Hotels Emerging As Terror Magnets?

Was the terror attack on several of Mumbai’s luxury hotels an anomaly or part of an emerging pattern? A communication recently intercepted by TAM-C ‘Targeted Actionable Monitoring Center’ suggests this may only be the beginning.

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Hotel officials say they’re virtually defenseless against the kinds of terrorist attacks as those perpetrated this year in Mumbai and Islamabad.

No amount of preparations could have prevented the teams of heavily armed attackers who commandeered Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Palace and Oberoi luxury hotels from carrying out their plans, hotel owners told The New York Times. They say they’re totally dependent on governments to stop terrorist attacks before they happen.

P.R.S. Oberoi, the chairman of the Oberoi Group, said this weekend that he ordered his company’s hotels to step up security after a truck bomb killed more than 50 people two months ago at the Islamabad Marriott Hotel but he questioned whether any hotel could have defended against the Mumbai assault.

Analysts say luxury hotels in troubled parts of the world are becoming terrorism magnets and U.S. hotel company officials have noticed.

Source

TAM-C Terror Warning – Communication Intercepted Referring To “War of The Hotels”. Says This Is Only The Start of The Battle

This warning has not been confirmed by U.S. Intelligence Officials

Foreign language researchers of the Targeted Actionable Monitoring Center have intercepted adversary communications discussing future attacks. The communications indicated that “this is the start of the battle.” This has been identified by the adversary as the “War of the Hotels”.

The communications reiterate that the attack on the Mumbai hotels was not by chance but well planned and well considered. The reasons stated are as follows:

* the large hotels have a lot of violators of Islam
* the hotels are a safe house for ones that plan against Islam, including the security forces and intelligence agencies as well as (those of) the west who take advantage of Islam.

The communications provide specific examples of the types of hotels to be targeted by the adversary. Locations in the Sinai, Jordon, Iraq, Indonesia, and Pakistan were identified by TAM-C analysts as examples of targets in the War of the Hotels.

TAM-C researchers have identified the partial name of two hotels that were singled out as future targets because they house “Kofers”.

The communications also indicate that the current operation may not have ended and that the Mujahadein is ready for the next assault and the people are in the field.

TAM-C’s Southeast Asia Desk had previously compiled a list of cities and states under explicit threat: Kerala, Kolkata, New Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Mumbai and Gujarat.

Other states that may be targeted include: Himachal Pradesh, Chattisgarh, and Uttarakhand (Uttaranchal). All of these locations continue to be under threat.

Conclusion:

Because of the threat of a second wave, security for those people still in Mumbai and the region is a priority.

Previous analysis had indicated that the venue – western hotels – is of greater significance than the locale. The adversary’s communications confirms this.

Source – Terror Response.org