Nov 30, 2008 7:52 am US/Pacific
L.A. Holds Memorial For Sister City Mumbai
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
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The daughter of slain Indian Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare pays her respects at her father's funeral ceremony in Mumbai on Nov. 29, 2008, following his death in the Mumbai attacks.
Pal Pillai/Getty Images
Memorial services for the victims of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India -- one of 25 "Sister Cities" of Los Angeles -- will be held Sunday in the city, with local officials expected to attend.
The attacks began at 9:20 p.m. Wednesday, Mumbai time, when terrorists armed with grenades and machine guns stormed two resort hotels, the city's largest train station, a Jewish center, a movie theater and a hospital.
The death toll in the 60-hour rampage is now put at 174, including six Americans, and at least 239 were injured.
About nine terrorists were killed and one was captured. Indian officials said the man was Pakistani. Pakistan has denied any involvement in the attack.
About a half-dozen Jews were killed in the attacks, mostly in the ultra-orthodox Chabad-Lubavitch center, and West Coast Chabad will hold a memorial prayer service at 11 a.m. at its headquarters, 741 Gayley Ave. in Westwood.
"We are shocked and outraged by the brutal attacks in Mumbai that deliberately targeted innocent men, women and children," said Rabbi Boruch Shlomo Cunin, director of West Coast Chabad. "Our task now is to offer comfort and support to the survivors and take action in memory of the victims."
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Sheriff Lee Baca, police Chief William Bratton, county Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, City Councilman Jack Weiss, Simon Wiesenthal Center Dean Rabbi Marvin Heir and Los Angeles Jewish Federation President John Fishel are among those expected to attend.
The public is also invited to attend the prayer service.
At 3 p.m., Councilman Tom LaBonge, Mira Advani Honeycutt, chair of the Los Angeles Mumbai Sister City Affiliation, and representatives of Los Angeles' 25 Sister Cities will express their solidarity with the people of Mumbai at Hollywood City Hall, 6501 Fountain Ave.
"It's important that we come together, not only as citizens of Los Angeles, but as citizens of the world in the wake of such tragic events," said LaBonge, who is president of Sister Cities of Los Angeles.
"To the people of Mumbai, Los Angeles sends a message of solidarity and hope," he said. "We know that true peace requires goodness, diplomacy and understanding."
The Sister Cities representatives will don white armbands, the traditional color of mourning in India, and wear them as they march in Sunday evening's Hollywood Santa Parade.
Mumbai, the former Bombay, has been a Sister City of Los Angeles since 1972.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
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