BENGALURU: Bengaluru among other Indian metros figures on the hit list of not only the Pakistan sponsored terrorist organisations, Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Al Badar but is also reportedly sensitive to lone wolf attacks by the banned global jehadi organisations - Al Qaeda and Islamic State of Iraq & Syria (ISIS). Classified Intelligence documents reportedly warn that the new terror strategy of lone wolf attacks and hostage crisis are the biggest threats to internal security by Al Qaeda and ISIS.
ISIS is reportedly threatening to infiltrate and attack India to “provoke” an apocalyptic confrontation with United States, stated a confidential document. “Bengaluru has always been high on the hit list of banned jehadi organisations. The alert is high in the wake of Monday's Gurdaspur attack in Punjab and the forthcoming Independence Day. Our level of Intelligence and preparedness is high but like any other country in the world we too cannot claim that we can prevent fidayeen attacks,” said an official source.
He added that the police with the help of Central forces (National Security Guards and Central Reserve Police Force) and Army may be able to hasten the response time and contain the number of casualties, but they cannot prevent a fidayeen attack because of the very nature of the attack. “They are executed by death squads and have an element of surprise,” said an official source.
Public places such as malls, schools, hospitals, eateries, banks and places of worship are the most vulnerable to terror attacks than key public installations, international airports, government offices, institutions and IT companies/parks, because they are not guarded the way the latter are.
“Security is tight at all places of importance and security audits are carried on periodically but there cannot be foolproof security all the time in other places and these are most sensitive to terror attacks. Barring the Army schools and Kendra Vidyalayas, none of the other schools and educational institutions has armed security” the officer added.
Meanwhile, the Intelligence Bureau has asked the State governments to mount surveillance on missing youth or those, who have travelled to Middle Eastern countries in the last two years and not returned and furnish their data to the Ministry of Home Affairs to keep a check on the reach of the ISIS in the Indian subcontinent.
Can’t take any risk: Officials
An official source said that security across the state has been increased in view of Yakub Memon’s hanging. “Though Yakub’s is an old case and from another state, we cannot take any risk with security-related issues because a small trigger or a prank may send wrong signals and lead to a law and order or communal situation. We had already escalated the security following the Gurdaspur attack and forthcoming Independence Day,” said an official source.
Ground and mohalla based intelligence has been escalated and beat constables have been alerted to keep a tab on suspicious people, groups and underground meetings, he said. Yakub is a chartered accountant and hails from a section of the Memon community in the Kutch area of Gujarat in Mumbai. “His family ties are limited to Maharashtra,” said sources.
While a group of civil rights people held a protest against Yakub’s impending execution in the city at Freedom Park, others washed their hands off the lone Mumbai 1993 serial blasts convict, who is going to face the gallows on Thursday.
