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Were Mumbai attacks inspired by al Qaeda?

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LONDON, England (CON) -- The Indian media have described the Mumbai terrorist siege as India's 9/11. The targets for the attacks, many of them symbols of Mumbai's growing power and wealth, were not randomly selected and were intended to send a direct message to India, Israel and the West. Indeed, the Mumbai attacks had all the hallmarks of a powerful transnational terrorist group inspired by the ideology of al Qaeda. Mumbai is no stranger to terrorism. On March 12, 1993, a series of 15 bombs exploded across several districts of India's financial capital, killing 257. On July 11, 2006, a coordinated bombing spree on the city's transportation system killed 209 people. Uniquely disturbing about the recent Mumbai attacks, in addition to killing locals, is the deliberate targeting of restaurants and hotels used by Westerners and a Jewish cultural center. Mumbai is to India as New York is to the United States or London to the United Kingdom. The city is driving India&#

Bin laden reappears at key times to harrass israel.

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Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden -- in a blunt new message that coincides with Israel's 60th anniversary -- urged his followers to liberate Palestine, a terrorism analyst told CNN on Friday. In a message titled "The Causes of Conflict on the 60th Anniversary of the State of Israeli Occupation," bin Laden reiterated jihadist opposition to the existence of the Jewish state and its policies. Bin Laden's audio message, released Thursday, told listeners that "liberating" Palestine should be the aim of every Muslim, according to terrorism analyst Laura Mansfield. The message, played over a still image on jihadist Web sites, runs 9 minutes and 40 seconds. CNN cannot independent verify the authenticity of the message. Bin Laden decries characterization of Palestinian militant groups as terror organizations. He also says Israel has engaged in terror. "As your low values show double standards in one issue, you call the Palestinian organizations terror organiz