THE main Indian airports were on high alert last night after intelligence warnings that India may be the target of a fresh airborne terrorist attack following the assault on Mumbai last week.
India's Bureau of Civil Aviation issued hijack warnings for Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai airports and deployed hundreds of extra airport security personnel.
The Indian Air Force chief, Fali Homi Major, confirmed the threat of a possible airborne attack. "This is based on a warning, which has been received and we are prepared as usual," he told the Press Trust of India news agency.
The fresh terrorism warnings were issued as the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, visited Islamabad to continue her mission to reduce tension between the nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan in the wake of the Mumbai attacks.
Dr Rice urged a united stand against terrorism. "I think it is clear that Pakistan is fighting its fight against terrorists," she said at a joint press conference with President Asif Ali Zardari. She said she had found Pakistan's leadership "focused and committed" to helping India investigate the attacks.
Earlier, India's Foreign Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, had kept the pressure on Pakistan, saying there was "no doubt" the terrorist attacks in Mumbai were perpetrated by individuals who came from Pakistan and whose controllers were in Pakistan. Mr Mukherjee had refused to rule out the possibility of military action in response to the terrorist attacks.
"[The] Government of India is determined to act decisively to protect India's territorial integrity and the right of our citizens to a peaceful life with all the means at our disposal," he said.
However, Dr Rice urged restraint while in New Delhi. "Any response needs to be judged by its effectiveness in prevention and also by not creating other unintended consequences or difficulties," she said.
Indian airports were already on high alert following intelligence reports that an airport or an airliner may be targeted by terrorists to mark the anniversary of the destruction of the ancient Barbari mosque in north India by a Hindu mob in December 1992.
The Defence Minister, A.K. Antony, ordered India's military chiefs to be prepared for attacks from the air and sea. Security was also tightened at small airports in India and air marshals were sent to accompany flights in "sensitive sectors". India's elite anti-terrorist commando unit, the National Security Guard, was also put on high alert.
Tens of thousands of people marched through Mumbai and other big Indian cities on Wednesday night exactly a week after the terrorists mounted their attack. The crowds were mourning the dead and protesting against the failures of Indian politicians and security services to protect citizens.
Meanwhile, an unexploded bomb was found at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminal on Wednesday night, a week after 53 people were shot there by terrorists. Police searching baggage abandoned after the attack discovered a large bag containing 8.5 kilograms of the explosive RDX, enough to cause major damage.
The New York Times reported that a former US Defence Department official said that American intelligence agencies had determined that former officers from Pakistan's army and its powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency helped train the Mumbai attackers.
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