India on Alert: Simultaneous multi-city terror attacks possible

by Mritunjay | November 11, 2009 at 12:21 pm

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After vehemently rejecting the earlier alarm raised by security agencies of probably multi-location attack on India, the central government went on to put five states on a probably terror alert. The urgency of the current alert gains more prominence in the backdrop of latest developments in the case of the American terror suspect David Headley. Headley was arrested alongwith a Pakistani-origin Canadian citizen Tahawwur Hussain Rana by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Chicago. The duo has been charged of perpetrating probable attacks on India and Denmark.

There is a terror threat and it is more widespread than believed earlier by the government, which says it now knows more about the plot since the alert last week.

Now Intelligence sources have warned that there could be multiple and simultaneous attacks in five cities that American terror suspect, David Headley, visited. Headley is believed to have had links with the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT).

Security agencies investigating the incidents have found evidence which proves that Headley had visited India many times before and during last year’s deadly Mumbai terror attacks. Headley has been linked to the terror-outfit Laskar-e-Taiba (LeT) which had perpetrated the Mumbai attacks. He is alleged to be running an immigration agency in Mumbai. On his trips to India between 2006-09 he had done recce of major installations including the National Defense College.

They said the warnings had been issued as a precautionary measure after it was found that Headley had visited Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Agra and Delhi and done a recce of the National Defence College and vital installations in other cities.

The sources said it was possible that Headley had established sleeper cells in these States. He was also recruiting cadres for Pakistan-based terror group Lashker-e-Taiba, for sending them to a Gulf country using the services of his immigration business in Mumbai.

The Home Ministry officials also indicated that the threat of attacks is higher through infiltration via the west coast like the last year attack on Mumbai. The Coast Guard and state police have been asked to be on a high alert in Mumbai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad as well alert has been raised at Bangalore; the software hub of India.

"The Intelligence Bureau has received some inputs from state governments that terrorists were trying to infiltrate through the Indian west coast and target vital installations in the country," a home ministry official said.

Security at major security installations and places of high public traffic like airports, railway stations have also been beefed by across the nation as the first anniversary of the 26/11 terror attacks on Mumbai approach which claimed more than 170 lives.

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