A high security alert has been renewed at airports following a warning that the Qaeda terror network could try and hijack US-bound passenger flights.
CHENNAI/NEW DELHI: In yet another security alarm, international airports across India have been put on further heightened alert following input by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that flights from the country to the United States or Europe could be the targets of the Al-Qaeda terror network.
"We sounded an alert after the FBI forwarded an e-mail that spoke of the possibility of an Al-Qaeda attempt to hijack US-bound flights from India," a home ministry official said.
The official, who did not wanted to be named, said the e-mail written by an "unknown entity" appeared to have originated from India and was received by the FBI on Saturday at its headquarters in the US.
"While the 'target' was US-bound flights, the nature of threat mentioned in the e-mail was 'hijacking'", he added.
All airlines have been asked to request passengers to cooperate with the enhanced security and to reach airports a little ahead of time.
The heightened measures included last-minute special checks before embarkation, increased security around airports and extra baggage screening, it added.
They said police are checking vehicles round the clock and police officials were moving around the airport complex in plain clothes.
Security was tightened last Thursday at airports in the southern cities of Coimbatore, Madurai, Chennai, Bangalore and Thiruvanthapuram. The move came after the discovery in Chennai airport of a letter written in Tamil warning of car bomb attacks by the Al-Qaeda network.
The letter, found by a cleaner, said Qaeda militant squads would attack airports with car bombs. Security was also increased at the busy airports in New Delhi and Mumbai.
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