Here’s a report that states they didn’t think they were part of a suicide mission.

The gang of terrorists who wreaked mayhem in Mumbai for three days were made to believe by their Lashkar bosses that they were not
being sent on a suicide mission and that they would be coming back alive.
In a sensational disclosure made by Ajmal, the jihadi nabbed alive by Mumbai cops, the group had planned to sail out on Thursday. Their recruiters had even charted out the return route for them and stored it on the GPS device which they had used to navigate their way to the Mumbai shoreline.
This suggests that the terrorists were willing to undertake a mission which they knew would be very risky, but not necessarily suicidal.
Sources said that the bait of safe return must have been used by the recruiters to convince the wavering among the group to join the audacious plot against Mumbai.

But this seems to contradict this story:

According to Maharashtra ATS sources, the terrorists who attacked Mumbai had instructions to kill till their death. A instruction that commandoes involved in the operation say they had followed to the end, littering the hotels with dead bodies. These disclosures are a part of some shocking revelations that came out after initial investigations.
Security sources quoting the arrested terrorist revealed that these terrorists were given extensive marine commando training for three months at Muzaffarabad in Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

Read both of them for interesting background information on the attacks.
I’m sure that you guys have been praying for the people of India and the families of those who have been attacked. We know how they feel to be attacked by Islamic militants who hate them because of who they are. Here is an example of the joy militants expressed when they heard the news:

Al-Qaeda websites on Thursday were swamped with messages from people who were celebrating the devastating Mumbai attacks which have left over 100 people dead and 281 injured. “Oh Allah, destroy the Hindus and do it in the worst of ways,” was one of the comments that appeared on Islamist forums on the Internet immediately after the attacks.
“The battle that is underway in Mumbai is a battle for Allah between its servants and the infidels,” said another message published on the al-Falluja forum.

This attack has made me even more concerned for the safety of President-elect Obama, our elected officials and our fellow citizens who will be attending the inauguration. I fear that this would be the perfect time for the jihadis to attack and since al-Qaeda has invited us to convert to Islam again (Muhammad commands that this be the first step before going to war) it looks like they are preparing for one (as the chatter indicates). I just pray that the security around the inauguration is adequate and they are prepared to thwart any terrorism attempts.
Update: Here’s a report on the amazing bravery and graciousness of the hotel staff during the terrorist attack:

Prashant Mangeshikar could be dead, one of more than a hundred victims of militant attacks across Mumbai landmarks, if it had not been for an employee at the Taj Mahal Hotel.
Mangeshikar, his wife and daughter were in the foyer of the 105-year-old hotel on Wednesday night when Islamist gunmen opened indiscriminate fire in one of a series of coordinated attacks in India’s financial capital.

Recovering from the initial shock and chaos, hotel staff shepherded the guests, including the Mangeshikar family, through the service section upstairs — only suddenly to come face to face with one of the gunmen.
“He looked young and did not speak to us. He just fired. We were in sort of a single file,” Mangeshikar, a 52-year-old gynecologist, told Reuters. “The man in front of my wife shielded us. He was a maintenance section staff. He took the bullets.”
The tale of the unnamed staff member has echoed across Mumbai where, time after time, hotel workers have emerged as the people who shielded, hid or evacuated their wealthy guests from militants at the Taj and Trident/Oberoi hotels.
Hotel workers in one case ushered guests into a conference room and then locked the doors to protect them from the militants. The guests were later rescued by the fire brigade.
The staff often proved essential, knowing short cuts to safety and where emergency exits were located.