Taking a page out of the Somali pirates' playbook, the terrorists who attacked Mumbai first hijacked an Indian flagged fishing trawler which paved the way for their waterborne attack.

MUMBAI: The satellite phone and global positioning system (GPS) map recovered from a trawler abandoned in the high seas is now among the most crucial pieces of evidence connected to the terror attacks on Mumbai.

The vessel, Kuber, was found drifting 5-6 nautical miles off the Mumbai shore; the entire crew is missing except for the group leader, Amar Narayan, 38, whose body was found on board with limbs tied, blindfolded and neck slit open. 

The vessel provided a perfect cover. "Most of the time, we act on specific information," an Indian Coast Guard officer told the Times of India. "We rarely check such fishing trawlers with Indian flags.''  

The terrorists are believed to have used the trawler for cover to make the journey to Mumbai without being detected by the Coast Guard. A nondescript, 25-metre-long fishing vessel bearing the name ‘Kuber’ in the Gujarati script and a Gujarat registration number would have barely raised an eyebrow in a region dotted with numerous such boats. To complete the appearance, it carried nearly 50 kg of marinated fish, rice and lentils.

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The terrorist attacks in Mumbai continue on. Five hostages have been found dead at the Jewish center. Indian Security says there are 1/2 a dozen terrorists inside the Taj, with new explosions late in the day Friday (local time).

Indian Officials believe the terrorists did dry runs. From the Hindu Times: Lashkar tested sea route to Mumbai in 2007 dry run.

MUMBAI: Lashkar-e-Taiba commanders had used a commercial fishing boat to send a fidayeen squad to Mumbai in 2007. Investigators now believe it was a dress rehearsal for the latest terror attacks.

…Maharashtra Police investigators believe that Lashkar commanders carried out the operation to test the reliability of the Karachi-Mumbai sea route.

The Times of India reports that at least 146 people have been killed and hundreds wounded since dozens of terrorists sailed into Mumbai on boats Wednesday. This is the first time terrorists have made a water borne attack for a major operation (except for in Sri Lanka, I believe). The mother-ship/inflatable dinghy concept is similar to the tactic currently being used by Somali pirates.

From The Guardian:

At least some of the terrorists, said to be in their early twenties and armed with AK-47 assault rifles and hand grenades, landed on the coast of Mumbai's commercial and entertainment neighbourhood in light and fast Gemini boats, powered by small outboard motors.

These inflatable dinghies, according to Indian navy sources quoted by the Headlines Today TV news channel, were launched from a larger vessel, the MV Alfa, which arrived near Mumbai sometime yesterday and anchored offshore a distance from India's financial capital.

But back to the dry runs. That these terrorists did dress rehearsals comes as no surprise — they always do. But the aspect of pre-planning, "reccky" as the British call it, is particularly chilling. The 9/11 Commission Report chose to footnote and not highlight the 33 test runs conducted by Mohammed Atta and other hijacker pilots in the months leading up to America's worst terrorist attacks, largely because its underscores how terrorists conduct their surveillence operations right under law-enforcement's nose. From CNN:

They fired at guests "with no remorse" and knew the layout of the hotels well enough to "vanish" after confronting security forces, the commando said. 

The Press Trust of India, citing Union Cabinet Minister Kapil Sibal, reported the gunmen had worked for months to prepare, even setting up "control rooms" in the two luxury hotels that were targeted.

Terrorists also always have cover stories until they arrive at ground zero. In this account from Indian TV, an eyewitness explains how at least some of the terrorists in Mumbai said they were "students."

Indian TV news channels provided eyewitness accounts from people who saw the armed attackers land in Mumbai.

"It was around 9.15 last night when I saw a speedboat with eight men on board come close to the shore," a man told Times Now TV today.

"Six young men with large bags came ashore, after which the two who remained in the boat started the outboard motor again and sped off," he added. "They were fair, chikna (well-off) and looked around 20, 22, 25 years old. They said they were students. When we tried to find out what they were doing, they spoke very aggressively, and I got scared."

Two boys and an older woman from the same neighbourhood spoke to CNN-IBN. "When we tried to talk to them, they rudely said, 'What do you want? Do your own work', and walked away," the two boys said. "They were carrying large bags – one bag was orange coloured."

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In an interview published today, India's former Foreign Affairs Chief, Jaswant Singh, calls the hijacking of Indian Air 814 on December 24, 1999 a "dry run" for the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

Singh led the negotiations with the Taliban and Pakistani terrorists that resulted in a prisoner-for-hostage exchange. One-hundred and sixty-six airplane passengers were swapped for convicted terrorists Omar Sheikh, Maulana Masood Azhar and Mushtaq Ahmed Zagar — all three of whom now have considerably more blood on their hands, including Daniel Pearl's.

I have written about Indian Air 814, interviewed Dr. Jeanne Moore — the only American hostage on board — and maintain that this hijacking is a key to understanding the origins of the nexus of terror between Al Qaeda, Pakistani terrorists, the Taliban and Pakistan's ISI.

The collaborative efforts of these terrorist groups and their state sponsors continues today and the situation is as perilous now as it was on December 23, 1999 and September 10, 2001 — as far as aviation security is concerned. Al Qaeda operative Rashid Rauf was sprung from prison last month — with the help of Pakistani police. Rauf is the alleged mastermind of the London Planes Plot of 2006. He is also related by marriage to Maulana Masood Azhar. 

From 'In Service of Emergent India': An Interview with Jaswant Singh by Susan Weinstein: 

Q: What was your strategy for dealing with the terrorists who hijacked an Indian airplane? Are there lessons for the United States in India's experience?

A: [Janswant Singh] The hijack of IC-814 [Indian Airlines Flight 814; Dec. 24, 1999] from Kathmandu finally to Kandahar in Afghanistan was a most painful episode. It was the worst possible site to deal with the situation. There was not even a telephone connection. And it was Christmas Eve. The world was celebrating, while there were 166 human beings confined in a small space in bitter cold with one toilet. You cannot have a strategy when the situation is changing by the hour. Because the Taliban controlled Kandahar, it was possibly the worst place for India to negotiate the release of its citizens. And we had intelligence saying they would blow the plane up on New Year's Eve for the year 2000, so sitting them out was not an option. They asked for $500 million and the release of 36 terrorists in captivity. Government had a responsibility to negotiate. We broke down the demands to the release of three terrorists by Dec. 31. Of course it is only later that I realized the manner in which the hijack was conducted, using an aircraft as a weapon of destruction, had an uncanny similarity to the subsequent attacks on New York's twin towers and the Pentagon. It was a kind of dry run for what was to come. I shared this view at the time with friends in the U.S. but it is partly human nature that unless you experience the danger yourself, it is difficult to heed warnings. 

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This TSA Suspicious Incident #177, Unclassified but For Official Use Only (U//FOUO), "has many of the elements of pre-operational terrorist planning" according to TSA Office of Intelligence. It was leaked to me earlier today in my ongoing efforts to compile terrorist dry runs and probes on airplanes.

A FFDO (Federal Flight Deck Officer — i.e. armed pilot) flying in non-mission status on October 24, 2007, on a flight from Washington D.C. to Milwaukee, identified himself to flight crew in advance of take-off. When flight crew witnessed suspicious behavior by four passengers, they reported the information to the FFDO. The following unfolded: 

(U//FOUO) Suspicious Activity Onboard Flight to Milwaukee

(U//FOUO) On 24 October 2007, crewmembers aboard a Reagan-Washington National to Milwaukee General Mitchell International Airport flight reported to a Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) flying in non-mission status that they noticed suspicious behavior by four passengers.

One of the subjects entered and exited the rear aircraft lavatory three times and failed to comply with crewmembers' verbal instructions. The FFDO seated himself near this subject to observe his behavior.  Shortly afterward, two more of the subjects moved into the aisles and entered both lavatories.  After one of the subjects vacated the rear left lavatory, the FFDO searched it, noting that the mirror above the sink was not properly latched. 

He exited the lavatory and a fourth subject was waiting second in line with a passenger in front of him. The FFDO offered the fourth subject access to the right lavatory, but the subject declined, claiming the right lavatory was dirty.The FFDO noted the right lavatory was clean, and the subject reluctantly entered the right lavatory and remained there for an extended period of time. (TSA/SD-10-3849-07)

(U//FOUO) TSA Office of Intelligence Comment: Although there is no information that the aircraft was being specifically targeted for a future terrorist attack, the actions of the four passengers are highly suspicious. FFDO confirmation of possible tampering of the lavatory mirror in one of the lavatories could be indicative of an attempt to locate concealment areas for smuggling criminal contraband or terrorist materials.  In this case, it appears the left lavatory was the sole area of interest for the passengers. One subject's excuse that the right lavatory was dirty when it was confirmed to be clean shows the four passengers had a specific, operational objective. Although unconfirmed at this time, this incident has many of the elements of pre-operational terrorist planning. 

Source: TSA Suspicious Incidents Report #177

Before August 2006, the TSA refused to admit publicly that terrorists took dry runs and probes on U.S. aircraft (after the London Planes Plot, the White House stated, "we know they do dry runs" and TSA quietly agreed). Unless there have been 177 such incidents in the past fifteen months, one wonders when TSA Suspicious Incident Reports #1-#176 occurred — and what information they contain?

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Frontier Airlines spokesman Joe Hodas has confirmed the incident on Flight 623 which occurred Sunday, October 7, on a Denver-to-Detroit flight. The security incident involved an Arab man who locked himself in the first class lavatory (adjacent to the cockpit) and refused to come out despite orders to do so from flight crew. The FBI met the flight — along with more than a dozen law enforcement officers. 

In our interview, Hodas told me, "[The Passenger] was very intently watching the flight attendants. Before he went in [to the bathroom] for so long, he was up and down in between his seat and the bathroom. We alerted the FBI. After the flight landed, the FBI took over. I was told the passenger was shaving in the bathroom. The passenger did nothing that was hampering the immediate safety of the aircraft, but our flight crew felt his behavior was suspicious and that's why took the actions we did. Our flight attendants know how to recognize behavior that might jeopardize an aircraft." 

Ten points for Frontier Airlines. Fifty points for the alert flight attendant. This kind of proactive behavior by a sharp-thinking flight crew, coupled with a supportive airline, illustrates to groups like the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) — financiers of the Flying Imams' federal lawsuit — that suspicious behavior on airplanes will not be tolerated. And that flight crew will not be bullied into silence for fear of egregious lawsuits sponsored by groups like CAIR.

And another ten points to Frontier passenger, Timothy Furnas, who originally contacted me about this incident. Without eye-witnesses who are willing to come forward with their accounts, we are left knowing only what that Department of Homeland Security is willing to tell. 

This morning, I discussed Frontier Flight 623 with Greg Allen on his radio show, The Right Balance. 

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On Tuesday, police at Panama City's Tocumen International Airport arrested six Syrian men traveling on Copa Airlines Flight 231 after other passengers feared "the suspects were going to storm the cockpit armed with cutlery," and told crew about it. (Go, Juan and Juanita Doe!)

According to Panama's National Police director, Rolando Mirones, the Syrians approached the cockpit "apparently with the intention of opening a door." Police Director Jose Ayu Prado issued a statement this morning stating that the Syrians had indeed "approached the cockpit door and tried to open it."

The Syrians say they approached the cockpit by mistake and that they were looking for the bathroom.

Also at issue on the Cuba-to-Panama flight was a missing knife. Reporter Juan Zamorano has more from Police Chief Mirones in a story for the Associated Press:

Copa Airlines crew simply notified authorities on the ground that a knife was missing after they served the meal in the first-class cabin, where the Syrians were sitting. He did not say whether the Syrians were suspected of taking the knife.

Mirones said the suspects "did not commit any violent acts inside the airplane, but they raised suspicions," adding: "That is why we are investigating."

The Syrians, ages 17 to 30, were on their way to Haiti and Jamaica via Panama.  

The cockpit-door-mistaken-for-the-bathroom ruse has been used in other aviation security probes before, including one by a Saudi student traveling on a Southwest Airlines flight — before 9/11. This incident is listed in The 9/11 Commission Report as a dry run (the student was deported after 9/11). A similar ruse was more recently used in by three Egyptian nationals trying to get into the cockpit during a Prague-to-Oslo flight. Instead of looking for the bathroom, these Egyptians claimed they were looking "to buy some chewing gum." Czech Intelligence Agency, BIS, wrote in its 2006 annual report that three “Egyptians [were] suspected of [taking part] in the preparation of a terrorist attack on a civilian aircraft.”  

Further reading: Dry Runs and Probes, Czech Republic's Official Report on Terrorist Dry Run, DHS Report on Northwest Flight 327.

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UPDATE: Putting the public's right to know before the TSA's desire to conceal, MSNBC has posted the unclassified bulletin which outlines the "dry run" incidents at four US airports. All of the incidents involve passengers carrying what appear to be mock IEDs (improvised explosive devices). The first took place in September 2006 and the most recent occurred this month. Earlier today, after the TSA discovered the bulletin had been leaked, spokesperson Ellen Howe had this to say to the Associated Press:

"There is no credible, specific threat here," TSA spokeswoman Ellen Howe said Tuesday. "Don't panic. We do these things all the time."  

I asked a Federal Air Marshal what he thought of the TSA's advisory bulletin to law enforcement; he said he had not received anything from TSA on the threatening "surge in recent suspicious incidents." What this means is that the public is better informed about the current terrorist threat to airplanes — thanks to MSNBC — than our own, US Federal Air Marshals are. But don't panic. We do these things all the time.

Here is the bulletin, cut and pasted. The MSNBC link to the original document is below. Bold letters are TSA's.

(U) Incidents at U.S. Airports May Suggest Possible Pre-Attack Probing
 
(U//FOUO) A surge in recent suspicious incidents at U.S. airports may indicate terrorists are conducting pre-attack security probes and “dry runs” similar to dress rehearsals. Past terrorist attacks and plots show that such testing generally indicates attacks will soon follow, according to a joint FBI and Homeland Security assessment.
 
(U//FOUO) Transportation security personnel and law enforcement officers nationwide have intercepted several items at airports resembling improvised explosive device (IED) components. These items include wires, switches, pipes or tubes, cell phone components, and dense clay-like substances. The unusual nature and increase in number of these improvised items raise concern, and TSA personnel should continue vigilance for groupings of ordinary items that look like IED components. Terrorists may repeat operational tests to desensitize, distract, or adapt plans for specific environments. Linking repetitious probing incidents or associated items possibly could alert authorities to future terrorist plots, tactics, and personalities.

(U//FOUO) Recent Suspicious Incidents
(U//FOUO) Individuals involved in these incidents were of varying gender, and initial investigations do not link them with criminal or terrorist organizations. However, most passengers’ explanations for carrying the suspicious items were questionable, and some investigations are still ongoing. Many of the incidents caused airport terminal evacuations and at times, brief closures:

(U//FOUO) 5 July 2007, San Diego, CA–A U.S. Person’s (USPER) checked baggage contained two icepacks covered in duct tape. The icepacks had clay inside them rather than the normal blue gel.

(U//FOUO) 4 June 2007, Milwaukee, WI–The carry-on baggage of a USPER contained several items resembling IED components, such as a wire coil wrapped around a possible initiator, an electrical switch, batteries, three tubes, and two blocks of cheese.

(U//FOUO) 8 November 2006, Houston, TX–A USPER’s checked baggage contained a plastic bag with a 9-volt battery, wires, a block of brown clay-like minerals, and pipes.

(U//FOUO) 16 September 2006, Baltimore, MD–The checked baggage of a couple contained a plastic bag with a block of processed cheese taped to another plastic bag holding a cellular phone charger.

(U//FOUO) Past Examples of Dry Runs

(U//FOUO) A recent joint FBI and Homeland Security assessment provides some examples of past terrorist attacks and plots where dry runs or probing played a major operational role:

(U) August 2006 Plot to Blow up Airliners Using Liquid Explosives–Terrorists discussed dry runs to test airport security procedures.

(U) 7 July 2005 London Bombings–The operatives discreetly practiced a mock attack while riding the London subway in late June 2005.

(U) 11 September 2001 Attacks–The hijackers rehearsed events aboard transcontinental flights just months prior to the attacks.

(U) 1994 “Operation Bojinka” Plot– Ramzi Yousef planned to simultaneously bomb multiple airplanes while flying over the Pacific Ocean and his group conducted dry runs in environments similar to that of the intended targets.

(U//FOUO) The terrorist plots and attacks listed above demonstrate that operational test results hold unlimited value for terrorist planners and may even prepare terrorist operators for stress experienced on the actual attack day. Identifying dry runs and probes—even though they are often seen in the end stages of pre-attack planning—is key to preventing future terrorist attacks on transportation modes.

Link to view TSA advisory:
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/sections/NEWS/pdfs/airport%20warning.pdf

TSA statement: http://www.tsa.gov/press/happenings/intelligence_bulletin.shtm

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The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has issued a bulletin warning the aviation sector of possible terror attacks based on what appear to be "dry runs" and "pre-attack security probes" at US airports. The warning comes after TSA screeners at airports in San Diego, Houston, Milwaukee and Baltimore confiscated several items from passengers that strangely resemble IEDs (improvised explosive devices). NBC news obtained a copy of the bulletin

Two separate incidents involving mock IEDs were alarming in their similarities: 

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