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An organization calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for attacks in Mumbai Indiathat have killed at least 80 people and wounded over 250.

The group sent an email to news organizations claiming responsibility. Here’s part of the email they sent out:

You should know that your acts are not at all left unnoticed; rather we are closely keeping an eye on you and just waiting for the right time to execute your bloodshed. We are aware of your recent raids at Ansarnagar, Mograpada in Andheri and the harassment and trouble you created there for the Muslims

You threatened to murder them and your mischief went to such an extent that you even dared to abuse and insult Maulana Mahmood-ul-Hasan Qasmi and even misbehaved with the Muslim women and children there.

“If this is the degree your arrogance has reached, and if you think that by these stunts you can scare us, then let the Indian Mujahideen warn all the people of Mumbai that whatever deadly attacks Mumbaikars will face in future, their responsibility would lie with the Mumbai ATS and their guardians - Vilasrao Deshmukh and R R Patil. You are already on our hit-list and this time very very seriously.

The Deccan Mujahideen claimed responsibility for bombings in Jaipur in May.

More when we have it.

Update: unconfirmed reports suggest that the Deccan Mujahideen is related to Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Harkat ul Jihad al Islami, with possible support from Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence.

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At least 101 people, including a foreign tourist and a top counter-terror officer, were killed and about 287 injured as terrorists struck in the heart of Mumbai in planned and synchronised attacks.

Terrorists were reported to be holding people hostage in two five-star hotels, the Taj Intercontinental and Trident (formerly Oberoi) facing the waterfront across the Arabian Sea, and the Madam Cama Hostel.

Three top police officials, including Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare, were among the nine policemen killed in gunfights with the terrorists, police confirmed.

Mumbai Police Commissioner Hasan Ghafoor said the attacks were suspected to be "coordinated terrorist acts", and added that automatic weapons like AK-47 and AK-56 and semi-automatic rifles as well as grenades were apparently used.

Maharashtra government spokesman Bhushan Gagarani confirmed 78 people were killed and 287 injured, many of them grievously.

He said two terrorists were killed in gun battles with police while nine were held.

It appeared that small groups of heavily armed terrorists sneaked into busy public places, mostly in south Mumbai, in the dead of the night spreading panic in the city.

Many of the locations targeted, mostly in upscale south Mumbai, were favourite destinations of foreign tourists, like the Leopold Restaurant in Colaba. The restaurant was riddled with bullet holes and there were blood on the floor and shoes left by fleeing customers.

Maharashtra Director General of Police A N Roy said: "At least seven places have been attacked. The figure could be eight.

"The terrorists have gone in and fired indiscriminately at certain places. They are still holed up in three places and gun-battles have been on (with security forces)."

Five people were killed in a bomb blast targeting a taxi in Vile Parle. The taxi was blown to pieces, police said.

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Photos: AFP and Reuters