'India Received 26 Intelligence Warnings About 26/11 Attacks'

Washington: The staff of then U.S. President George W Bush received a warning from the Europeans in 2007 about the Lashkar-e-Taiba planning to expand its activities beyond the region but it too was ignored by the U.S., the book claims.

Months ahead of the 26/11 attacks, India received at least 26 intelligence warnings, including from the CIA, about LeT's plans to carry out a major terrorist assault on Mumbai, according to a new book.

"The Siege: 68 hours inside the Taj Hotel", written by journalists Cathy Scott-Clark and Adrian Levy on the basis of their investigations, claims 11 of these warnings suggested the strike would involve multiple simultaneous attacks.

"Six warnings pointed to a seaborne infiltration, which would be a first in India," says the book published by Penguin USA.

The staff of then U.S. President George W Bush received a warning from the Europeans in 2007 about the Lashkar-e-Taiba planning to expand its activities beyond the region but it too was ignored by the U.S., the book claims.

The first alert came in 2006, around the time Pakistani- American terrorist David Headley was tasked by LeT and its ISI handlers to go to Mumbai to scout potential targets.