In a travel advisory on its Hebrew language web site, posted on December 13,2006, Israel's Foreign Ministry said: "Within the framework of al Qaeda's terror threats in India, there is now a concrete threat focussing on the Goa region where multitudes of visitors, including Israelis, gatherin late December. Israel's Counter-Terrorism Authority has recommended that Israeli citizens stay away from sites in Goa popular with Westerners and Israelis over the next few weeks."
On December 15, 2006, DEBKA, a well-known non-governmental Israeli think-tank, which disseminates information and analyses relating to terrorism, posted the following comments on its web site: "Information has reached Jerusalem that al Qaeda is in an advanced stage of preparing coordinated attacks on the big, end-of-year seasonal parties held bywestern and Israeli tourists in the Indian province. Israeli travelers are advised to cancel their trips to Goa or at least stay away from the big parties. Some 4,000 Israelis have booked flights to India for the winter season. They will be joining the thousands living there. A standing terror warning is still in force for Egyptian Sinai and Turkey."
Before the Christmas and other holiday seasons, the Israeli authorities issue a general terrorism threat advisory for the benefit of Israeli tourists travelling abroad. In the past, such advisories used to cover places such as Turkey and Egypt. The pre-Christmas advisory issued this year has covered Goa too. The advisory has received more than the normal attention because it has characterised the threat as "concrete" and identified Al Qaeda as a possible source of the threat.
Ever since the terrorist strikes by the pro-Al Qaeda Jemmah Islamiya (JI) in the Indonesian tourist resort of Bali in October,2002, and again in October, 2005, the Indian security agencies in their plans for strengthening physical security have taken into account the vulnerability of the Indian tourisminfrastructure—and particularly in places such as Goa. A greater physical security alert has been maintained in places such as Goa, even in the absence of specific information of a planned terrorist strike.
There has been a greater alert this year following the reported arrest on March 11, 2006, of Tarique Jalal alias Tarique Batlo, a Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen cadre, from the Margoa railway station. It was reported that one kg of RDX, two Russian-made hand-grenades, two electronic detonators, two cameras and a mobile phone were seized from him.
This was followed by the arrest on March 30, 2006, at Jelenabad in Gulbarga, Karnataka, of Shamim Ahmad, a suspected activist of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LET), who was reportedly a resident of Goa. An AK-47, two hand grenades, a mobile phone, maps of dams and power grid installations in Andhra Pradesh, some audio-video cassettes and printed material in Urdu were reportedly seized from him.
These arrests indicated the possibility of the presence of sleeper cells of Pakistani and Kashmiri jihadi terrorist organisations inGoa—not necessarily for organising terrorist strikes in Goa itself, but for providing back-up support to jihadi terrorist strikes in other parts of India.
In the beginning of November, 2006, the Goa police reportedly sought reinforcements of para-military forces to enable them to provide effective security during the International Film Festival, which concluded recently at Goa and during the forthcoming holiday season. Their reported threat perceptions particularly related to the LET and the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JEM), both Pakistani jihadi terrorist organisations aligned with Al Qaeda in the International Islamic Front (IIF) formed by Osama bin Laden in 1998.
Media reports dated November 2, 2006, had quoted Shri D. K. Sawant, Superintendent of Police, North Goa, as saying: "There is no specific threat to IFFI (the international film festival). The police department is taking major precautions as the (intelligence) agencies have indicated a possible threat of suicide bombing which can target pubs, Army camps and nuclear plants." He was referring to threat possibilities all over India and not specifically inGoa.
While addressing the annual conference of the Directors-General of Police organised by the Intelligence Bureau at New Delhi on November 21,2006, Shri Shivraj Patil, the Indian Home Minister, who is, inter alia, responsible for counter-terrorism, was reported to have stated that "India's critical infrastructure is under serious threat and it's the coastline that's facing the increased threat perception. The coastal areas are coming under increased threat from groups like the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT). " While he did not refer to possible threats in Goa, subsequent media speculation talked of the possibility of a threat of maritime terrorism directed at the Goa shipyard.
The possibility of a terrorist strike in Goa by pro-Al Qaeda elements from Pakistan and India has been receiving greater attention this year than in the past in the wake of the two arrests mentioned above and the Mumbai blasts ofJuly, 2006, in which about 180 suburban train commuters were killed. Investigation made so far has indicated that the blasts were organised by the LET, with the help of some Indian Muslims belonging to the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI)
While Goa has thus come to be viewed by the Indian security agencies since October,2002, and more particularly sinceMarch, 2006, as an area of vulnerability, the Goan authorities have reassured intending tourists as well as those already in Goa that there is no reason for any unduefear. Goa's Chief Minister, Shri Pratapsingh Rane, has stated while commenting on the Israeli advisory that Goa was safe for tourists and stringent security measures were in place to protect them. He said: "We have taken all possible steps to ensure security in the state... There is no reason to fear. We are always prepared to tackle anything." Shri Sharad Agarwal, a local Superintendent of Police, has said: "There is no such specific threat but yes, the state, because of its popular international appeal, is on a general alert."
It is not clear on what basis the Israeli authorities have issued their alert to their citizens.
In 1992, terrorists suspected to be belonging to the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) attacked a group of young Israeli tourists in J&K, killed one of them and took another hostage. The hostage was released unharmed following a large number of telephone calls received by the JKLF leaders from Kashmiris living in Europe, the US and Canada, that the attack might cost the Kashmiri organisations the political and moral support of theUS. Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) had instigated the attack by disseminating false reports that the Israeli tourists actually belonged to the Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, and that they had come to J&K to assist the Indian security agencies in their counter-terrorism operations.
While there have been no other targeted attacks on Israelis since then, in April,2006, after the visit of President George Bush to India in March,2006, Osama bin Laden had disseminated an audio message describing his global jihad as directed against the alleged anti-Islam conspiracy of the Christians, the Jewish people and theHindus.
Advertisement
B. Raman is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For TopicalStudies, Chennai.
