Suicide bombers may board 2 AI flights; Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Kochi airports on high alert

Ahmedabad Mirror

Ahmedabad, Oct 24, 2014: If you are boarding a flight from the city airport on Friday or Saturday be prepared for increased security checks. Ahmedabad and Mumbai airports have been put on a high alert following an intelligence input which states that suicide bombers will try to board two Air India flights in the wee hours on Saturday. As per the letter from Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) headquarters in New Delhi, a copy of which Ahmedabad Mirror has access to, suicide bombers could board Air India’s Ahmedabad-Mumbai and Mumbai-Kochi flights scheduled for early morning departure on Saturday.

 

"An input received says: Air India flight on the midnight of October 24 (early morning of October 25) from Ahmedabad to Mumbai and early morning flight from Mumbai to Kochi on 25th morning at 0500 hrs. Suicide bomber in each flight separately. Please check thoroughly," reads the letter. "Secondary security checks may be carried out at Ahmedabad and Mumbai airports for all flights around the concerned dates," adds the letter forwarded to concerned officials on October 22 by regional deputy commissioner of security (Civil Aviation), Ahmedabad.

 

 

According to highly placed sources, security measures have already been beefed up, these include increased checks on passengers, tightening of access control and putting anti-hijacking units on alert.

 

A source said, "October 24th is (Gujarati) New Year and October 25th is Bhai Beej. Usually everyone is in festive mood and busy with the celebrations. So nobody anticipates a terror strike. But the letter has shocked everyone. Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Kochi airports have been put on heightened alert and passengers will be subjected to stringent security checks."

 

Confirming the same, airport director R K Singh said, "Yes, we have received the input about the possibility of suicide bombers boarding Air India’s Ahmedabad-Mumbai and Mumbai-Kochi flights in the wee hours on Saturday. Security has been upped throughout the airport." According to sources, ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) and al Qaeda have joined hands and are planning major terror strikes across India. Last month, al-Qaida announced the formation of its India wing in a video posted by the militant wing’s chief Ayman al Zawahri.

 

His announcement made two references to Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Zawahri described the formation of al Qaida in the Indian subcontinent as glad tidings for Muslims "in Burma, Bangladesh, Assam, Gujarat, Ahmedabad, and Kashmir". Last month, a senior police official was quoted by media agencies as saying, "Gujarat has been on top on the list of militant organisations, including al Qaeda, since the 2002 riots. It will be more so now because Modi is the Prime Minister."