Indian security forces are hunting down a terrorist linked to the al-Qaeda network, who may have succeeded in entering the country with the aim of targeting American interests in India. Behind the recent alarm issued to the US consolates and cultural centres in major Indian cities, is the figure of Mohammed Majoodi, according to national intelligence sources cited in the national daily, 'Times of India'. Majoodi is an Islamist expert in car-bombs who until now has been based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. "The threat to American interests in the country is from Majoodi," said the sources. What is worrying the intelligence agents in New Delhi are the links Majoodi has with militant groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba, that are active in the separatist struggle in the region of Kashmir.On 10 October, Ruth Lincoln, of the American consolate in Chennai, (formerly known as Madras), sent out an e-mail in which she told all the American citizens in Chennai and also those in New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta) and Hyderabad, to be on guard against possible terrorist atacks in the near future. In the e-mail, Lincoln indicated that "facilities associated with the United States or locations where US citizens and other foreigners congregate or visit could be targeted. Information received by the US government suggests that attacks could include, among other things, suicide car bombings." A statement was then released by the American embassy that defined as "reasonably serious" the threat behind the alert.