Now, Deccan Mujahideen threatens to attack Indian airports
4 Dec 2008, 1046 Hrs

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Lahore, Dec.4 The Deccan Mujahideen group that claimed responsibility for last week's terror attacks in Mumbai, has now threatened to attack the New Delhi, Banglore and Chennai airports between December 3 and 7.

According to a Daily Times report, the threat was given through an e-mail sent from Saudi Arabia and received by Indra Gandhi Airport officials.

Security at all the Indian airports was put on high alert after the e-mail.

Earlier, on November 26, the little known group had claimed responsibility for the deadly attacks that left almost 200 people dead.

Most spy agencies around the world are reportedly clueless about the antecedents of the Deccan Mujahideen, which has claimed responsibility for the planned and synchronized terror strikes in Mumbai.

"Initially we saw violence in India imported from outside - with allegations of Pakistani government support - but now we are seeing new, homegrown groups," CBS quoted Nigel Inkster, director of Transnational Threats at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, as saying last week.

"There is a possible link to al Qaeda. Logically it would be easier for al Qaeda to get things done in India than in the U.S. and Europe. Everyone''s been expecting some type of pre-U.S. election or post-U.S. election spectacular, and there is some speculation that this is it," he added.

A foreign news agency quoted a British security official as saying that terror threats in India had been increasing but the scale of the attack on Wednesday was a surprise and there were no indications attacks would target Westerners.

"We have been actively monitoring plots in Britain and abroad and there was nothing to indicate something like this was about to happen," the official told the AP news agency.

CBS News reported that U.S. officials had not heard of Deccan Mujahideen before Wednesday.

Another British security official told AP that, though it is too early to know for sure, the attack doesn''t look to have been directed by al Qaeda''s core leadership.

But he said the fact Westerners had been singled out suggested it was inspired by Islamic extremist ideology.

A U.S. counter-terrorism official warned against leaping to conclusions but said the Mumbai attacks bore some hallmarks of operations by Pakistani groups. (ANI)