Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: A high alert was issued for all states in India on Monday after the Ministry of Home Affairs received intelligence inputs about a pending terror attack on various installations, specifically on the Taj Mahal in Agra and the Taj Hotel in Mumbai.
The installations and establishments under threat are those which were recced by Pakistani-American terrorist David Headley, who is in US’ FBI custody. Accordingly, the Intelligence Bureau has alerted the states.
The Centre asked all the states to tighten security by
deploying additional forces in all sensitive locations to
prevent any terror attack.
In his interrogations to the National Investigation Agency sleuths earlier this year, Headley had revealed he surveyed sites in Mumbai, Pune, Rajasthan, Goa and Uttar Pradesh, Kerala etc and the information would be used by his handlers in ISI and the Lashkar-e-Toiba.
The intelligence inputs suggested that LeT teams have
already entered Mumbai and Ahmedabad and may strike at any
time. The inputs also suggested that the terrorists may try to
target one of the properties of the Taj group of hotels in
Mumbai. Security forces have already launched "house-to-house"
searches in some specific areas in Mumbai.
The pan-India alert comes after the Karnataka state government reported there was a threat in the coastal areas of the threat around New Year celeberations.
"A high alert has been sounded in the state, especially in coastal districts following an alert from the Centre", Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa told reporters after chairing a meeting with top officials of Home Department here.
These agencies had warned that terror outfits might target places of worship and crowded spots in parts of the state, particularly those thronged by foreigners for New Year celebrations, official sources said.
However, Yeddyurappa said there were no reports about terrorists infiltrating into the state.
Mumbai is already on an alert since last week after intelligence that two LeT terrorists had infiltrated the city to carry out strikes.
-Agency inputs
First Published: Tuesday, December 28, 2010, 00:24