Lashkar purchases paragliders. New terror plot?

Terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Tayiba has acquired 50 paragliders from Europe, which it intends to use to launch terror strikes in India, an alert issued by the Intelligence Bureau on Friday has said.

The IB says that there is a growing concern over the Lashkar's ability to launch an attack from the skies. It appears that the terror outfit is trying newer techniques to step on to Indian soil since they are finding it hard to infiltrate through land and sea owing to stepped up vigil.

The details of the purchase are still not available, but it appears that they have managed to acquire the paragliders through a benami transaction.

The IB feels that the Lashkar is desperate, as it has been feeling bogged down since the November 26, 2008, Mumbai attacks. Also, the Lashkar is facing trouble in carrying out recruitments, especially in India.

Earlier in the day, the IB had issued an advisory stating that the same outfit is likely to carry out a hijacking of an Indian commercial aircraft.

The IB says that the country needs to be on guard for an aerial strike since these groups are always innovating.

The Home Ministry, which has been appraised of the matter, says it has asked all security agencies to be on alert and also carry out mock drills to counter such strikes. We don't want to take any chances, a Home Ministry official said.

The Indian Air Force, on its part, claims it is fully prepared to counter such a strike. In fact, former Chief of the Air Force Fali S Major had told rediff.com in an interview, "An aerial attack is not really a threat since the IAF has the capability to tackle this threat with ease. Our readiness to carry out a strike was always high and there is no doubting the capabilities of the Indian Air Force."