Security has been tightened in Delhi following intelligence reports suggesting potential terrorist threats targeting temples and other religious sites in the national capital.
Intelligence sources have indicated that prominent religious sites in the Chandni Chowk and Red Fort areas are under the radar of Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), reported ANI.
The sources suggest that the LeT is planning a major attack using an improvised explosive device (IED) to avenge a February 6 blast at a mosque in Islamabad. Pakistan had alleged India links to the blast at a Shia mosque during Friday prayers, in which at least 31 people lost their lives. New Delhi has categorically dismissed the allegations.
"Blast alert in front of the Red Fort in Delhi. Terrorists may target a temple in Chandni Chowk. Lashkar-e-Taiba is plotting an IED attack. They are planning a major terrorist attack in India to avenge the February 6th mosque blast in Islamabad, Pakistan. Major temples in the country can be targeted by Lashkar-e-Taiba," intelligence sources were quoted as saying by the news agency.
Delhi Police, in close coordination with central security agencies, have ramped up surveillance through increased CCTV monitoring and vehicle checks. Additional personnel have been stationed in high-risk areas, while bomb disposal squads, dog squads, and quick reaction teams remain on standby at key locations.
The fresh threat comes three months after a car blast near the Red Fort on November 10 which killed 12 people. The explosion occurred when an i-20 car packed with explosives detonated near Gate No. 1 of the Red Fort metro station, setting off multiple nearby vehicles and triggering panic in the densely populated area.
The investigation into the blast had unearthed a white collar terror module based in Haryana’s Faridabad, with police identifying the man who drove the car as Umar Un Nabi, a Kashmiri doctor at the Al-Falah University.
Shortly before the Red Fort car blast, Jammu and Kashmir Police had arrested three doctors connected to Al Falah University after conducting raids at multiple locations in Faridabad. During the operation, authorities had also seized nearly 3,000 kg of explosive materials, including ammonium nitrate.
