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On 26 November 2008, Mumbai, India’s financial capital was turned into a warzone for nearly 60 hours, ten terrorists from Pakistan’s Radical Islamic Group, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) executed one of the most coordinated terror attacks in modern history. While the world watched the tragedy unfold on live television, the true origins of the attack lay far beyond Mumbai’s coastline.
This blog uncovers the entire chain of events leading to 26/11. How the attackers were selected, trained, funded, transported, and guided. How foreign operatives played a role, how security lapses made the catastrophe possible and why the attack date was changed from 27 September to 26 November.
Everything here is compiled in a structured, factual narrative based on the Indian chargesheet, US court documents from the David Headley case, official testimonies, and publicly available investigative information.
The story of 26/11 doesn’t begin in 2008. It began in 1971, at Cadet College Hasan Abdal in Pakistan, where two boys ‘Tahawwur Hussain Rana and Daood Sayed Gilani’ studied together. Both were from respectable families, both were disciplined and intelligent yet life took them down drastically different paths.
Rana went on to become a doctor in the Pakistan Army. He later married a Canadian citizen, moved to Canada, and started a visa consultancy firm. First World Immigration Services with branches in major US cities.
His school friend, Daood Gilani, had a troubled adolescent life. His father was a well connected Pakistani bureaucrat, his mother, an American named Alice Serrill Headley, had returned to the US after divorcing his father. Daood, who had one brown and one blue eye, looked different that later played a crucial role further in this incident. He moved to the US at age seven, lived in Philadelphia, and became involved in drug trafficking. Between 1988 and 2000, Dawood was arrested twice in the US between 1998 and 2000 but escaped long term imprisonment. In 2001, after years in drugs and crime, he found a new path.
In 2001, Daood came in contact with Hafiz Saeed, the chief of Lashkar-e-Taiba. Saeed, who had performed several attacks against India, immediately saw potential in Daood. His American background, Western appearance, and fluency in English made him an ideal to put as foreign operations asset. Daood was invited to Pakistan for an introductory LeT training known as Dawwat, held at their headquarters in Muridke, near Lahore. Later, he underwent advanced terror training in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). between 2002 and 2003, Daood made five secret visits to Pakistan for training.
By 2006, Lashkar-e-Taiba was preparing a large scale operation against India, and Daood, was now trained, and useful and was transferred to LeT’s Foreign Recruitment Wing, run by Sajid Mir.
There, Daood was given his life’s most important assignment.
LeT asked Daood to return to the US and change his identity completely. He adopted his mother’s surname and legally changed his name to:
David Coleman Headley
In 2005, he applied for a US passport with his new identity and successfully obtained it something that Indian agencies believe was possible only with ISI assistance , given his criminal record.
With his new name, fresh identity, and American citizenship, David Headley became invisible a ghost ready for infiltration.
Meanwhile, his friend Rana was running First World Immigration Services in North America.
Together, they decided to open a branch office in Mumbai , which gave Headley:
Headley travelled to Mumbai repeatedly:
During these trips, he:
His surveillance videos were later analyzed by Lashkar’s tech expert Zarrar Shah, who created detailed 3D attack maps for the terrorists.
Headley befriended several influential people, including:
Shockingly, he once hinted to Rahul that something big might happen in Mumbai days before the attack.
While Headley scouted Mumbai, Lashkar was recruiting 32 young men, uneducated, unmarried men perfect for suicide missions. Among them was Ajmal Amir Kasab, a 21 year old from Faridkot, Pakistan.
These recruits underwent a brutal multi phase training program:
Held in Mansera, this phase included:
After Phase 2, recruits were sent home for a week. Kasab reportedly told his mother about his training and even taught karate to local kids.
The most difficult phase, held in Chehalbandi Hills in Muzaffarabad, involved:
Only 15 of 32 recruits survived this phase.
Here, they learned:
Eventually, only 10 men completed all phases.
These ten were grouped into five buddy pairs, with Ismail Khan appointed overall leader.
In September 2008, the final team was moved to Karachi’s Azizabad Mohalla, where they underwent three days of marine indoctrination:
The trainer, known as Hakim Sahab, taught them how to land undetected. The final assault plans were shown on videos made from Headley’s surveillance.
On 13 September 2008, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi announced that the attack would occur on 27 September. But Indian intelligence intercepted suspicious activity and placed Delhi and Mumbai on high alert. Thus the attack was postponed for two months, the terrorists waited in safehouses for the new date.
On 21 November 2008, the new attack date was announced i.e. 26 November 2008. The next day, on 22 November, the terrorists were taken to sea.
They were given:
also they were instructed:
At 9 AM on 22 November, the terrorists boarded a small boat. After 1.5 hours, they transferred to a larger Pakistani ship named Al-Hussaini. US intelligence had already warned India about this vessel’s coordinates, but no action was taken. On 23 November, they encountered an Indian fishing trawler Kuber. They hijacked it, killed three fishermen, and kept the captain Amarchand alive to guide them. Amarchand himself had previously crossed into Pakistani waters by mistake and was jailed for six months the coincidence raised questions later. On 26 November, at 4 AM, the terrorists saw the Mumbai skyline. They killed Amarchand, dumped his body at the back of the boat, and boarded a red speedboat.
They reached Badhwar Park, Colaba, around 9 PM. This site was selected because:
Eight terrorists disembarked, two stayed on the boat to head toward Oberoi. Local resident Bharat Taimur saw them and questioned them. Kasab snapped at him. Taimur reported it to police who ignored and missed chance to stop the attack.
Each buddy pair moved toward their assigned location:
And from here, the horror of 26/11 unfolded.
Note:- This narrative compiles information from official Indian chargesheets, eyewitness accounts, court testimonies, NSG briefings, and investigative reports. It has been structured for exam preparing students, researchers, and general readers who want a clear, accurate, and comprehensive understanding of the attacks.
Leopold Cafe, located on Colaba Causeway, was bustling with tourists and locals on the evening of November 26. At around 9:20 PM, terrorists Shoaib and Nazir, armed with AK‑47 rifles and grenades, entered the cafe.
The Attack
Casualties
Leopold Cafe was the shortest lasting attack but it marked the beginning of horror.
Just minutes after Leopold, Mumbai’s largest railway station, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), became the epicenter of the worst mass shooting of the night.
Kasab and Ismail Enter CST
Disguised as students with backpacks, Ajmal Kasab and Ismail Khan walked into CST’s passenger hall.
The Attack
The Railway Police Response
The Railway Police Force (RPF) had outdated .303 rifles. Some officers attempted to return fire but were outgunned and many ran out of ammunition.
Casualties
Kasab and Ismail then moved out of CST, heading toward Cama Hospital.
Cama Hospital, a maternity hospital, was never a target for hostage but as Kasab and Ismail fled CST, they realized police units were approaching.
Inside the Hospital
They entered through a side gate and climbed the stairs to the terrace. Patients and nurses hide behind the beds and counters. Fortunately, no major civilian casualties occurred inside.
The Office Patil Encounter
At around 10 PM, police constable Tukaram Omble, Assistant Sub‑Inspector Babanrao Durga, and others approached.
The Ambush
The terrorists opened fire, killing:
Kasab and Ismail then hijacked a police Qualis vehicle and drove toward Girgaon Chowpatty.
Alerted Police Prepare a Roadblock. A small team from DB Marg Police Station, including constable Tukaram Omble, set up barricades.
The Final Confrontation
Kasab’s capture became the turning point in unraveling the planning behind 26/11.
Nariman House, operated by the Jewish outreach group Chabad-Lubavitch, was home to Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, his wife Rivka, and visiting Jewish families.
The Attack
Terrorists Imran Babar and Nasir entered the building, killing:
The 48 Hour Hostage Crisis
The Final Assault (28 November, approx. 8 AM)
Nariman House suffered catastrophic damage during the operation.
The Taj, Mumbai’s symbol of luxury and history, became the stage for a 60‑hour battle.
Entry and Initial Attack
Terrorists Javed and Hafiz Arshad, fresh from attacking Leopold, entered the Taj through the rear entrance.
Their Movements
Heroic Hotel Staff
Several Taj employees sacrificed their lives while rescuing guests.
Notable among them:
Karambir Kang, General Manager, whose wife and children died in the hotel fire while he continued supervising evacuations. Chef Hemant Oberoi, who led hundreds of guests to safety.
Terrorists Fahadullah and Abdul Rehman entered the Oberoi Trident via the front entrance.
Inside the Hotel
They separated guests by nationality. They particularly targeted Americans, British nationals, and Israelis.
Hostage Situation
Dozens of guests hid in rooms and corridors. Some managed to stay alive for over 40 hours by switching off lights, locking doors, and remaining silent.
NSG Intervention (27–28 November)
End of Siege (28 November, 3 PM)
Both terrorists were killed.32 people had died, including several foreign nationals.
Throughout the attacks, Indian news channels broadcast real-time visuals:
Lashkar commander Sajid Mir monitored this live footage. He relayed instructions to the terrorists over VoIP. This became one of the biggest lessons of 26/11.
By 29 November 2008, all 10 terrorists had been neutralized:
Overall Casualties
Mumbai Police
Fire Brigade
NSG
Brave Civilians Who Helped and Sacrificed Their Lives
Their courage prevented an even bigger catastrophe.
During and immediately after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, major Indian and international news channels provided extensive, often live, coverage of the unfolding events. Key channels included NDTV, Times Now, CNN-IBN, and Star News.
The media coverage of the 26/11 attacks became a significant point of controversy and scrutiny for several reasons:
Reporters like Mahrukh Inayet of Times Now were noted for their extensive on-the-ground reporting during the 60+ hours of the siege. The coverage also sparked debates on journalistic ethics, particularly concerning the role of specific journalists like Barkha Dutt of NDTV and editors like Arnab Goswami of Times Now
The 26/11 attacks were not just an act of terror they were a carefully calculated military style invasion. Hundreds of individuals were involved across Pakistan, the US, and the Arabian Sea. From Headley’s surveillance to ISI-backed training camps, from marine preparation to security lapses every step contributed to the scale of devastation. The attack’s roots lie not in a single night but in decades of radicalisation, geopolitics, intelligence failures, and human ambition. Understanding this chain of events is essential not just to revisit the past, but to prevent the next 26/11.
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