Local Author Says India Attacks Linked to Al Qaeda

Written by Tina Chau - tchau@kgmb9.com

November 27, 2008 10:23 PM

The violence in India is being watched closely by Hawaii's tight-knit Indian community, including Raj Kumar, founder of the Gandhi Institute for Peace in Hawaii. None of his family or friends living in Mumbai were hurt in the shootings, but all live in fear right now. "They are very panicked," Kumar said. The violence in Mumbai is going into day three. As a hotel burned, terrorists looked for American and British citizens. The gunmen have targetted ten locations popular with tourists, including the Taj Mahal Hotel, a five-star palace managed by Saint Louis alumni Raymond Bickson. We're told he's safe. Three other Americans were injured. Two were still missing, and the US is sending a team of investigators to work with indian authorities. A group called the Deccan Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Kumar, a published author who is currently writing a book on terrorism, said, that's a fake name. It's really a group tied to Al Qaeda. "The group is Lashkar-e-tayaba from Kashmir and they are the young militants trained by Al Qaeda," said Kumar. "The group has been attacking civilians since 1980 for the last 26 years," He prays, just as India's famed spiritual leader Mohandas Gandhi prayed, the violence stops soon. "This is not only attack on India or foreign tourists, said Kumar, "I strongly condemn this. This was a crime against humanity." Kumar's organization is receiving donations for the victims in India. If you want to help, contact him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Last Updated ( December 06, 2008 12:43 PM )