Chabad was ready to negotiate
Written By
Menaka Rao
| Updated:
Rabbi Levi Shemtov, the Chabad emissary from Washington, DC, was willing and authorised to negotiate, through a Hindi interpreter.
Rabbi Levi Shemtov, the Chabad emissary from Washington, DC, was willing and authorised to negotiate, through a Hindi interpreter, with the two Pakistani gunmen who had attacked Nariman House on the night of November 26, 2008. His only condition: none of the six hostages in the building should be harmed.
The hostages were all eventually killed by the Pakistani terrorists, Imran Babar alias Abu Akasha and Nasir alias Abu Umer.This was revealed in the conversations intercepted from the phone of rabbi Gavriel Hotlzberg, which was used by the terrorists. The conversations were played in court on Tuesday.
At about 12:41am on November 27, rabbi Shemtov first got in touch with the terrorists through a Hindi interpreter using a conference call. ‘We haven’t slapped them’
Shemtov first verified if the hostages were alive. “Woh log hosh main hi nahi, bilkul theek hai. Humne unhe thappad bhi nahi mara, samjhe? [They are fine, it’s just that they are not conscious. We haven’t even slapped them],” said Babar, slowly, in his baritone.
Shemtov explained to the terrorist that he was in touch with the Indian embassy in Washington, DC, and that he would get back to them soon.
‘Release our man’
At about 3:35pm on November 27, 2008, Shemtov called up Babar (after trying the number many times) asking him if everyone was all right. Babar told the interpreter, “Ask Levi saheb if this is a joke. One of our men has been caught with a weapon. Get him released. Tell him. Produce him before me. I will give Levi saheb the custody of all our hostages.”
Shemtov then promised the terrorists that he would get details about the situation outside.
The sole terrorist to survive the attacks, Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, was seen smiling shyly when this conversation was played in court. Kasab had been captured by the Mumbai police at Girgaum chowpatty that night while his accomplice, Abu Ismail, was shot dead.
‘Main Imran bol raha hoon’
After one of the handlers gave Babar the phone number of a local news channel, he called up the channel’s office and told the lady on the other end: “Main Imran bol raha hoon, Nariman House ka aatankwadi” [I am Imran speaking, the terrorist from Nariman House.] The lady asked him many questions. This put him off and he cut the call.
Meanwhile, one of the handlers spoke to a Mexican hostage, Norma Rabinovich, trying to get her to put their demands across to the media. The handler explained that they did not want bloodshed and are willing to negotiate. He also promised her a release. In the end, she asked him, “Can I talk from my heart?” The line, however, got disconnected.
‘Hold on, brave one’
When one of the Pakistani handlers called Fahadullah, one of the terrorists holed up in Hotel Oberoi, he said his colleague, Abdul Rehman Chota, had been killed. The handler tried his best to motivate Fahadullah, saying, “Mere veer, sabar karna hai. Himmat karni hai aur mukabla karna hai dattke” [Brave lad, have courage and fight hard].
The hostages were all eventually killed by the Pakistani terrorists, Imran Babar alias Abu Akasha and Nasir alias Abu Umer.This was revealed in the conversations intercepted from the phone of rabbi Gavriel Hotlzberg, which was used by the terrorists. The conversations were played in court on Tuesday.
At about 12:41am on November 27, rabbi Shemtov first got in touch with the terrorists through a Hindi interpreter using a conference call. ‘We haven’t slapped them’
Shemtov first verified if the hostages were alive. “Woh log hosh main hi nahi, bilkul theek hai. Humne unhe thappad bhi nahi mara, samjhe? [They are fine, it’s just that they are not conscious. We haven’t even slapped them],” said Babar, slowly, in his baritone.
Shemtov explained to the terrorist that he was in touch with the Indian embassy in Washington, DC, and that he would get back to them soon.
‘Release our man’
At about 3:35pm on November 27, 2008, Shemtov called up Babar (after trying the number many times) asking him if everyone was all right. Babar told the interpreter, “Ask Levi saheb if this is a joke. One of our men has been caught with a weapon. Get him released. Tell him. Produce him before me. I will give Levi saheb the custody of all our hostages.”
Shemtov then promised the terrorists that he would get details about the situation outside.
The sole terrorist to survive the attacks, Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, was seen smiling shyly when this conversation was played in court. Kasab had been captured by the Mumbai police at Girgaum chowpatty that night while his accomplice, Abu Ismail, was shot dead.
‘Main Imran bol raha hoon’
After one of the handlers gave Babar the phone number of a local news channel, he called up the channel’s office and told the lady on the other end: “Main Imran bol raha hoon, Nariman House ka aatankwadi” [I am Imran speaking, the terrorist from Nariman House.] The lady asked him many questions. This put him off and he cut the call.
Meanwhile, one of the handlers spoke to a Mexican hostage, Norma Rabinovich, trying to get her to put their demands across to the media. The handler explained that they did not want bloodshed and are willing to negotiate. He also promised her a release. In the end, she asked him, “Can I talk from my heart?” The line, however, got disconnected.
‘Hold on, brave one’
When one of the Pakistani handlers called Fahadullah, one of the terrorists holed up in Hotel Oberoi, he said his colleague, Abdul Rehman Chota, had been killed. The handler tried his best to motivate Fahadullah, saying, “Mere veer, sabar karna hai. Himmat karni hai aur mukabla karna hai dattke” [Brave lad, have courage and fight hard].