ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the event and examines the preparation and planning that made the attack successful. The Central Intelligence Agency has primary responsibility for intelligence collection and analysis, which is critical for providing information on asymmetric threats (terrorists) to US national security. The phase of the terrorist operational planning cycle following broad target selection is intelligence gathering and surveillance. In order to analyze the Mumbai case, it is critical to understand Daood Gilani, aka David Headley, and how he came to be an almost perfect selection to conduct surveillance and select the targets for this attack. Rehearsals are crucial to the success of any military operation, and it is also true with planned terrorist attacks. Tribal conflicts often erupted among the ethnic groups, corruption was rampant in the government of Afghanistan, and roadside bandits or police who wanted "tax payments" for safe passage often abused common people.
