Antony warns of airborne terror threats, calls for alert

NEW DELHI: With India's coastal security already breached by terrorists in Mumbai, Defence Minister A K Antony today warned the armed forces of possible terror attacks from airborne platforms similar to the 9/11 attacks in the US.

Antony asked them to be prepared to counter the threat of terrorists from the air and prevent a repeat of World Trade Centre-type of attacks carried out by the al Qaeda.

At a meeting with the three Services chief and Defence officials, Antony called for greater coordination among all security and intelligence agencies so as to make the intelligence inputs actionable.

The meeting, attended by Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta, Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major and Army chief General Deepak Kapoor and Defence Secretary Vijay Singh, also reviewed the situation along the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan in the wake of reports that its army was on a "high alert" following the Mumbai terror attacks.

Antony, sources said, worked out measures with the armed forces for tightening security and vigil along the LoC to prevent infiltration of terrorists through the land route, as "Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) is known to be an important area for recruitment and training of terrorists."

The top defence brass discussed plans for beefing up coastal security and hastening acquisition process for systems and platforms including coastal radars and interceptor boats.



Of particular concern expressed at the meeting was the intelligence warning that airports around the country could be targets of terrorists, forcing the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security to issue a red alert to secure all important airports, sources added.