LeT targeting top schools

 Source: ET
5 Nov 2009, 0309 hrs IST, ET Bureau

NEW DELHI: The Lashker-e-Toiba is plotting overtime to unleash some high-profile attacks on India. Among targets are some of the country’s

leading schools, the National Defence College here and tourist spots and places frequented by foreigners.

While the LeT plot to strike the National Defence College premises on Tees January Marg here was uncovered during the interrogation of arrested US national and LeT recruit David Coleman Headley by FBI, independent inputs with Indian security agencies point to planning by the Pakistan-based outfit to launch attacks that would fetch wide publicity. It is in this light that LeT bosses have picked schools, where children of influential persons study, to unleash their terror agenda.

The plans include hitting tourist spots as well as facilities frequented by foreigners — including five-star hotels, beaches and bars — as LeT believes this would give them wide coverage in the international media. Incidentally, the beaches in Goa and Kerala are a hot favourite among foreign travellers around this time of the year.

Inputs regarding the terror threat to some top boarding schools, reportedly located in Uttarakhand, have been shared with the state government concerned and adequate measures taken to beef up their security.

Planned strike on NDC premises here, something that Coleman told FBI about and which was on Tuesday presented as evidence before the Chicago court trying Headley and his associate Tahawwur Hussain Rana, is seen as attempt to take advantage of the rather sparse presence of security around the premier defence institute that conducts training courses for top Army officers as well as military officers from other countries. Security inputs suggest that the LeT plot may have included taking these Army officers hostage.

Opposing the bail application of Rana, arrested with Headley on charges of plotting terror attacks for LeT in Denmark and India, attorneys from the US Department of Justice said Rana is a danger to the nation and may flee the country if freed. According to the attorneys, the two terror suspects had referred to the National Defence College, New Delhi, as a terror target during their conversations on September 7, which was tapped by the FBI.

“In the same conversation, Headley and Rana discussed Denmark and other targets, including the National Defence College in India — Rana, in fact, used the English word ‘target’ in this discussion,” the FBI informed the court.

In its amended complaint filed before the Chicago Court last month, the FBI said Rana and Headley had discussed and named multiple targets of their planning in their conversation on September 7. “Headley listed four targets, one of which was Denmark, then commented after that “if I will pray for any other action call me a thief. God may help me complete this task.” Later in the same conversation, Rana asked Headley to “pass along a message” to Individual B (unidentified LeT leader),” the FBI said in its previous affidavit.

The two Chicago residents then discussed a fifth target. More specifically, Headley referred to the earlier discussion, and stated words to the effect of “oh my friend, not four, five, five.”

While Rana laughed, Headley stated, “Defence College” twice, and Rana commented “right, this is it. I knew already.” The conversation indicates that the LeT was giving priority to its attack on the NDC in New Delhi over the other targets, including the facilities of the Danish newspaper, which had published a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammad.