Mumbai terrorists used Google Earth to find targets?
Some of the terrorists who were involved in the massacre this week in Mumbai had actually stayed in Chabad (Nariman) House by posing as Malaysian students according to the only terrorist captured alive. Azam Amir Kasab, the only Pakistani terrorist nabbed alive, has revealed names and addresses of at least five people from the city who helped the terror operation.But another Times of India story claims that the terrorists used Google Earth to find their targets (Hat Tip: Powerline).
Sources said that help like, providing shelter, taking them around and showing places, passing information on police stations and nakabandhis were given by these locals. Joint commissioner of police (crime) Rakesh Maria said,"We suspect there could be local assistants but it is subject to verification. It will be very premature to comment on this at this stage as our investigations is going on.''
Kasab has told police that they were sent with a specific mission of targeting Israelis to avenge atrocities on Palestinians. This was why they targetted Nariman House, a complex meant for Israelis. Sources said Kasab's colleagues killed in the operation had stayed in Nariman House earlier.
"They have stayed in Nariman house on rental basis identifying themselves as Malaysian students.'' said a source. Police are trying to find out how Nariman House rooms were given to non-Jews. Police has taken all the records books of for verification. The second target was the CST railway station because casualties would be high.
According to a Mumbai crime branch official, the ten terrorists had not come to Mumbai before this to conduct any 'recce' and they had learnt about the locations with the help of Google Earth.If so, this is not the first time that terrorists used Google Earth to find targets. Does anyone really think that Google will take their little toy down now that it's been used for terror somewhere outside the Middle East? Don't bet on it.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:53 PM
5 Comments:
I've been worried about Google Earth for a long time.
Its not technology that is the problem. I use Mapquest to find a location I need to drive to do business. Its the values of the people who use the technology we should be concerned with.
Carl,
I disagree with you very strongly on this one for 2 reasons:
1) This tool, like many other tools, is designed to help people, and indeed it does help many people in many constructive and productive ways. If we somehow did manage to stop progress on technology like this - it would be a win for the jihad. This is one of the things they want - to disrupt the progress of Western society. This is exactly why they go out of their way to announce that they used Google Earth.
2) There is 0% chance that someone at Google - or anywhere else for that matter - will even consider for a second not progressing with this or other technology just because it also helps terrorists. So it's just not worth devoting your energy barking up this tree.
Carl, If we beseech Google to take "Google Earth" offline humankind will still have access to Microsoft's "Virtual Earth." If the powers that be demand all popular mapping services be taken offine, do we next beseech governments to block civilian access to GPS (and then millions of people have to take their Hanukkah and/or Christmas gifts back for refunds)?
If this is what you are after then the Simpleton's will win once more. "A Canticle for Leibowitz" is but a novel, but if we repress scientific and technological progress we are on our way back to the Dark Ages.
(Viz. "A Canticle for Leibowitz opens 600 years after 20th century civilization is destroyed by a global nuclear war, known as the "Flame Deluge". The text reveals that as a result of the war there was a violent backlash against the culture of advanced knowledge and technology that had led to the development of nuclear weapons. During this backlash, called the "Simplification," anyone of learning, and eventually anyone who could even read, was likely to be killed by rampaging mobs, who proudly took on the name of "Simpletons". Illiteracy became almost universal, and books were destroyed en masse." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Canticle_for_Leibowitz)
First the paper maps. Then the tourist guidebooks. Then the encyclopedias. Then the Atlases. And finally the phonebooks in the library.
Google Earth is just an easier map.
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