Terror alert for Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad

U.S., Indian intelligence agencies share information ahead of R-Day, Obama visit

December 17, 2014 12:25 am | Updated November 17, 2021 02:12 am IST - New Delhi:

Ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to India, U.S. and Indian intelligence agencies have shared specific inputs of a possible attack in Delhi, Mumbai or Hyderabad.

The worry of an attack has been amplified by the Sydney cafeteria hostage situation, the Lashkar-e-Taiba attack in Uri, and is likely to be heightened after the Peshawar school massacre, officials told The Hindu .

The first alert came on December 5, the day of the Lashkar-e-Taiba attack on an Army camp in Uri, but was not specific to Jammu and Kashmir. Sources told The Hindu that the U.S. intelligence agencies warned of a fidayeen or suicide attack in Delhi or Hyderabad.

After the hostage situation in Sydney on Monday, where a gunman killed two captives at a café, American agencies have issued another alert, warning particularly of an attack at malls in the capital.

The alert, passed on by the Intelligence Bureau to Delhi police, spoke of the possibility of a “lone wolf targeting upscale malls and cafés frequented by U.S. citizens and tourists, and trying to take hostages.”

In addition, the Delhi police have issued a specific terror alert from the LeT on Delhi and VIPs, saying that according to intercepts there is “pressure on LeT units to carry out a lone wolf or fidayeen-type attack.”

Finally, ahead of Mr. Obama’s visit to Delhi as the chief guest for the Republic Day parade, U.S. and Indian intelligence agencies have exchanged “VIP alerts” or specific threats against him and Prime Minister Modi.

“There are several inputs, not just ahead of the Republic Day, but also specifically given the very high profile visitor we will have this year,” said a security official dealing with the visit.

Top News Today

Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.