Weapon of Vengeance (10 page)

Today, if the plan developed for these terrorists had succeeded, the damage would have been much more severe.

As the trio approached the main entrance, they were engrossed in animated conversation.

They were fifty feet away when a motorcycle sped past on the road in front. It was clearly visible on the security footage. About twenty meters from the main security post, it lost control. Since the camera feed was not backed by an audio track, none of his listeners could hear the loud thud as the motorcycle slammed onto the road. It would have been followed by a nerve-grating, screeching sound as metal impacted on hard tarmac. The rider's helmet had broken loose. When the bike finally shuddered to a halt, she lay still. Blood masked her face.

Two of the six security men at the monument gates ran forward to help. And the attention of the other four also focused on the fallen rider.

Sitting on the edge of his seat, Ravinder could tell that the security men had been lured into a trap.

Converging on the motorcyclist along with the security men were another nine or ten passersby. The soldiers were among those who reached the crash victim first. This lot was killed by the forty kilograms of high explosive strapped on the motorcycle. Its fuel tank added to the carnage.

“The explosion was so powerful, it was heard miles away, which is what it was supposed to do, since it not only created the diversion for the main assault force, it also triggered the next phase.”

While the cloud of motorcycle parts, blood, and gore was still billowing upward, the security camera caught the three
tourists
suddenly pull weapons out of their knapsacks and run forward.

All three were wielding Micro Tavor assault rifles. Of Israeli design, with a length of just twenty-three inches, the MTAR-21 is possibly the shortest 5.56mm assault rifle, shorter even than the Uzi and more accurate due to its relatively longer barrel.

The trio headed straight for the main gate.

People became aware of them only when the terrorist leading the charge hurled a grenade at the security post at the main gate.

“It landed behind the sandbags, which ensured the attackers were safe from the shrapnel.” Peled's tone stayed dispassionate. Almost. “None of the security personnel survived.”

Charging through the smoke-ridden carnage, Raiders One and Two could be seen racing toward the solitary door on the western side that led into the covered area of the mosque. Meanwhile, the third continued toward the security post on the west, her role to prevent the guards from interdicting her teammates.

It was happening so fast that the security men on that side were caught unawares. All three died. Confirming they were down, Raider Three whipped around and headed for the sentries at the next gate on the west.

The camera footage was grainy, but Ravinder could see her expertly flip her magazine as she ran. Two more security men died next, but not before one of them managed to put a bullet in her, high on her left shoulder.

Ravinder saw her falter. Then she spun around and headed for the next security post. However, by now the guards were ready to engage. She fell to a hail of bullets. For one brief moment everyone involved froze. Then, on the conference room screen a soundless explosion billowed out darkly as she triggered the explosive in the camera around her neck. Parts of her body were hurled up and outward. The amount of explosive was enough to batter her upper body beyond recognition, which was the aim, since the terror maestros meant to keep the identities of the attackers obscure.

“Her objective was the same as the woman who had crashed her motorcycle, to provide the primary pair of raiders an opportunity to get into the main mosque.”

The camera feed switched to show Raiders One and Two racing into the mosque, firing in short, two- or three-round bursts, gunning down everyone who got in their way: tourists, people coming or going from prayers, and security guards.

The camera feed switched again; two more women, Raiders Five and Six, emerged from the crowd of tourists going between the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Temple Mount. They ran toward the solitary door on the east, which led into the covered area of the mosque, gunning down everyone in their path.

The security forces here, however, were now on full alert.

Caught in Technicolor, Raider Six fell to a hail of bullets halfway to the mosque. Her final act also was to trigger the bomb in the camera slung around her neck. Two more bystanders were blown apart with her. And the explosion created more confusion, allowing Raider Five to slip into the mosque.

“Now three terrorists had penetrated the inner sanctum of the mosque.”

The screen went black as Peled switched to the feed from the security cameras inside the mosque.

Raiders One, Two, and Five could now be seen rounding up hostages. The majority they chose were Muslims—again deliberate and part of the plan. Only two of the fourteen they took were non-Muslims, both men in their late forties, from their dress and demeanor both Jewish. One a meek-looking schoolteacher. The second, his American cousin on a sightseeing tour. It now seemed unlikely that he'd be utilizing his return ticket.

Raider One stood guard while Raider Two secured the hands and feet of the hostages. All this while Raider Five could be seen moving from window to window. Every so often, she would raise her weapon and fire.

Peled's commentary filled in the gaps.

“A few hundred meters to the north, the next pair of terrorists, who we now know were called Raiders Seven and Eight, opened fire with their assault rifles at the tourists milling around the Dome of the Rock. Here again, either the terrorists were lucky or the guards not alert, or taken by surprise. Most fell to the initial onslaught. The two who survived managed to put bullets into the attackers, but failed to prevent them from entering the monument. So, with Raiders Seven and Eight inside, both monuments were now in control of the terrorists.”

Ravinder threw a quick glance around. The others were as caught up in this as he was.

“As you will note from the proximity of these two buildings”—Peled tapped them out on the screen with a laser pointer—“it would now be extremely hard for the security forces to undertake cleansing operations from the area between them, since they'd be in range from one or both of the buildings.”

His audience nodded; the predicament of the security forces was obvious.

“Despite the speed with which the attack developed,” Peled continued, “the IDF reaction was fast.”

Having studied the lessons of the Mumbai
ghazwa,
Ravinder knew it was imperative to dislodge the terrorists before they got firmly entrenched. Given time, they would not only be able to secure more hostages or kill more people, but also take up good defensive positions and lay booby traps.

“By now our counterterrorism units were racing in,” Peled resumed. “Our biggest problem was that no operation could be carried out without damage to the monuments. Considering their religious significance, any damage would incite massive anger in Muslims the world over.”

It was clear to this audience that this was what the terrorists' had been banking on. Ravinder could see the others trying to figure how
they
would have reacted.

“The counterterror units were en route. Meanwhile the remaining terrorists swung into action. They had also learned the lessons of the Mumbai attack and planned on multiple targets.”

Once again, the screen sprang to life and the footage of another set of cameras began to beam.

Raiders Nine and Ten, another pair of pretty girls in their early twenties, could be seen hauling out Micro Tavors from their knapsacks and opening fire on the tourists at the Tower of David.

Raider Nine was running toward the security post as she fired. She got two of the guards before the others gunned her down. She too disappeared in an explosive thunderclap as Raider Ten raced into the monument.

“The one who had got inside gunned down everyone she came across.” Peled's tone hardened; it was impossible not to feel his anger. “Her job was not to secure the monument; it was to inflict maximum casualties and also force our men to come in and get her, thus diverting forces from their primary objective, the Al-Aqsa.”

Though everyone in this audience had studied the operation and knew what was coming next, they hung on to Peled's words.

“As soon as information about this latest attack reached HQ, a section of the IDF response team rushing to Al-Aqsa split away and headed for the Tower of David. Post Mumbai and the changing nature of urban jihad, we were now geared to handle simultaneous, multiple threats.

“At the same time as the Tower of David was attacked, one-point-eight kilometers to the north, the final pair, Raiders Eleven and Twelve—two more touristy-looking girls—whipped out Micro Tavor assault rifles and headed for the security post guarding the Chapel of the Ascension.”

Peled clicked the controller, and the feed from yet another set of cameras showed two girls racing forward, firing. They gunned down guards then ran toward the chapel.

“Here also they simply gunned down everyone in sight.” Peled now was having trouble keeping his emotions in check. Ravinder knew how he felt; in his place, he too would have been livid. Though Peled had started with a well-rehearsed presentation, now it was coming from his heart.

“As soon as we got word of this attack, another section of the anti-terror units converging on Al-Aqsa bled away and headed for the Chapel. Also, as the threat had enlarged, headquarters began to scramble more forces.”

On the screen, the footage again returned to Al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock. IDF commandos could be seen rushing in and deploying to secure the perimeter.

The camera feed changed and commando detachments could now be seen arriving at the Tower of David and the Chapel of Ascension.

“Within minutes of getting there, we began the operation to retake the monuments,” Peled resumed, again using his laser pointer. The units could now be seen deploying sensors and sending in probes.

Ravinder knew their first step would be to gather maximum intelligence. The security forces would already know the layout. Also, in most such buildings there were always cameras and security sensors. The security forces used these for real-time combat intelligence, which was vital to ensure the building could be retaken with minimal loss of life. Ravinder was glad he was not in their shoes.

“There is no doubt that the planners of this strike were veterans of such dark ops. They had planned to enhance the psychological impact of their strikes.” Peled's voice stayed low and intense. “They left all audio surveillance, motion or heat sensors alone. Pinpointing and destroying them would have taken too much time. However, they destroyed all surveillance cameras they could find. These would not only give away their strength but also their weapons, location, and condition. However, they left the cameras covering the inner sanctums of the mosque intact. The terrorists needed these to ensure maximum coverage and eyeballs for their gory finale.”

Ravinder could see that everyone in the room was still riveted.

The footage changed again, to the inside of the mosque.

The raiders could now be seen moving rapidly from one firing position to another; keeping up a barrage; doing everything to deny operational intel to the security forces and to keep them at bay.

At the Tomb of David, Raider Ten kept firing till she was down to her last magazine. However, her task was complete. As the first commando broke in, she ran forward and detonated her camera bomb. Both she and the commando were annihilated.

“The Tomb of David was back in our hands. Barring the area around the explosion, the damage was within manageable limits. However, eleven people lost their lives.”

Peled's words rang bleakly through the room.

“At Ascension, Raiders Eleven and Twelve kept the initial probes of our forces at bay, however they too were running out of ammo. They were setting up explosive charges when IDF commandos raced in and gunned them down. Again, their lives ended explosively. The damage to the chapel was minimal. But our loss here was much higher. Four security men and seventeen tourists gunned down.” Peled's voice now carried a hard, brittle edge.

The footage flipped again as it returned to the Dome of the Rock.

Both terrorists had been wounded, Raider Seven so badly that she couldn't move. Raider Eight could move, but slowly.

“That is why their shoot-scoot-shoot strategy did not work. Minutes later, the Dome was back in our hands. However, the death toll here was a shocking twenty-six, including three commandos. The damage to the building was also more severe. But, as you will see now, our problems were far from over.”

Once again, the footage changed. The inner sanctum of the mosque hove into view. It showed twelve bound, panic-striken hostages. The three terrorists were moving rapidly from window to window, keeping up a rain of fire on the forces outside. The fourteen arches, twenty-seven marble columns on the eastern side, and the same number of stone piers on the west afforded them cover to switch positions.

Suddenly Raiders One and Two ran back to the hostages. The security camera caught Raider One as she switched on her BlackBerry and began to video record. She was in direct sight of the camera, which revealed tense anticipation on her face.

At Peled's command, the feed now fragmented into two.

On the second half of the screen, Raider Two could be seen lining up the hostages. Starting from one side, she began to gun them down, delivering one shot each to their faces, ensuring that each screamed as she or he saw death coming. Acrid gun smoke furled up in the air.

Ravinder felt a nauseated feeling sweep through him.

As Raider Two proceeded, the killing became more brutal. She shot the sixth hostage first in the lower jaw. His soundless scream rang out. Only then did she put one between his eyes. The eighth was shot twice in the knees before her coup de grâce. The eleventh, the American cousin visiting Israel, was begging for mercy when she put the muzzle against his stomach. There was a soundless click as the firing pin slammed down on an empty chamber.