Israeli rabbi held hostage by gunmen in Mumbai

By Matthias Williams

MUMBAI (Reuters) - An Israeli rabbi is being held hostage by gunmen in a Mumbai apartment building after a series of attacks in the city that have killed at least 101 people, police said on Thursday.

Indian commando Amit Tiwari told Reuters a woman and a child had been released, and one of the gunmen had been killed, but at least four armed men remained in the building.

The Israeli rescue service Zaka, an ultra-Orthodox organization, identified the hostage as Rabbi Gabriel Holtzberg.

He and his wife, Rivka, operate a cafeteria and synagogue for the Chabad Lubavitch religious group, it said, adding that she and a two-year-old child had been released.

Zaka said Indian security had just informed the Israeli foreign ministry of plans to break into Chabad House, where unconfirmed reports say the rabbi has been wounded.

"The situation at the present moment is very unclear. We know there is a hostage situation at the Chabad centre and also in one of the hotels in town," Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmore told Reuters Television.

"Israelis are probably involved but we have no verifiable information as to how many or what their situation is at the moment."

Gunfire was heard from the area, a Reuters reporter on the scene said, and a loud explosion in mid-afternoon.