Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Government of India has issued an advisory to at least five Indian cities which are high on the radar for an impending terror strike around the first anniversary of Mumbai terror attacks, highly placed sources have revealed to a news channel.
"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 told news agencies.
The official said the state governments have been asked to beef up security around airports, railway stations and other important places in the run-up to the anniversary of the Nov 26, 2008, terror attacks on Mumbai.
Home ministry sources said Headley, during his stay in India between 2006 and 2009, may have done a reccee of some vital installations in half a dozen cities to carry out attacks.
The Home Ministry alert is reportedly based on the interrogation of the alleged American terrorist, David Headley by the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the USA. It is supported by Indian intelligence agencies’ inputs.
Headley was arrested at Chicago's O'Hare International
Airport as he was preparing to board a flight to Philadelphia,
intending to travel to Pakistan.
FBI also arrested his accomplice Tahawwur Hussain Rana,
48, a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin.
Advisories have reportedly been issued to Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Agra and Ahmedabad- cities which were visited by Headley. Headley, 49, who was arrested last month for allegedly hatching a conspiracy with LeT to carry out strikes inside and outside the US, had allegedly the NDC in Delhi on his radar.
He was also conducting recruitment of cadres for
Pakistan-based terror group Lashker-e-Taiba, for sending them
to a Gulf country using the services of his immigration
business set up in Mumbai. The sources said it is possible that Headley has
established sleeper cells in these states.
The need to issue the alerts came in anticipation that
Headley could have established sleeper cells in these states,
sources said.
They suggested that over 50 terrorists could be targeting various Indian cities to launch multiple attacks from the Western coast of India.
Home Minister P Chidambaram had said yesterday investigators were
probing if Headley had any links with the Mumbai attacks as he
had visited the country several times before the incidents.
A similar warning was issued last week but it was not specific. This time, sources say, the intelligence is very specific and the Government has asked all the above cities to remain on alert against any mysterious activities.
It is learnt that Pakistani nationals in the guise of local fishermen are trying to infiltrate into India. Reports have also revealed that during the past one month, they have tried four times to penetrate the borders albeit in vain.