A team of Israeli experts in analyzing and investigating terror scenes, as well as a police forensics team and representatives from ZAKA and Chabad were scheduled to leave for India Sunday but their flight was held up because of confusion regarding entry visas to India.

There are conflicting leaks regarding the identity and number of the experts who are headed for India, and some reports say that at least two of them already boarded a flight to India Friday. One report says they are ISA (Israel Security Agency – Shin Bet) and Mossad agents. Another quotes Israel defense officials as saying that they are "two high-ranking security men," and that one is a representative of the Defense Ministry and the other is from the ISA. Yet another version has it that they are from the Foreign Ministry and the ISA.

The officials are also reportedly coordinating security at Israeli sites in India with local authorities.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said a forensics team will leave Sunday for Mumbai to help identify the bodies of the Israelis. An Israeli air force plane is to fly the team to India and return with the bodies. The flight was scheduled for 3 P.M. but confusion regarding visa arrangements with Indian authorities have held it up. The flight was reschduled to 8 P.M.

Attack 'very well planned'

Israeli officials were quoted as saying that "on the face of things, the attack appears to have been very well planned," and that they are interested in determining if any government was behind the assault.

Officials have said that the attackers specifically chose the Chabad House and that this aspect of the attack made it necessary for Israel to take part in the investigation. Indian press reports have also quoted a surviving terrorist as saying that the attack on Chabad House was a part of the planned operation.

A senior security official stated that “the Chabad House is a place where Jews and Israelis visit and it was no accident that the terrorists chose it as one of the targets”.

Pakistani British citizens again

Officials have also learned that some of the terrorists are Pakistani-born British citizens. Indian news channel NDTV said two suspected Islamic militants arrested by commandos were “British citizens of Pakistani origin."

Pakistani-born British citizens were also involved in the Mikes Place terror attack in Tel Aviv on April 30, 2003, when three people were killed and over 50 wounded when. A Pakistani-born British national, Asif Muhammad Hanif, blew himself up on a Tel Aviv promenade.

A second British citizen, Omar Khan Sharif, 27,  was also due to have perpetrated a suicide attack at the same time, fled the scene after the bomb in his possession failed to explode. Sharif’s body washed ashore on the Tel Aviv beachfront on May 12th.