MID: Israel warns of impending attacks in India
Fri Sep 18 05:22:03 EST 2009
Thu Sep 17 19:22:03 UTC 2009
JERUSALEM, Sept 17 AFP - Israel says it has concrete information of plans by the same group that carried out the Mumbai attacks last year to hit Western and Israeli targets in India.
"The terrorist group that carried out the serious Mumbai attack in India is planning to carry out a number of attacks across India, particularly against concentrations of Western or Israeli tourists," Israel's counterterrorism unit warned in a statement on Thursday.
India blames the Pakistani-based Lashkar-e-Toiba for the November attacks in which 10 gunmen killed at least 188 people and wounded more than 300, in a three-day rampage through Mumbai.
Among the targets hit was a Jewish centre run by the ultra-Orthodox Lubavitch movement.
The Israeli statement warned the impending attacks could target other Lubavitch centres in India.
The statement said the travel warning was based on "a concrete, very serious threat".
India is one of the most popular destinations for young Israelis and thousands of backpackers visit the country every year.
The warning called on Israeli travellers to stay away from crowded places and the disputed Kashmir region.
