Airport security tightened throughout India

On 3 December 2008 aviation officials in India announced that security has been tightened at airports throughout the country in response to a threat of attack. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) in India has reportedly received credible intelligence that attacks targeting airport facilities could occur on 6 December, the anniversary of the demolition of the Babri mosque in Ayodhya in 1992. In response to this threat, BCAS authorities have issued a Red Alert for all airports in India. Reports indicate that the threat is of a general nature. Local sources in India have stated that travelers may experience several layers of additional security outside the airport facilities and inside the passenger terminals. In light of these increased safety measures, travellers should arrive early at the airport to allow enough time for thorough checks of their baggage. Officials in India had already intensified security at some airports following the recent coordinated terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Meanwhile, police officers defused a bomb at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) railway station in Mumbai in the evening of 3 December. Local media reports have speculated that the bomb may have been placed in the station during the 26 November terrorist attack.