Thousands of police and paramilitary troops guarded New Delhi’s markets and shopping centers yesterday after foreign embassies in India issued warnings of imminent militant attacks.
The US, British, Australian and other Western embassies issued urgent alerts, advising their nationals to avoid busy parts of the city which was last hit by blasts in upmarket shopping areas in 2008 that killed 22 people and wounded 100 more.
Tighter security was already in place around the city’s congested markets and tourist hotspots in response to earlier warnings by Western nations about the chance of attacks in New Delhi.
Commandos backed by armored cars guarded metro stations, shopping malls and crowded marketplaces across the sprawling city of 16 million people.
Police with automatic weapons patrolled Delhi’s four most popular shopping districts and explosives experts used tracker dogs to sweep sensitive areas.
New Delhi police spokesman Rajan Bhagat urged residents to inform police of “any suspicious object, person or vehicle.”
India is home to a wide range of separatists and insurgents, but Islamist terror groups, both homegrown and from across the border in Pakistan, are considered the most dangerous threat.
Canada and New Zealand were among the countries warning citizens to take precautions in New Delhi, a rapidly expanding and chaotic city that is keen to bolster its international image ahead of hosting the Commonwealth Games in October.
Security concerns about the forthcoming Games were stoked last month when two low-intensity bombs went off at a cricket stadium in the southern city of Bangalore ahead of an Indian Premier League match.
Some 8,000 athletes are expected to attend the Commonwealth Games.
India has vowed to provide “foolproof” security for athletes and spectators during the Games. The London-based Commonwealth Games Federation has said security for the Indian event is subject to “continual review.”
The run-up to the field hockey World Cup in February and March was overshadowed by concerns some teams might pull out.
Ultimately, the tournament went ahead without incident with a heavy police presence.
The US posted an advisory on Saturday on the Web site of its embassy in India, saying that “there are increased indications that terrorists are planning imminent attacks in New Delhi.”
It named popular city center shopping zones, such as Connaught Place, as being “especially attractive targets for terrorist groups.”
The high commissions of Britain and Australia issued similar warnings, leading the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs to say that its security precautions were satisfactory.
“Security is adequate,” ministry spokesman Ravindra Singh said.
In February, a bomb exploded in a packed restaurant popular with travelers in the western Indian city of Pune, killing 16 people, including five foreigners.
It was the first major incident since the November 2008 Mumbai attacks in which 10 Islamist gunmen launched an assault on multiple targets in India’s financial capital, killing 166 people.
India blamed the Mumbai attacks on the banned Pakistan-based Islamist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, straining already tense diplomatic ties with its neighbor.
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