Mumbai:
Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and the iconic Taj Mahal Hotel, a key site of the 26/11 terror attacks, received fresh bomb threats on Saturday, sparking heightened security measures across the city.
The threat, issued via email to the Mumbai Airport Police, referenced the execution of Afzal Guru and warned of imminent bombings at both high-profile locations.
According to officials, the email claimed that the bombing would be carried out in retaliation for what it called the “injustice” of Guru’s hanging, and also mentioned S Shankar, another executed convict. The police have launched a full-scale investigation, and security has been intensified at the airport and the hotel. Bomb detection and disposal squads have been deployed, and search operations are underway.
This is not the first time Mumbai Airport has been targeted by such threats. However, the reference to Afzal Guru and the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel which had come under siege during the 26/11 terror attacks has raised particular concern among authorities.
The email’s contents have brought back haunting memories of the 2008 terror siege, when armed militants targeted several landmarks, including the Taj hotels.
On May 9, a bomb threat was sent to Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai, causing a security alarm. The threat, received via email at around 9 AM, claimed that a bomb had been planted on the hospital premises. The email also instructed that patients should be evacuated immediately. However, later it turned out to be a hoax.
Afzal Guru, a resident of Jammu and Kashmir, was convicted for his role in the December 13, 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament. He was accused of aiding the terrorists by providing logistical support and was executed in 2013. His hanging has been a subject of political and public debate, with opinions divided over the fairness of his trial and execution.
While Mumbai Police have received several such threats in the past — many of which turned out to be hoaxes — authorities are treating this incident with utmost seriousness because of the importance of the two places targeted.
Investigations are ongoing, and the source of the email is being traced. As of now, nothing imcrimnated has been found. Further updates are awaited. (IANS)