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Jihadist terror group may plan suicide bomber paraglider attack
INDIAN intelligence officials suspect the terrorist group behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks is planning another audacious strike on the country, this time from the air, using suicide bombers flying paragliders.UK Bansal, an Indian Home Ministry official, told reporters that the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) faction was thought to have acquired a number of the gliding parachutes, the Timesonline reports. "We have intelligence reports that LeT has purchased 50 paragliding kits from Europe with an intention to launch attacks on India," he said. No other details were given, but security levels have been hiked across the country ahead of tomorrow's Republic Day celebrations, one of India's biggest holidays. If accurate, the intelligence would mark a radical new tactic. Experts said the potential threat posed by jihadist paragliders would have to be considered seriously as LeT, which murdered 166 people in Mumbai in a sophisticated commando-style raid, has already proven itself highly innovative. "The Mumbai attack (where ten LeT gunmen sailed to Mumbai from Karachi, murdering the crew of a fishing boat en route), was the group's first act of sea-borne terrorism," said B. Raman, a former counter-terrorism chief in the Indian foreign intelligence service, the Research and Analysis Wing. "It would be natural for them to plan another spectacular attack from the air. The warning has to be taken seriously.' Paragliders usually do not have an engine but can, in skilled hands and in the right conditions, cover large distances. The world record for flying a paraglider is more than 460km. Posted by: phil_b 2010-01-25 |
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