Britons hostage in Mumbai hotel terror attacks

Fires raged through the five-star Taj Mahal Hotel and Oberoi Trident Hotel following a series of terrorist attacks across India's financial capital. Indian government officials said that at least one British national was confirmed dead. Authorities said 107 people had been killed and more than 300 injured.

A Mumbai police source said most of those being held hostage in the Oberoi hotel were believed to be American, British and Israeli.

The officer also confirmed there were six dead foreigners and seven injured, but said the numbers could rise as not all the bodies had yet been positively identified.

Western tourists were apparently specifically targeted as hostages. One witness said the gunmen burst into the Oberoi's restaurant and asked Britons and Americans to put their hands up.

The terrorists moved their way through the hotel's reception rooms, demanding to know who held British or American passports and shooting randomly. Guests sought refuge in their rooms or hid elsewhere. About 50 took refuge in a restaurant and later escaped.

The groups of machine-gun wielding gunmen, described by witnesses as looking like teenagers, began their killing spree through the city's main tourist areas in the southern area of Mumbai, after arriving in several boats.

They attacked a hospital and the main railway station where they fired indiscriminately at passengers on the concourse of the Victoria Terminus, causing a stampede, injuring around 250 people. Terrorists also attacked the Santa Cruz domestic airport.

Other attacks took place at Nariman House, a Jewish-owned apartment complex, where a rabbi, his wife and several other Israelis were being held hostage.

Leopold Café, a favourite haunt of foreign backpackers and expatriates was also stormed by gunmen. Islamist militants today claimed responsibility for the attacks and alluded to India's ongoing conflict in Kashmir - where state-wide elections are due to be held later this month.

An email sent by an unknown group, Mujahideen Hyderabad Deccan, warned of more such attacks.

The two-page message sent to TV stations, said: "We today warn the Indian government to stop the repeated injustice on Muslims and it should return the states snatched from Muslims. But we know that Indian government would not take this warning seriously. Now we will keep on reacting till the time we don't take revenge of every atrocity on us, every insult to us."

A militant holed up in Nariman House phoned an Indian television channel and said: "Ask the government to talk to us and we will release the hostages." The man, identified only as Imran, said: "Are you aware how many people have been killed in Kashmir? Are you aware how your army has killed Muslims. Are you aware how many of them have been killed in Kashmir this week?"

The Indian prime minister, Manmohan Singh, in a televised address to the country, said the "dastardly" and "well-planned and well-orchestrated" attacks "have deeply shocked the nation".

MrSingh added: "I strongly condemn these acts of senseless violence against innocent people, including guests from foreign countries."

In a stark message to Pakistan, a country which India accuses of harbouring and training terrorists, he said: "We will take up strongly with our neighbours that the use of their territory for launching attacks on us will not be tolerated."

Many London Hindus were today visiting the Neasden Mandir - the largest Hindu temple outside India - to pay their respects and pray for those killed in the massacre.

Spokesman Tarun Patel said: "When something like this happens in India, you have to ask yourself how safe is anywhere in the world. We all have friends and relatives out in Mumbai and we are all trying to contact our loved ones to check they are safe."