Mumbai terrorists had been staying at the Jewish Centre (Nariman House) in a guest house for 2 weeks prior to the attacks

Officials said earlier in the day that at least nine gunmen had been killed in clashes with security forces at the Taj Mahal, but almost all guests and staff had been freed.

Meanwhile, commandos on Friday ended a similar standoff at the office of the ultra-orthodox Jewish group Chabad Lubavitch by lowering themselves from helicopters and blowing a hole in the office wall.

During the operation, the commandos killed two militants, only to discover the bodies of the six hostages inside, the city's police chief confirmed.

Two of the hostages killed were identified as Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife, Rivka, the couple who ran the centre, said a spokesman for the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. Their 18-month-old son had been one of three people rescued from the centre on Thursday.

In a telephone interview with CBC News from outside the centre, freelance journalist Arun Asthhana said there are reports that some of the militants had stayed at a guest house there for up to 15 days before the attacks.

"They had a huge mass of ammunition, arms and food there," Asthhana said. Link