Mumbai Police receives '26/11-like Attack' threat
The Mumbai police traffic control cell received a message on Friday night threatening an attack similar to “26/11 terrorist bombing, Udaipur tailor murder or Sidhu Moosewala murder”, and one person was arrested in this regard on Saturday. A man was detained in Virar, near Mumbai, and is being questioned by the criminal branch team, which is investigating the threatening messages, according to the sources. The threat, which was received on the traffic control cell's WhatsApp number, came from a Pakistani code number, police said.
According to police, the courier threatened that the attack would take place in Mumbai and that "six people in India would carry out the attack." The courier said that if his "location was traced" he would be outside of India, police said.
Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar said during a press conference on Saturday:
India phone number could be hacked from Pakistan. The criminal branch has launched an investigation to trace the number. In this context, the registration of a case is pending. We are sharing all the information we have so far with ATS Maharashtra
Phansalkar added:
Police received messages around 11:30 p.m. m. Friday, threatening to carry out a 11/26-like attack on Mumbai and blow the city up. There was mention of the 11/26 attacks, terrorist Ajmal Kasab and (late) Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in the messages, there was also mention that some of his aides are working on India. Prima facie, the threatening messages came from a number that has the country code of Pakistan`
The Mumbai Police Commissioner assured the safety of the citizens, adding that the Maharashtra ATS and the Mumbai Police were on high alert. Police said security agencies were investigating the threat and taking it seriously. “We are investigating this. It has worked all night. Other agencies have also been informed,” a police official said, adding that the possibility that the text messages were a prank is also being investigated.
“Necessary measures are being taken to investigate the threat messages. We are alert on coastal security and are coordinating with the Coast Guard,” Phansalkar said, adding that ‘Sagar Kavach’ operation has been launched and coastal security been beefed up.
The 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks were one of the most horrific terrorist attacks in Indian history, in which 166 people were killed and more than 300 wounded as 10 heavily armed terrorists from Pakistan created chaos in Mumbai over a period of four days from November 26, 2008. Terrorists belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani Islamist terrorist organization, carried out 12 coordinated shootings and bombings throughout the city.
Maharashtra Assembly Opposition Leader Ajit Pawar said the state government should take the threat seriously and investigate. Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also commented on the matter. “First the recovery of Raigad, now the threatening message from the police. What is happening in Maharashtra?" she asked.
The latest threats come two days after the state suffered a major security scare when a yacht carrying three AK-47 guns and ammunition drifted off the coast of Raigad and washed up on Harihareshwar beach. Although a possible terrorist threat has been ruled out, the ATS and the police are conducting a detailed investigation.
