercial hub, really, it's the commercial heart of this city -- it is where the very well-heeled come, not only to socialize, but to do business, as well. It's where the international tourists and the international business travelers come as well.

This place will stay locked up until it is resolved. Just 15 minutes ago, we heard what sounded like quite a big explosion coming from that direction. The assumption is that it's going on in the hotels. There is obviously active engagement by security forces. It's very difficult to get a firm handle on exactly what is happening in there at the moment.

But, until these situations are sorted, this city is going to remain pretty much closed down.

FOREMAN: Andrew Stevens in Mumbai, thanks so much for that.

One of the big questions from the beginning here in the United States has been, are Americans caught in the middle of this? We know they are because we have one on the phone with us right now.

Smriti Mundhra is her name. She's holed up in her family's apartment in Mumbai. She and her parents are all Americans. They're close enough to the Oberoi Hotel to hear the sharp, frightening sounds of the attack as it happened there overnight.

Smriti, first of all, are you and your parents all OK?

SMRITI MUNDHRA, AMERICAN CITIZEN: Yes, Tom, we're all safe in our apartment right now, following instructions by the police to stay at home with the doors locked and away from windows.

FOREMAN: So, you live just a few blocks away from the hotel where some of these early attacks began. What did you first see and hear? And this must have been terrifying.

MUNDHRA: Yes, you know, just as we were getting ready for bed last night, I heard a little bit of commotion on the street and some police sirens, and didn't really think much of it. Then my parents came in and told me that there was something going on in the neighborhood, so we watched the news and realized that, essentially, there was a terrorist attack happening just outside of our door. We have been indoors since. We have been hearing things from out of the window, bombs and police sirens and all kinds of chaos, and I have been watching it on TV.

And it's very hard to connect the two, that all of that is happening just outside our doors.

FOREMAN: Do you have any communication really with anybody else, in terms of like neighbors around there? Is there a sense of people knowing what is going on, or is there very much a sense, block to block, of people just being unsure where the attacks are coming, where the fighting is happening?

MUNDHRA: Well, we haven't really been in touch with our neighbors. We have just been locked down in our apartment.

But I have been online and in touch with various friends around Bombay who are in different locations around Bombay. And it seems like we have been getting a lot of information on TV and a lot of updates. And it's been a bit confusing, but we have an idea of where things are happening and what's going on.

But I think, for the most part, we're just staying indoors and trying to play it safe, until the police and the various government agencies have control of the situation.

FOREMAN: For our viewers out there, of course Mumbai was formerly known as Bombay. That's why Smriti is referring to it as that.

What have you heard on TV from the government about what you should be doing right now?

MUNDHRA: We're told to stay indoors, not leave our houses, stay away from windows.

I know that the people who are in buildings surrounding the Oberoi have been advised to keep the lights off and keep windows and blinds closed. So, we have done all of that and are just keeping an eye on each other as a family and hoping that things will improve as day breaks.

FOREMAN: Thanks very much, Smriti. Best of luck to you and your parents. Please stay safe, if you can.

Obviously, for all the Americans over there, there's deep concern in this country, but, in a moment, what, if anything, do these attacks in Mumbai mean for the possibility of terror attacks here in the United States?

And we will look at the potential suspects. Who could be responsible for the Mumbai attacks and why would they do it?

This is breaking news all evening. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were having -- just starting our dinner by the pool. And then we heard some gunfire. And then we heard some sporadic gunshots. And then we ran, and we just ran up the stairs. And we basically -- the staff just moved us into two rooms, the Sea Lounge and another room. I think there were about 20 or 30 people in each room, and then the doors were locked very quickly and the lights were turned off. And everybody just lay very still on the floor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOREMAN: Yet another eyewitness to all that has happened over in India.

We're following tonight's breaking news, deadly terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India. At least 87 people are dead and 185 wounded. Many witnesses have described the attackers as wearing hoods or masks and carrying automatic weapons. That's certainly describes the men in this photograph, which we have just received from the Associated Press. The men are carrying AK-47s and bags of some sort.

Indian police say they have killed nine attackers so far.

State Department correspondent Zain Verjee knows this part of the world as well as any journalist we can think of.

Zain is following the search for the suspects in tonight's attack. Zain, what do we know about who might be responsible for these attacks?

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, we don't know a whole lot.

A group called Deccan Mujahideen has claimed responsibility via an e-mail. Nobody really knows a lot about these guys or whether it's really a genuine claim. A lot of terrorism experts are pointing to another new group responsible for terror attacks across the country, too, called Indian Mujahideen. Experts are saying that these are the guys that are capable of carrying out an attack like this, that they are inspired by al Qaeda, and may have some kind of connection to something like this.

U.S. officials have also pointed to another group, Tom, called Lashkar-e-Tayyaba. They are a banned group. They're Pakistani-based. They're militants that operate in Kashmir.

FOREMAN: They're a group that sort of when underground after 9/11, and sort of disappeared.

VERJEE: Exactly. Musharraf cracked down on these guys. He banned them, and they kind of went underground and they disappeared. But they have links to al Qaeda, and there are a lot of questions from officials, from experts. And the intelligence community is just trying to figure out what, if any, connections they have. So, we don't really know.

FOREMAN: We're going to try to sort through all of this for all of you at home a little bit later on. We're going to have maps out. We're going to show you the relationship of where these groups might be and the relationship of these countries to each other, because it's all very critical to how it ties into U.S. policy and why it makes a difference.

Zain, you're at the State Department. There are as many as 3,000 Americans in Mumbai. What does the State Department know about whether or not any of them have been hurt, where they are, how they are?

VERJEE: The State Department has been working the phones as hard as they can, trying to get as much information as they can. The situation is so fluid right now, it's difficult even for Secretary Rice to get a hold of Indian officials, because it's so fluid, and offer U.S. assistance or get information. She has spoken to U.S. diplomats, though, on the ground.

(CROSSTALK)

FOREMAN: Our diplomats on the ground there can't move around themselves.

VERJEE: Well, diplomats -- she spoke to the consul-general in Delhi and also to -- but diplomats can't move. The whole place is in lockdown. The U.S. State Department...

(CROSSTALK)

FOREMAN: So, we're having to rely on the Indian government to tell us facts.

VERJEE: Exactly. They can't even make it near these hotels, because everything is in lockdown.

What we're hearing, though, is that the U.S. does not know whether there are any American casualties, any deaths or injuries. They're combing the hospitals, trying to see if there are any. And it's unclear whether there are any U.S. hostages. There well could be.

FOREMAN: For all of you family and friends out there who are wondering about those people, you know we will stay on it here at CNN. We will let you know as soon as we possibly can.

And, Zain, there is a number to help people out...

(CROSSTALK)

VERJEE: There is. If you're panicking and wondering where on earth are you going to get information if you have friends or family that were in the Oberoi or the Taj or anywhere in Mumbai this day, the State Department has established a consular call center for anyone worried.

The number is 1-888-407-4747. That's 1-888-407-4747.

The U.S. stands ready to assist, Tom, But they're not going to be able to do anything unless the Indian government says, OK, bring us the help. We need it.

FOREMAN: OK. Zain is going to stay with us for the hour with more updates, as they come.

And if you missed the number, we will put it up again several times. It's up now, but we will have it up more later in the show, so you can make sure you have it if you want to check on family or friends over there.

President Bush is monitoring the Mumbai situation from the presidential retreat at Camp David. President-elect Obama is at his home in Chicago.

To show us how serious this situation is, the White House is keeping Obama's transition team briefed on all the latest developments.

Let's go to White House correspondent Ed Henry, who is in Chicago tonight with the president-elect.

Ed, President Bush has been watching this from Camp David. What has the White House done so far?

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tom, you're absolutely right, major repercussions for both the president-elect here in Chicago and for the president in Washington.

As you mentioned, he's at Camp David. We're told he's been getting up-to-the-minute briefings there at Camp David from his national security staff about the situation on the ground in India.

Also, we're told, back at the White House, they have convened an urgent meeting, pulled together the National Security Council staff at the White House, along with officials from the State Department, intelligence officials, also counterterror officials, to get the latest information they possibly can, get a handle on the situation.

White House spokesman Tony Fratto put a statement a short time ago, saying -- quote -- "We condemn these attack and the loss of innocent life. We continue to seek more information."

As part of that information-gathering, we're told, they have reached out to the U.S. Embassy in Delhi. They have also reached out to the consulate in Mumbai. They're trying to get any scrap of information they can get their hands on right now -- Tom.

FOREMAN: Ed, the Obama campaign also released a statement earlier today.

It said this: "President-elect Obama strongly condemns today's terrorist attacks in Mumbai. And his thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and the people of India. These coordinated attacks on innocent civilians demonstrate the grave and urgent threat of terrorism. The United States must continue to strengthen our partnerships with India and nations around the world to root out and destroy terrorist networks. We stand with the people of India, whose democracy will prove far more resilient than the hateful ideology that led to the attacks."

Ed, you're hearing that the Obama transition team is keeping close contact with the White House as this situation develops. What does that mean and what can they do in that position?

HENRY: Well, absolutely, Tom.

You will remember, in the campaign, near the end, Joe Biden, the vice president-elect, said that Barack Obama would be tested in his first six months. Obviously, he hasn't been sworn in yet, but everyone will be watching his words very carefully.

And that is why I can tell you that Obama aides tell me they are monitoring this situation very carefully. And I have just gotten some information in the last few moments, new information, an Obama aide telling me they have now set up a special team within the transition unit to try to interact with the State Department's operation center back in Washington, as well as interface with the office of the director of national intelligence.

This transition team in Chicago realizes they need to stay on top of the situation. Once they're getting that information from Washington, I'm told they're giving up-to-the-minute briefings to the president-election here in Chicago. He's at his residence. He's going to be meeting with family and friends for Thanksgiving.

But he is being kept abreast of this situation in India all the way here in Chicago. Obviously, they realize they need to be on top of the situation, number one. And, number two, you're right. There is coordination going on, which should point out, right now between the transition team from Obama as well as the White House.

Just as they have been coordinating on the financial crisis, during the transition period, they need to be coordinating on national security as well, and they are -- Tom.

FOREMAN: Many thanks, Ed.

All these events are happening around -- on the other side of the world, of course, but the response from the White House and from the president-elect show you just how incredibly close all of this is tied to us through globalization and how much it really does matter.

These pictures, by the way, that you will see off and on of the burning, that's the Taj Mahal hotel. It's impossible to impress upon you how important this is to the people there to see this edifice burning, because it's an important part of their landscape.

There are conflicting reports on how many targets have been attacked over the past seven hours or so. Some reports say seven. Others say nine. Others, still, some say 10. We will try to sort out the confusion in a minute.

Plus, the background on why Mumbai is so frequently in the line of fire. It has to do with money, lots of money.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOREMAN: You're looking at pictures from Mumbai, India, a city under siege right now.

Late at night, teams of gunmen launched coordinated surprise attacks, killing at least 87 people and wounding hundreds. Witnesses say Westerners, including Americans, were specifically targeted.

There are reports that some, some might still be being held hostage.

One of the big unanswered questions of the hour of course is who is responsible for these terror attacks?

Justice correspondent Kelli Arena is in contact touch with her sources at the FBI, as she has been all day. And she has the latest on who may be responsible for these attacks.

Kelli, what do you know?

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tom, this attack is far more sophisticated and coordinated than anything that we have seen before in this region.

Now, the terrorists were specifically targeting Westerners. They hit targets that would do harm economically. And that is taking a page right out of the al Qaeda handbook. A group calling itself Deccan Mujahideen is claiming responsibility. Now, none of the Islamic militant groups in India has used that name before, but it doesn't mean that the group is new, Tom.

Analysts believe that it's a group that may have gotten outside help. U.S. officials tell me that they're looking into the possibility that the terror group Lashkar-e-Tayyaba may be involved in some way. That's a terrorist organization out of Pakistan.

It has a very long, violent history. It also has ties to al Qaeda. Now, that is something they're looking into, Tom. There's nothing concrete at this point yet.

FOREMAN: All right, Kelli, let's bring the situation back to the U.S. for just a moment. Do counterintelligence officials see any cause for concern on the domestic front right now?

ARENA: Not in connection to this.

Intelligence officials say there's just no connection between what happened in India and any threat in the United States. But what is a bit disconcerted is that, as far as I can tell, the intelligence community didn't see this coming at all.

And when something like this happens, the intelligence community really ramps up worldwide. And, obviously, the U.S. remains a target. You heard me earlier. An FBI bulletin went out just this morning warning of a possible attack against subways and trains in New York City.

Now, the FBI says, you know, that information has not been substantiated, but says the plot is plausible. Such an attack could very well occur during the holiday season here in the United States.

All this does is underscore that this terror threat is a global problem, and we -- all Western targets are in the same boat right now.

FOREMAN: All right, Kelli Arena, many thanks for your hard work today.

The simple truth is, many of these groups are changing their nature by the day or by the month.

I want to call on two experts who are joining us now who know an awful lot about the troubles in this part of the world. Mira Kamdar is an associate fellow of the Asia Society here in New York. She's the author of "Planet India: The Turbulent Rise of the Largest Democracy and the Future of Our World." And Paul Cruickshank is a terrorism analyst and a fellow at the Center For Law and Security.

I asked both of you a moment ago, who do you think this is? -- Mira?

MIRA KAMDAR, AUTHOR, "PLANET INDIA: THE TURBULENT RISE OF THE LARGEST DEMOCRACY AND THE FUTURE OF OUR WORLD": Well, as we just heard, it's still open to speculation, but I think it's sort of a great merger between perhaps Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and elements associated with al Qaeda, but also the domestic situation, which has been degrading.

We had Indian Mujahideen emerge in the course of the terrorist attacks that have been this year alone. And you have a banned group that was linked to the coordinated terrorist bombings of Mumbai's commuter rail system just back in 2006 called SIMI, or the Students Islamic Movement of India.

Now, that group, its leadership was arrested earlier this year. But this new group, India Mujahideen, has been linked back to SIMI.

FOREMAN: And they evolved out of that...

(CROSSTALK)

KAMDAR: Exactly. So, you kind of have this thing branching out. When something is pushed down in one spot, it pops up somewhere else.

But I think what is really alarming here is the merger between that domestic terrorist situation that has been evolving and what clearly seems to be, at least on the face of it at this point, a link- up with the international situation.

FOREMAN: We have a graphic which I believe we can bring up now to explain a little bit about the groups you're talking about here.

And I would like to bring up first the Deccan Mujahideen. We know very little about this group. It's possibly an offshoot of the Indian Mujahideen, or maybe, as Mira just suggested here, some kind of a merger here with Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, which is also known as the Army of the Pure, founded in 1989, an armed wing of the Pakistan-based religious organization. It went underground after 9/11.

Paul, what do you think? Do you buy this theory that maybe these are groups combining forces and combining their ability to coordinate?

PAUL CRUICKSHANK, FELLOW, CENTER ON LAW AND SECURITY: I think that is right. I think Mira is right.

The suspicion is falling on the Indian Mujahideen, which is a group that emerged exactly a year ago. It's launched five or six major attacks in India over the last year. For most of the -- it has been animated by sort of local grievances, Hindu violence against Muslims, but also increasingly has bought into bin Laden's global jihad.

When they attacked Jaipur in May of this year, they said the reason they attacked targets in Jaipur was because of India's support of the United States in the war on terrorism and that more attacks would come if India...

(CROSSTALK)

FOREMAN: So, there's very much a real connection to the United States and the U.S. foreign policy in the impetus for these attacks?

CRUICKSHANK: I think that's right. And we see that they have been targeting American and British citizens in Mumbai today, singling them out for hostages.

Clearly, this is all linked to bin Laden's global jihad. Bin Laden has also singled out Britain and the United States as the number-one targets.

FOREMAN: All right, well, Paul and Mira, I need you both to hang on here, because you have got some great information that you're going to want to hear at home.

We're going to take a quick break.

When we come back, chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour will also join us with more on tonight's terror attack in Mumbai, the financial hub of India. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOREMAN: Tonight's breaking news, a coordinated attack apparently aimed at Westerners in Mumbai, India, has killed at least 87 people, injured 185 more. Officials say hostages were taken at two hotels and a hospital. The attackers had automatic weapons and grenades.

I'm Tom Foreman in for Campbell Brown tonight.

An attack this large, this sophisticated, carried out with no apparent warning could have come from inside India, maybe, maybe outside, maybe a neighboring state could be involved. For that, we turn to our chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour. She's been talking to her sources, and she joins me on the telephone.

Christiane, what do you hear?

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on- phone): Well, Tom, this is one of the -- the worst attack in India since the last 20 years when Islamic militants have systematically been stepping up their assaults on Mumbai, which is, as you know, not just the central of the Bollywood filmmaking but also the economic and financial and international really hub of India.

Obviously, India has often blamed terror attacks on Islamic militants based in Pakistan. Some, they say, are concerned about, for instance, Indian rule over Kashmir. Kashmir is ruled by India. It's a majority Muslim situation over there, and they have been very concerned about that.

Al-Qaeda also has repeatedly threatened to attack India in revenge for its policies on Kashmir. But very, very interestingly, this comes at a time when the new president of Pakistan has in fact gone further than any previous Pakistani leader in saying that they want to improve relations with India, in saying that they want to jointly combat terrorism together.

Pakistani president even went so far as saying that he would consider renouncing a sparse (ph) used nuclear strike on India. So this is a very confused situation, although some group has claimed responsibility that hasn't been confirmed and nobody quite knows the motive yet.

FOREMAN: And, Christiane, I want to bring up a map if we can while asking just to show everybody at home just in case you're not pre-calling at the moment the way that Pakistan and India are right side-by-side with each other. And, Christiane, talk to me a little bit about why it would be so much in the interest of these people to sever this tie between Pakistan and India? Is it that they appear that India would join in this effort to really squeeze them out?

AMANPOUR: Well, this is -- this is the ongoing situation. Certainly, Kashmir is a flash point for India and Pakistan. And really back in 2006, there were Islamic militants who were blamed for recent attacks. For instance, even in Mumbai, including bombings in trains, railway stations, about 180 people were killed there. But the one that came closest to pitting India against Pakistan was in 2001 when Islamic militants attacked the Indian parliament. Only 12 people were killed. That's still a lot but nothing compared to what's happened now and that almost led to a war between India and Pakistan.

So whatever happens in this region is so, so difficult and dangerous because of the incredible fault line and flash point that it centers on. As I say, though, it has come at a time right in the aftermath of the most -- the warmest outreach by Pakistan to India in decades.

FOREMAN: All right. Christiane, thanks very much for that insight.

Let's bring that map back up as we turn back to Mira and Paul here.

Mira, you were saying something interesting about what's been happening on the other side of Pakistan there, in Afghanistan...

KAMDAR: Right.

FOREMAN: ... that may also be playing a role. That's where our troops are. What's going on?

KAMDAR: It's where our troops are and also where India has been involved. And let's not forget that the Marriott Hotel was bombed in Islamabad and the Indian consulate was also bombed there. And the Indians blamed Pakistan's inter-services intelligence outfit for being involved in that.

Pakistan is not happy. The Pakistani military, I should say, as distinct from the news and civilian government, to have India both on its eastern border and around its western flank in Afghanistan. And one of the possible multiple, because I think there are multiple messages here in this attack, but one of the messages or one of the purposes could be to refocus attention on Kashmir and away from Afghanistan in the northwest territories.

Paul, let me turn to you and ask you a very basic question that we always wonder about it here. What would these people want? The people who would be staging an attack like this, what are they after fundamentally?

CRUICKSHANK: Well, if they are supporters of bin Laden's jihad, then it would be to decouple India from the United States. There's a very important strategic relationship here. Now that relationship is of great annoyance to people like bin Laden.

FOREMAN: How would this decouple that, though? Because look at our State Department or White House, our president-elect are all responding by saying to the contrary we need to tighten up with you and stand together.

CRUICKSHANK: Well, that's right. It may well be counterproductive but in their eyes, launching a shock or attacking in Mumbai tonight may sort of get other young Muslims who may be animated by bin Laden's call for jihad to go and support their efforts. So in their eyes they're trying to sort of kick off a sort of movement here in India.

FOREMAN: Paul, who are they sending a message to with these attacks?

CRUICKSHANK: They're sending a message to the whole world. The whole world is watching tonight. They're sending a message to the United States, to India, the whole world.

FOREMAN: Mira?

KAMDAR: I think they're also, you know, possibly sending a message to the civilian government in Pakistan. You know, forget about warming relations in India. And they're sending a message to the international business community, investment community, and tourism to say this is not a safe place to visit. This is not a safe city to come to. Beware.

FOREMAN: And I assume a message to the Indian government to say, be careful about the friends you keep.

KAMDAR: Yes.

FOREMAN: Yes.

All right. Well, Paul and Mira, it's great to have you here. Really appreciate your insights. Good of you to come by. Terrorism was a reality today in India. We'll go back to Mumbai next, where we're getting our first daylight look at the damage. You'll want to see that. And we have so much more to help understand the situation on the other side of the world that really does affect our backyard. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOREMAN: The two hotels that were attacked about eight hours ago, around 10:00 p.m. in India are the most lavish in all of Mumbai. Everyone from Bill Gates to Rupert Murdoch had stayed in the Oberoi in the heart of the business district. The Taj Mahal palace, that was the Oberoi before though. The Taj Mahal palace beforehand and tower built in 1903 has hosted kings and presidents and princes. A grand place there. Very important in the skyline there.

We've been talking about the message that was being sent with these attacks or what message might have been sent. Our Internet correspondent Abbi Tatton has been online tracking down the latest information on the targets of tonight's attacks.

Abbi, the Taj Mahal Hotel, Hotel Oberoi, both big fancy hotels, popular with Americans. Tell us more about the targets. What do we know about them?

ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET CORRESPONDENT: Tom, we're talking about landmarks in the city. These are places that Westerners know. These are places that Westerners go to and spend time at, starting out with the Taj Mahal Hotel here.

We are talking about the southern area of Mumbai here. The Taj Mahal, 22-story hotel, a luxury hotel right there on the waterfront. You're going to see this in the best hotels of Asia list.

We know that gunmen overtook that hotel earlier about eight hours ago. Five hours later, we saw the pictures right here on CNN, the smoke billowing from the rooftop of that hotel.

Moving along now to the Hotel Oberoi, this is in a neighboring district. We're talking about the financial district now, a hotel surrounded by offices of western businesses. This is, as you said, where western businessmen have stayed, Bill Gates. Heads of states have stayed there as well.

Major companies from around the world have got their offices nearby. Bank of America, British Airways -- these are all within a kilometer of this hotel, and we heard reports from witnesses that gunmen were asking the hostages that they were taking to see their passports before they were taking these hostages.

Those are live situations going on at those two locations, but we know of others as well.

Going to the Cafe Leopold. This is a legendary spot for western backpackers, for tourist hanging out having a beer. We heard there that shots were fired earlier today. A train station as well, not just any train station.

Moving to the Chhatrapati Shivaji terminal. This is a huge landmark in Mumbai, simply overflowing with people at any given moment. Reports there that there was shooting. Also, we've heard reports that there was panic that followed.

Then one other location to show you, the Cama Hospital, a hospital for women and children. Our sister network, CNN-IBN, reporting that hostages were taken there. Patients being taken hostage and that's still apparently under siege.

Now, Tom, those are just a few locations but I've been talking throughout the day to people who are uploading their pictures from their own neighborhoods to the Internet saying that there's been grenade attacks, other incidents, debris on the streets. So there's clearly a lot more going on that we're going to be finding out in the next coming hours.

FOREMAN: Many thanks, Abbi. If you want a sense of reference, if you've even been to New York City, one of the things you might think about is if somebody took over the plaza and the Ritz, for example, and then stormed Times Square and Penn Station, that's what people are dealing with on the other side of the world right now.

In a minute, we'll get a live update from Mumbai on the terrorist attack that began about 8 1/2 hours ago and those pictures we promised. Daylight, the first signs of the damage over there. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOREMAN: There you have it, daylight in Mumbai, India. A look at what is left behind right now. Shocking pictures of a city under terrorist attack.

Here is what we now know. Gun battles and explosions across Mumbai, India, have left at least 87 people dead. We have reports that hostages, many of them Westerners are being held in multiple locations. All of this information, as you might guess, is sketchy now because the whole city is locked down.

In one of those locations, a British lawyer is trapped in his hotel room. Mark Abell is a partner in a European law firm. We're hoping he'll be able to join us in a little bit and tell us a little bit more about what's been going on. But I want to turn back to Zain Verjee right now.

Zain, India, very much like we have in this country, has tried very hard and certainly in Mumbai, they've tried very hard to crack down on terrorism, to get these situations under control, and yet some of the key figures involved in that fell in this conflict.

VERJEE: Right, they did. I mean, these were local heroes. You have the head of the anti-terror operation in Mumbai killed. Another very, very key commander killed. And these were the guys responsible for really honing in on terrorist threats, terrorist groups, and they made that their life mission, and they were really viewed, as I said, as heroes by regular people.

FOREMAN: My understanding is they weren't necessarily targeted, but they were simply caught in the violence. It wasn't like these people were looking (ph) after them.

VERJEE: Right. They were caught in the violence, but one of the things they were doing is really honing in on young Muslim men in Mumbai. And in other parts of the country this has been going on, too. There are a lot of disaffected young men.

I mean, if you look at the pictures you see very young men carrying these guns, you know. And they don't like the U.S. relationship with India. They think that it's a war on Islam, not a U.S.-led war on terror. And some of these guys like these police officers and the antiterrorist squad leader killed today were responsible for going into these areas rounding up these guys, you know, and some instances just beating them up, cracking them down, hauling them in. And they were dreadful (ph). They don't like it.

FOREMAN: And very big -- a very big Hindu population in India.

VERJEE: Yes.

FOREMAN: There's been tension there for a long time.

VERJEE: Right. Significantly so. I mean, the disaffected young Muslims create basically, you know, a space where terrorists can recruit. There has always been Hindu/Muslim tension in the country.

FOREMAN: Yes. That kind of tension is bad. You know, we're talking about Mark Abell. He joins us now.

VERJEE: Oh, OK.

FOREMAN: I'm going to jump to him really quickly. He's a partner in a European law firm, Field Fisher Waterhouse. He's on the phone with us right now.

Mark, you're actually, as I understand it, barricaded behind the door in the Trident Hotel. Can you tell us what's happening?

MARK ABELL, TRAPPED IN TRIDENT HOTEL IN MUMBAI (on-phone): Yes, absolutely, Tom. I came back from dinner last night, 9:00, with a colleague. We came in through the lobby. It was busy. The security sensors weren't operating.

I went straight up to my room, closed the door, and the hotel shook with an immense blast. About three or four minutes later, there's another large blast. Our building was shaking.

I looked outside. I see crowds running. There was chaos, gunshots. It looked very, very nasty.

I switched on the television. I was watching the local news, and then I saw the head of the ATS (ph), the security services. I looked out my window. I could see him. Twenty minutes later on the local news, I heard he'd been shot dead. So it's very, very hurried (ph), yes.

FOREMAN: Extraordinary story. How close are you to all of this happening right now?

ABELL: Well, I'd rather not say exactly where I am but much closer to --

FOREMAN: Without -- certainly without giving specifics, but you're quite close -- quite close to where everything is happening right now.

ABELL: I am. I am very, very close, Tom. Yes.

FOREMAN: What information are you getting about the situation in the city, or are you basically just staying there with the door barricaded and waiting?

ABELL: Well, my colleague and I are keeping in touch by cell phone because internal communication is dead. And we're watching local news. There's lots of conflicting reports. I can see the Taj from my room. And I can see the fire there here in the night.

FOREMAN: Let me ask you another question, if I can. The notion all along has been that there's been some targeting of Westerners in this. People from England, people from the United States. Do you -- before this happened, were you aware of large numbers of Westerners in the city?

You're obviously comfortable there. You would know whether or not there were a lot of people in the city who would be potential targets?

ABELL: Yes, yes. There are lots. There are a couple of receptions by our corporations in the hotel at the exact time the bomb went off. So yes, there are lots of potential targets.

FOREMAN: All right. Mark Abell, thank you very much for joining us. Best of luck to you. Please stay safe.

After a quick break, an update on the situation in Mumbai where at least 87 people are dead after an overnight terror attack. We'll have that and much more still coming up, especially about the people who might be behind all of this. Stay with us, please.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOREMAN: CNN's coverage of tonight's breaking news from India continues at the top of the hour on "LARRY KING LIVE." Larry is here to tell us who he's got lined up -- Larry.

LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR: Tom, like yourself, we're going to continue the breaking news coverage of these terror assaults on Mumbai. We've got live accounts from people who saw and heard it all happen. Dr. Deepak Chopra is going to be with us. He has family and friends in that city. He'll be here to tell us what he knows. Our own Dr. Deepak Chopra will be aboard. What a day.

"LARRY KING LIVE" takes you there at the top of the hour, Tom.

FOREMAN: Thanks so much, Larry. It will be an interesting show. I ask all of you, please stay tuned. Important events in the other side of the world, Larry will keep your updated.

We want to go down to senior international correspondent Nic Robertson. He's in India on a regular basis, and he joins us now from London. Always some great insights on things. Nic, thanks for being here.

This was no doubt a highly coordinated attack, but how does it compare to the other terrorist attacks we've seen in recent years and particularly in some of the attacks that have been going on there quite recently? What was this like?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's very similar in one basic fundamental way. That is, it was coordinated, that is there were a number of attacks at a number of different locations within one city. Where it differs, the attacks that have gone on in India over the past few years have been perpetrated by attackers using bombs, using multiple small bombs in coordinated attacks.

This is different because the attackers went in, in person, gunmen with automatic weapons and grenades, it appears, prepared to stay and shoot and fight for a quite a period of time. Given the amount of ammunition, they appeared to have or were able to use over that period of time. And the other fundamental way that this is different from what we've seen in the past is, it put Westerners right front and center of this attack.

The other attacks we've seen have been on transport networks, have been in markets in Delhi, for example, that have targeted Indians going about their business. This clearly targeting in the two hotels and a cafe, foreigners, businessmen, tourists visiting the city. So this is different. Gunmen and targeting, focusing on Westerners either because they are the targets here, the main targets, or because they want to internationalize the message they're trying to get out, Tom.

FOREMAN: Nic, you've covered an awful lot of this sort of thing. How important is it that some of these gunmen appear to have been captured alive as we understand it?

ROBERTSON: It's going to be critical for the police as they now try and make sure that they're on other attacks waiting in the city or in other parts of the country. It was coordinated here. Could there be other coordinated attacks planned?

The hostages that have been taken, were the gunmen planning to relocate them somewhere else at their strongholds in the city? Are there ammunition dumps (ph) in the city? Getting those attackers alive will be critical for the police in the immediate aftermath.

But also in the long term aftermath trying to develop information about the networks, who is behind them? Do they spread into other cities? What's their potential? What else are they planning? -- Tom?

FOREMAN: Many thanks for all that insight, Nic. You know, Nic is right. When you find these networks, it's an important part of reaching out and finding the actual power behind these attacks.

The pictures coming in from Mumbai where it's morning now. We'll show you some more of those. Stand by for the very latest on the overnight terror attacks that have left at least 87 people dead.

More in just a moment. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOREMAN: Breaking news coverage now on CNN. A series of attacks blamed on terrorists have killed at least 87 people in Mumbai, India, the world's largest democracy. Witnesses say Westerners there were targeted at several locations, including Mumbai's two most luxurious hotels, one of which was set on fire during the attacks. And there you can see one of the gunmen on one of the balconies of the hotel.

State Department correspondent Zain Verjee has been keeping us up with the newest information. The latest, Zain, what do you know at this hour?

VERJEE: Well, you know, what we don't know is more significant here. From the U.S. side, we don't know if there are American hostages, any American deaths or of any American casualties. The State Department is working on trying to get that information. The situation is fluid, and we're hearing of a number of foreigners being killed and that it can very well be --

FOREMAN: But very quickly, they do have a number for people -- if you're concerned about people over there, we're going to put up on the screen. Tell them what the number is, Zain.

VERJEE: The number is 1-888-407-4747. If you manage to get through, you know, they are picking it up. And they are telling Americans in Mumbai to basically call and register with the embassy, but the key message is for everyone to stay inside until further notice.

FOREMAN: And I think that's it for us. We hope you all have a good thanksgiving.

Nonetheless, on now to "LARRY KING LIVE" and continuing coverage of this tragedy in India -- Larry.