Two IEDs were found in Punjab and Kashmir as security agencies sounded a high alert, warning of a possible terror attack by Pakistan-based outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Delhi. While authorities have not linked the IED recovery to the terror plot warning, the timing of the incidents has raised concern.
In Punjab, an IED was found in a suspicious bag near the Rayya police post in Amritsar on Friday. Police said the bomb disposal squad was rushed to the spot and the IED was diffused.
"A suspicious bag was spotted close to the police chowk. Immediately, the bomb disposal squad was called, and they confirmed it as an IED. Later, as per the protocol, it was diffused," SSP Sohail Qasim Mir told media.
The same day, another IED was found at Safapora in Kashmir's Ganderbal district. The bomb detection squad (BDS) of the army and J&K police detected the IED and defused it within hours.
It is the third IED detected during the last week in North Kashmir. On Thursday, an IED was found on Tangmarag Road and one in Baramulla.
The development comes on the heels of security agencies warning of a possible terror plot by Lashkar targeting religious and tourist spots in Delhi.
Sources said the Hafiz Saeed-led outfit was allegedly seeking to avenge the February 6 suicide blast at a mosque in Islamabad, which left over 30 people dead. However, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.
Specifically, the intelligence inputs have suggested that a temple in Old Delhi's Chandni Chowk area could be among potential targets. The conspiracy could involve terrorists allegedly planning an IED attack in and around sensitive zones, including near the Red Fort.
The Red Fort was targeted three months ago after a deadly car explosion near the historic tourist spot left 12 dead and over 20 injured. A white-collar terror module backed by the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind was behind the blast.
Recently, a report by the United Nations counter-terrorism monitoring team found Jaish's link to the Red Fort blast.
Following the latest alert, security has been increased around major temples and markets across the national capital as well as around the Red Fort.
