Media Update - The Economic Times 29 November 2008

Failure of Indian intelligence: The buck stops nowhere

Almost a dozen state police units and intelligence agencies were tracking down terrorist groups across India for the past two years but missed to detect the activities of the men who were involved in the Mumbai terror attack.

Media Update - The Hindu 30 November 2008

Pointed Intelligence Warnings Preceeded Attacks

MUMBAI: India’s intelligence services had delivered at least three precise warnings that a major terrorist attack on Mumbai was imminent, highly-placed government sources have told The Hindu.

However, weaknesses in police manpower and training allowed the attacks to proceed, the sources said.

On November 18, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) intercepted a satellite phone conversation, in which a so-far unidentified caller notified his handlers that he was heading for Mumbai along with a certain cargo.

RAW analysts, however, rapidly determined that the apparently innocuous call was made to a Lahore phone number known to be used by the Lashkar-e-Taiba’s main military commander for operations targeting India, who is known only by the code-names ‘Muzammil’ and ‘Abu Hurrera.’

Mumbai Police investigators have determined that the call was made from a satellite phone that was eventually found abandoned on the Porbandar-based fishing boat Kuber, hijacked by the terrorists mid-ocean, most likely on November 19. The satellite phone also contains records of several other calls to Lashkar handlers in Pakistan.

Press Release - 3 December 2008

Evacuation By Air From Thailand / Security Support

International Operations Group’s Crisis Management Team has coordinated extraction support via private air charter, for clients’ employees stranded as a result of the civil unrest in Thailand and subsequent Bangkok airport closures.

Upon engagement and subject to our standard terms and conditions, a full extraction service is available. This includes ground transportation (from Bangkok) with private security escorts to the U-Tapoa air strip, security briefings, private air charter, immigration services and subsequent air extraction to Singapore. Passengers will then be met in Singapore and provided advice on transport options to their respective hotels or connecting commercial flights.

Extractions will require eight confirmed passengers per flight.

As an alternative, ground transportation [only] can be offered, whereby our experienced security team will provide a full security escort via private vehicle transfers, from Bangkok to Phuket, at which time, commercial airline options can be arranged via our preferred travel partner.

For enquiries on availability, costs and timeframes for employee evacuation services from Thailand, please email International Operations Group at intel [at] interopsgroup [dot] com or phone +61 2 8003 3933 (GMT +11 hours).