Hijack alert issued to airports withdrawn a day later

New Delhi: Hours after home minister P Chidambaram expressed confidence that a Congress-led UPA was the only political party equipped to handle terror, a hijack alert circular to airports across the country was withdrawn within a day of being issued.
As reported by TOI, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) had issued an alert following intelligence inputs that a group of highly trained terrorists, including pilots, may have sneaked into India and would try to hijack a plane.Clearly, this lowering of alert came a bit too late as acting on the earlier input, the BCAS sent an advisory to the Airports Authority of India which in turn issued a circular to all its airports to be on highest possible alert. "IB issues advisories based on which we issue circulars. This was yet another alert coming in the already heightened security environment and we acted swiftly on it," a senior aviation ministry official said.
But late on Wednesday, intelligence agencies are learnt to have reassessed the threat perception as being "uncorroborated". As a result, the earlier alert was downgraded and the aviation ministry informed accordingly. Now the ministry is going to withdraw the hijack alert circular.
"The circular may be withdrawn but there's no question of lowering of guard at airports. Intelligence alerts are general in nature and don't carry the exact date and time when terrorists could strike. Ever since the 26/11 Mumbai attack, we have been in a state of highest possible alert," said sources.
02/04/09 Times of India

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Categories: Airports Apr 2009, Safety Apr 2009