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Mystery Surrounds Surviving Terrorist
Suspect questioned as Indian officials are accused of ignoring terror warnings.
MUMBAI, India, Dec.1, 2008 — -- Mumbai is finally starting to show signs of life, five days after terrorist attacks paralyzed this city and sent shockwaves around the world.
But even as traffic began returning to Mumbai's usually congested streets, the mood of the city today was a mix of grief and anger as survivors came forward with harrowing tales.
Officials finished clearing bodies and securing the Taj Mahal Hotel, one of the main sites where terrorists held hostages during a 60-hour gun battle with Mumbai police and Indian army commandos.
The one surviving gunman has reportedly told authorities that he is a member of a Pakistani group called Lashkar-e-Taiba, which has ties to Kashmir.
Amateur video obtained today appears to show the gunman being set upon by a furious crowd near the Chhatrapati Shivaji terminus late on Wednesday, according to The Associated Press. Moments later he was taken away by the security services.
For years the group, whose name means "army of the righteous," has allegedly been trying to start a war between India and Pakistan over the disputed Himalayan province of Kashmir.
A Mumbai police spokesperson today told ABC News that the death toll had risen to 188, including nine terrorists. Twenty-nine of the dead were reportedly foreigners; at least six were Americans.
William and Geraldine Stadelmann from Massachusetts got out of the Taj Mahal Hotel alive. They told "Good Morning America" they'd spent hours trapped in their hotel room. "We heard some horrific sounds of what sounded like bombing, so we hit the floor, William Stadelmann said.
The couple e-mailed their son Terry back home trying to get information. "Terry told me your hotel is on fire, but the smoke hadn't gotten to our room yet," Stadelmann said.
Just as they were preparing to make a dash from their room, there was a heart-stopping knock on their door.
"It's may be the army and it may be the only way we're getting out of here, or it could be the terrorists and we're going to die," the couple said.
As it turned out, it was the army coming to rescue them.
Joe and Marilyn Ernsteen were a few floors higher at the Taj and had just turned in for the night. Marilyn Ernsteen told "GMA" she woke up, "hearing explosions and gunshots, and then it seemed to go on and on."
After 12 terrifying hours they decided to make a run for it. "I just wanted to see my kids again. It was just a horrifying experience," Ernsteen said as she fought back tears.
The Pakistan government has denied any role in the attacks, and the president said today he is worried that the terror attack will spark a war between the two nuclear-capable nations.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called for cooperation from both India and Pakistan. "What we are emphasizing to the Pakistani government is the need to follow the evidence wherever it leads," Rice said today in London. "This is a time for complete, absolute, total transparency and cooperation, and that's what we expect."
President Bush asked Rice to cut short her European visit and head to India later this week.
Vilasrao Deshmukh, the top official of the India's Maharashtra state, which includes Mumbai, offered to resign today, as did his deputy, R.R. Patil, who had sparked outrage by calling the attacks "small incidents."
On Sunday, two national government officials responsible for homeland security, including Home Minister Shivraj Patil, resigned.
The Indian government has been heavily criticized for failing to stop the attacks and being too slow to respond.
Citizens held a protest against the government outside the Taj Mahal Hotel Sunday.
Newspaper headlines underlined the frustration felt by many Indians, with one reading "Our Politicians Fiddle as Innocents Die." During the protest outside the Taj Mahal Hotel, some demonstrators carried placards saying they wished the politicians had been killed in the attacks.
Public anger was also fueled by reports that the Indian government had received warnings earlier this month of an impending terrorist attack on Mumbai, including information from U.S. intelligence sources.
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