Israeli embassy, Jewish establishments in India on Lashkar target list?

Security has been heightened at the Israeli embassy, consulates and other Jewish establishments in several states following intelligence inputs that terror groups like Lashker-e-Tayiba may target them.

The Union home ministry has sent an advisory to various states in the wake of the inputs shared by central security agencies that terrorists, especially those owing allegiance to Lashker-e-Tayiba, may target them, official sources said.

The states have been asked to increase the vigil around the Israeli embassy in New Delhi and consulate general in Mumbai and Bengaluru as well as synagogues and Chabad houses, they said. The advisories have been sent to Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra.

Chabad Houses, the Jewish outreach centres, have also been marked for security checks.

The sources said that Lashker terror group was armed with the reconnaissance tapes carried out by Pakistan-born American terrorist David Headley before he was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States in 2009. They said that Headley's work may come handy for the terror group to target the Jewish establishments. Headley is serving a 35-year prison term in the US.

Besides the embassy, the security agencies have asked for a tight vigil at Chabad Houses which are generally located in narrow lanes and are frequented generally by backpackers from Israel. Pushkar, on the outskirts of Ajmer in Rajasthan, Kasoli and Manali in Himachal Pradesh, Anujua village in Goa and Koregaon Park in Pune are some of the places put on alert.        

Israeli diplomatic staff was targeted by Iranian nationals in Delhi in 2012. It was for the first time that a terror group of a foreign country had conspired in India to target the nationals of another country. Last year, the security agencies had foiled an attempt by the LeT to target the consulate general of Israel in Bengaluru.

Image: A rabbi looks at a wall riddled with bullet holes in front of Chabad House in Mumbai which was attacked during 26/11. Photograph: Sahil Salvi