Explained: LeT ‘revenge plot’ and why Delhi is on alert

Pakistan-based terror outfit the Lashkar-e-Taiba is reportedly planning to carry out a series of coordinated attacks in India, according to Intelligence Inputs. The planned attacks are believed to be part of what the reports claim is a ‘revenge plot’ of the LeT for losses it suffered during the Operation Sindoor.

According to reports, the intelligence agencies have indicated that the terror outfit is planning to leverage local modules in executing the attacks, similar to the Jaish-e-Mohammed-linked White Collar module but much larger in scale, raising concerns over sleeper cells and decentralized networks.

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The local modules will be set up in northeastern states such as Haryana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, and the first target could national capital Delhi. “The Lashkar-e-Tayiba wants to make a big announcement, and hence the first target it aims to hit is Delhi,” news agency IANS quoted an Intelligence Bureau official as saying.

What is the LeT’s ‘revenge plot’

Lashkar and Jaish were among the hardest-hit in India’s Operation Sindoor strikes in May last year. Indian forces carried out precision missile strikes on nine terrorist targets in Pakistan and the Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (PoK). Training camps of Lashkar and Jaish were destroyed, and several terrorists were killed in the strikes.

Now the terror outfit is desperate to take revenge by carrying out large-scale attacks in India. “Hitting the national Capital sends out a strong message to the Indian establishment. In addition to this attack being used for propaganda, it is also a way of telling the establishment that revenge has been sought for Operation Sindoor,” the official added.

Earlier in December last year, the security agencies busted the Jaish-linked module from Faridabad. Several doctors were part of the module, and major attacks were being planned. After the arrest of the doctors and recovery of ammonium nitrate they intended to use in the blasts, one of the accused doctors panicked and exploded an explosive-laden car near Delhi’s Red Fort. The blast made big headlines even though it was much smaller than what had been planned by the group.

Now Lashkar wants to apply the same strategy and hire terror sympathisers to carry out their evil designs of hate. The LeT would target religious sites of the majority community in an attempt to incite religious riots in the country on the same line as the Pahalgam attack.

To avoid a direct link with Pakistan, the module would be funded and run from within India, but it would be controlled from Pakistan. The funds are also likely to be sourced locally, and in view of this, the intelligence agencies have increased their vigilance on charitable trusts that could be used to launder money.

Delhi on alert amid LeT’s ‘revenge plot’ threat

Following the intelligence inputs, security in the national capital has been heightened. Personnel of the Delhi Police and central agencies are reportedly monitoring important sites in the capital. Some temples in Old Delhi near the Red Fort area are under tight vigil by police and other agencies.

CCTV surveillance of the vulnerable areas has been increased, and vehicle checks have made stringent. Moreover, bomb disposal squads, dog squads, and rapid action teams have been asked to remain on standby at strategic locations to deal with any eventuality.