The Hindu : Front Page : Nuclear installations put on alert

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Nov 17, 2009
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Nuclear installations put on alert

Vinay Kumar

It comes a day after the arrest of a Pakistani at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi

Headley and Rana were in Pakistan during November 26 Mumbai attacks
Rana and Samraz were allegedly looking for recruits for Lashkar-e-Taiba

NEW DELHI: Nuclear power centres in the country, particularly the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) at Trombay, were put on alert on Monday following intelligence inputs that terrorists might target them.

Senior officials of the Home Ministry said the alert was issued after intelligence agencies analysed inputs relating to threat perception from terror groups to atomic power installations.

Nuclear installations enjoy multi-level security arrangements and are protected by a combination of different security agencies, paramilitary and armed forces. “We have alerted the BARC in particular though security audits for all vital installations are carried out in detail from time to time,” the officials said.

The alert came a day after the arrest of a Pakistani at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on suspicion of being a spy. Several defence-related and sensitive documents were reportedly seized from his possession.

As intelligence agencies and nearly 20 teams of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) try to retrace the steps of terror suspects David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Rana, it has come to light that the duo was in Pakistan during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

The officials said Rana travelled from North to South and finally exited from Mumbai days before 26/11.

Records scrutinised so far indicated that Rana, a Pakistan-born Canadian citizen, finally flew out of Pakistan.

It was pointed out that it was a “painstaking and time-consuming” investigation that entailed putting all pieces of evidence together, contacting and interviewing all those who reportedly were in touch with either Rana or Headley and verifying all details. Voluminous phone and hotel records, mobile calls and SMS sent out or received by them while staying in India were also scanned.

Detectives are trying to ascertain who placed the advertisement for facilitating immigration to Canada and the U.S. on behalf of Rana, who was accompanied by a woman, Samraz Rana Akhtar. Both, born in Pakistan’s Punjab province, are said to have obtained multiple entry visas from the Indian consulate in Chicago in October last year apparently overlooking the rules stipulated by the Home Ministry.

The two arrived in Mumbai on November 12 last year. They travelled to Kochi in Kerala on November16.

Rana and Samraz were allegedly looking for recruits for the Lashkar-e-Taiba. Both Headley and Rana are under the FBI custody in Chicago.

Another key area of concern for the security agencies relates to “sleeper cells” of the LeT and HuJI terror groups that might have been set up by Rana, who reportedly ensured financial back-up for such activities.

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