A day after a boat carrying three AK-47 rifles and live cartridges was found in Raigad, the Mumbai Police received a text message threatening a 26/11-like attack in the city. A man was detained from Virar near Mumbai and the Mumbai Crime Branch team investigating the threat messages is questioning him.
Addressing a press conference, Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar said a text message from a number that carried the code of Pakistan had threatened with attacks similar to 26/11 in Mumbai.
He said: "At around 11.30 p.m. on Friday, the police received messages, which threatened that a 26/11-like attack would be carried out in Mumbai and that the city would be blown up. There was a mention of 26/11 attacks terrorist Ajmal Kasab and (deceased) al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in the messages. It was also mentioned that some of their aides are working in India. Prima facie, the threat messages came from a number that has the country code of Pakistan."
He said that after receiving the message, the Maharashtra State Anti-Terrorism Squad, and the city police personnel, were put on alert. "Necessary measures are being taken to investigate the threat messages. We are monitoring coastal security and are coordinating with the Coast Guard," he added.
Mr. Phansalkar said: "Sagar Kavach operation has been launched, coastal security beefed up, and a process to register the First Information Report at Worli police station has started."
A city police official said earlier in the day that text messages were received on the WhatsApp number of the Mumbai traffic police's helpline operated from its control room located at Worli. One of the messages said that six persons will execute the 26/11 -like attack, while another message mentioned that preparations were on to blow up Mumbai, which would revive the memories of the November 26, 2011 attacks when 12 co-ordinated terror attacks rocked the city of Mumbai which resulted in the death of almost 175 people.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, in a statement, that the threat messages will be treated very seriously.
Arms on the boat
The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) had on Friday registered a case against unknown persons in connection with three AK-47 rifles with live cartridges found in a speedboat off the coastal Shrivardhan area in Raigad district on August 18.
A First Information Report was registered on Friday under the Arms Act against unidentified persons and the Navi Mumbai unit of the State ATS is investigating the case..
Also read: Abandoned boat with weapons off Maharashtra triggers scare
After the boat was found off the coast of Raigad On August 18, Mr. Fadnavis said according to preliminary information, there was no terror angle to the case but security agencies were looking into all details related to the incident. He further informed that the boat, which was travelling from Muscat to Europe, is owned by an Australian woman whose husband is the captain of the boat. The boat was apparently caught in high tide and rough seas and hence drifted off the waters of the Raigad coastline.
The name of the vessel is Lady Han and it was owned by an Australian woman whose husband James Herbert was commanding the vessel. The yacht was on its way to Europe from Muscat and drifted off due to inclement weather. It is still stranded near the coast.
As per a coast guard official, it is a U.K.-registered yacht that was sailing from Oman to Europe and the weapons found were procured from a Dubai-based Privately Contracted Armed Maritime Security company. Neptune P2P, company providing security to Lady Han, released a statement saying that the company is “working with the owner of the vessel and the Indian and U.K. authorities to determine the official recovery procedures of the vessel and controlled items.”
