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New Delhi/Mumbai: Following a threat of hijacking and terror strikes from Deccan Mujahideen, the outfit that claimed responsibility for last week’s terror attacks in Mumbai, the CISF has beefed up security at major airports and the IAF has been asked to coordinate air surveillance.
IAF chief Fali Homi said the force is prepared to counter a 9/11-type aerial terror attack. “This (report about terrorists carrying out a possible aerial attack) is based on a warning received (by the government) and we are prepared as usual,” the air chief said.
According to Sanjay Prakash, senior commandant, CISF, (Mumbai), “We have put in place our anti-hijacking operations at Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai airports amongst others. All airports have been put on high alert. Commandos have been deployed and frisking has been intensified.”
He added deployment to tackle Fidayeen attack, if any, is also in place. “This is due to some intelligence inputs suggesting there will be attacks on the airport. One such is an e-mail from Deccan Mujahideen.”
Top security officials met here in the wake of an e-mail threatening to attack the three major airports of Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore. The e-mail also specifically mentioned that the attack would take place between December 3 and 7. According to the sources, the e-mail was sent to the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, following which the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security stepped up the security arrangements.
An official requesting anonymity said: “We had specific intelligence inputs that militants from Pakistan or Afghanistan were planning to strike airports (in India) ahead of the anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid.”
Besides extra security personnel and sniffer dogs, sky marshals have been deputed on planes flying sensitive routes, anti-sabotage units have come up at various airports, blockades have been set up en route and bags of passengers are being checked. A’quick-response’ team has been constituted to respond to any emergency at the airports.
However, a spokesperson for Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), which runs the domestic and international airports in the city, said that there have been no flight cancellations after the threat email posted by the terrorist outfit about planned attacks on an airport in the next few days.
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