A team of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of US is likely to visit Alang on Tuesday to survey spots where terror mastermind David Headley and his associate Tahawwur Hussain Rana allegedly visited while planning terror attacks.
While officials were tightlipped about any such development, sources said the team of FBI officials is expected to visit sites in Alang, famous for ship-breaking yards, which Headley and Rana had visited, while planning terror attacks. Among other places in the state, Headley had visited Ahmedabad and Surat last year. When contacted, Gujarat ATS chief Ajay Tomar denied having information about FBI sleuths’ visit.
Both Headley and Rana, believed to have links with Lashkar-e-Toiba, were arrested by FBI last month for plotting terror attacks in India. Their involvement in Mumbai and other terror attacks in the country is being probed by law enforcement agencies.
According to sources, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), formed in the wake of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, had also stayed put in the state for three days last week to survey various spots the terror masterminds are believed to have visited to identity possible targets for their next strikes.
Meanwhile, Bhavnagar police conducted one of its biggest combing operations in over two decades in Alang, on Saturday night. This was following intelligence inputs to check the area for doubtful visits of Pakistani nationals and Bangladeshi intruders.
Nearly 350 police personnel searched more than 3500 shelters of workers employed in ship-breaking units in Alang as part of the operation.
When contacted, Superintendent of Police (SP) Bhavnagar, Rajendra Asari, said, "Migrant labourers coming from Assam, Orissa, Bihar and Jharkhand are working in Alang. The purpose of combing was to trace out illegal intruders from other countries, who might be staying as labourers." However, he said that no person was booked during the operation.
Sources said police was zeroing in on people who might have links with Naxalite movement as many workers in Alang hail from states where the movement is active.
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