Mumbai terrorist beleived outsiders

CNN:

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh suggests the group behind the Mumbai terrorist attacks is based outside the country as police battle gunmen in three locations to free hostages a day after more than 100 people were killed.

CNN reporters said regular gun fire and blasts could be heard Thursday at the Oberoi and Taj Mahal hotels and a Jewish center in the city.

Late in the day police had some success, with 10 hostages reportedly freed from the Oberoi.

Maharashtra official Bhushan Gagrani said the Taj situation was "almost sorted out" and that police expected to clear the Oberoi by tonight. Hostages remained, but he didn't say how many. Read more from witnesses

Meanwhile, Singh suggested the group behind the attacks was based outside India and probably had "external linkages."

"It is evident that the group which carried out these attacks, based outside the country, had come with single-minded determination to create havoc in the financial capital of the country," he said. Watch Singh speak about the attacks »

The death toll from the series of coordinated attacks was at 101, including at least six foreigners, by Thursday evening authorities said. An Italian and Briton were among the confirmed dead.

Another 314 people were wounded in the attacks, including seven British, three American and two Australian citizens. Watch more on who is responsible »

In addition, at least nine gunmen were killed in fighting with police. CNN's sister network in India, CNN-IBN, quoted police sources as saying they believed there were around 26 gunmen, most of them young.

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Police say the attackers came by boats to the waterfront near the Gateway of India monument.

Of the nine suspects arrested in connection with the attacks, seven are fishermen. Police also found a boat loaded with explosives near the Taj, which is located on the waterfront.

"Those men were wearing jackets and they carried big big bags," one fisherman told CNN-IBN.

Said another: "We asked, 'Where are you coming from?' They said, 'Go do your work.'"

The gunmen then hijacked cars -- including a police van -- and broke up into at least three groups to carry out the attacks, police said.

One group headed toward the Cafe Leopold, a popular hangout for Western tourists, firing indiscriminately at passers-by on the street. They then opened fire and lobbed grenades at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station, a Victorian building. Watch analysis on what the intentions were behind the attacks »

As police rushed to the scene of the attacks, gunmen attacked the Cama Hospital. Two other groups attacked the Oberoi and Taj hotels.

The Indian navy, stepping up patrols on the country's western coast after the attacks, boarded a cargo vessel Thursday afternoon, officials said. They and the Indian coast guard were also searching for a small boat. The operations were being conducted in the Arabian Sea.

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The boat that was boarded was believed to have come from Karachi, Pakistan. The terrorist used inflatable boats to reach the area that was attacked. so far there is no report on the results of the search of the Karachi vessel.

Nor have there been any reports on the interrogation of freed hostages as well as any terrorist who may have been arrested.

This CNN report does give a clearer picture of how the attack took place. As that picture comes together, police can gather more evidence on those responsible.