Documentary Shows 9/11-Like Events, Global Ramifications

October 21, 2009 1:53 p.m. EST

Los Angeles, CA (CNS) - While informing the world of life-changing events, the HBO documentary "Terror in Mumbai" will also honor the one year anniversary of a devastating Indian incident.

"Terror in Mumbai" chronicles the 60 hour period beginning Nov. 26, 2008 when a group of 10 Pakistani men hijacked a fishing boat and slipped into the port Mumbai. From there, the heavily armed group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which translates to "Army of the Righteous," terrorized the city with calculated timing, killing more than 170 people and wounding more than 300 in a jihad against those they considered to be infidels. Compiled from interviews with survivors and law enforcement officials, the feature contains footage from the attacks, as well as audio clippings from the gunmen's cell phones.

The documentary is narrated by Mumbai native Fareed Zakaria, a CNN host and editor of Newsweek International. In an HBO press release, Zakaria likened the tragic incident to those of other terrorist attacks.

"Much as the 9/11 attacks in the U.S. did in 2001, the events that unfolded last November in Mumbai served as a terrifying wake-up call, not just to India but to the rest of the world," he said. "It broadened the spectrum of our enemies and brought attention to the number of different terrorist groups that exist, who may be bigger and better organized than we ever imagined. The fact that a small group of gunmen was able to inflict so much pain, and the government of the second most populous nation on earth was unable to stop them for three days, should change our sense of the dangers out there."

The film is directed by British-born filmmaker Dan Reed, who focused on similar fare in HBO's "Terror in Moscow," which detailed the events of a 2002 Russian hostage situation by Chechen terrorists.

"Terror in Mumbai" airs on HBO Nov. 19, a week before the first anniversary of the events.