The Kerala coast has been put on high alert after receiving intelligence that boats allegedly carrying 15 ISIS terrorists had set off from Sri Lanka to the Lakshadweep islands. Kerala Police sources say that the coastal police stations and coastal district police chiefs have been alerted about the same.
“Such alerts are usual practice but this time we have specific information about the number. We have alerted the coastal police stations and the police chiefs of coastal districts to be on alert in case of any sighting of suspicious vessels,” a top police source told PTI.
The coastal police department has been on alert since May 23rd. “We have also alerted the fishing vessels and others venturing into the sea to be cautious of suspicious activities,” coastal department sources confirmed.
According to reports, the ISIS terrorists are headed for the islands of Lakshadweep and Minicoy. Coastal patroling has been intensified after this report, and the Indian Coast Guard has deployed its ships and maritime surveillance aircraft around the two islands and maritime borders with Sri Lanka, to prevent any attempt by the ISIS terrorists to enter Indian territory.
Kerala has been on high alert ever since the April 21 Easter Sunday terror attacks in Sri Lanka in which 250 people had lost their lives. The Sri Lankan government had named the local organisation ‘National Thowheed Jama’ath’ (NTJ) responsible for these attacks. The Sri Lankan army chief had also confirmed that the suicide bombers had visited the country previously.
The NIA had also conducted raids across Kerala in connection with the attacks in Sri Lanka. Authorities are trying to gather more information about the bombings in Sri Lanka. An arrested ISIS terrorist from Kerala had also confessed that he was planning Sri Lanka style suicide blasts in the state.