26/11 attackers had left notes saying "this is pointer to war"

Mumbai, Sept 9 (PTI) Terrorists of the 26/11 Mumbai
attacks had planted two powerful bombs with timers in metal
boxes at different places near the Taj hotel with notes
scribbled in Urdu saying "yeh jung ki aur ishara hai" (this is
pointer to war), a witness told the trial court here
Wednesday.

One of the boxes was found near Taj hotel where renovation
work of Gateway of India was in progress and the other was
located near Gokul hotel behind Taj, police inspector Prakash
Bhoite, told special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam.

Both the boxes contained eight kg RDX with timers and
notes in Urdu saying that "this was pointer to war", the
witness said.

Nikam told PTI that the version of the witness fortified
the case of the prosecution that the aim of terrorists was not
only to create terror in Mumbai but to wage war against India.

The Prosecutor said the probe had revealed that the 26/11
terrorists were given these RDX-laden boxes by Lashkar-e-Taiba
conspirators in Pakistan and they had forgotten to remove the
notes in Urdu.

The witness said he was on duty at Colaba Police station
on the day of terror attacks when he heard the firing shots
outside. He rushed outside and learnt that two persons had
entered hotel Taj after firing at Cafe Leopold.

Bhoite further said he was asked to look for explosives
and during search he found two boxes near Taj hotel laden with
explosives. Bomb detection and disposal squad was immediately
summoned which defused the bombs.

Another witness, Sachin Sorte, a watchman at a well known
garments shop in downtown Colaba, said on November 26, 2008
that he had heard a loud explosion followed by firing shots.
He saw two armed persons coming out of Cafe Leopold.

"As our shop was located opposite Cafe Leopold I downed
the shutters and soon thereafter one of the guys fired shots
at the shop. Two bullets hit the shutter," Sorte said.

Asked to describe the person who had fired shots at the
shop, the witness said the gunman was of medium built wearing
a grey T-shirt and carrying a gun in hand and a blue bag on
his shoulders.

The two terrorists who had attacked Cafe Leopold and
hotel Taj had been gunned down by security forces in a pitched
battle.

Sorte told prosecutor Nikam that he had identified the
body of a terrorist who was shot dead on January 7 this year
at a morgue in government-run J J Hospital.

The witness said he had gone to his native place after
the terror attacks because he was scared and returned to the
city on December 11, 2008. His statement was recorded by
police the following day.

Lone surviving Pakistani gunman Ajmal Kasab and two
Indians Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed are facing the trial
which commenced in April.

The prosecution has examined 183 witnesses so far. The
accused are facing charges of killing 166 persons and injuring
several others in the terror attacks. PTI