Lashkar threat to Mumbai airport

The Intelligence Bureau (IB) has warned of a possible hostage situation or serial blasts at the Mumbai airport by terrorist group, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). No clear reason has been given for the same. According to IB inputs received on Monday, a possibility that LeT could take hostages at an airport or even organise serial blasts in any major Indian city is indicated. “The stress is more on the Mumbai airport since it is extremely volatile,” top security officials told MiD DAY. Elaborating on the threat, an official said that terrorists might take hostage some passengers or airport staff to commandeer a flight out of India. “Indian has been asked to prep up its internal security since reports suggest that it could be one of the likely targets,” he said. Airport sources say this is the first time airport staff too have been under the terror shadow. “As airport staff freely move about in the airport and can be easily identified by their ID cards, they can be easily abducted,” the official explained. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), respo- nsible for the security at the airport, had a high-level meeting with the airlines recently to discuss enhanced security measures. “We’ve briefed the airlines about the terror threat and asked them increase their security checks. We have also asked them to re-introduce ladder point checks, which most airlines don’t follow on the pretext of being short-staffed,” said CISF Senior Commandant Sanjay Prakash. The anti-hijacking unit of Mumbai airport has been put on high alert. The number of plainclothes officers deployed in and around airports from the Crime Intelligence Wing of the CISF has been increased. Passenger access to air terminals has been tightened. Manual frisking during check-in has been made more vigilant. Prakash said, the thr-eat could be linked to the death sentence of Jaish-e-Mohammed operative Afzal Guru, who is currently languishing in Tihar Jail.