|
Lashkar plot to strike INS Viraat
KOCHI: The security around the Cochin Shipyard has been beefed up to the highest levels after US intelligence alerted Indian agencies about fidayeen threat on the country's lone aircraft carrier INS Viraat currently undergoing major repairs here.Top sources told The New Indian Express that a plot to attack Viraat using a helicopter was unearthed after internet transaction between Lashkar top brass was intercepted by technological intelligence unit of the US Government. Constant monitoring of emails and internet usage of LeT's technology chief Zarar Shah showed that he was studying the Viraat in detail. "Same type of study was done about the Taj and other South Mumbai targets before the attack was launched. So this information is being viewed very seriously,'' the sources said. Zarar Shah also did extensive study of the helicopter charter services in India, especially those in South India. "The inference points at the possibility of using a helicopter to launch a suicide attack to cripple Viraat. Lashkar has done extensive study on both the aspects. The US intercepts clearly confirm that Lashkar's interest in Viraat is more than a casual curiosity,'' the sources pointed out. The information was passed onto Indian agencies along with other sensitive data transferred post-Mumbai terror strikes. And by the time the input was handed over to the Navy, Viraat had already left for Kochi for its repairs. The Navy, however, had spread an elaborate security blanket around the CSL by the time Viraat berthed in the first week of December. "There is a security protocol assigned to a sensitive target like Viraat. We've initiated the procedures. The level was a notch higher this time given the existing tension,'' top sources said. The Navy has deployed its marine personnel also to guard against any intrusion from the water front. The CISF has also intensified its patrolling along the Kochi backwaters. The high level of security will remain till Viraat completes her repairs and leaves Kochi. Sources said it may take up to five months for the extensive repair works to be complete. Posted by: john frum 2008-12-30 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=258533 |