US Embassy says India may be target of terror

NEW DELHI -- Foreign militants, possibly from Al Qaeda, may be planning to bomb New Delhi and Mumbai, the US Embassy warned yesterday, raising fears that Osama bin Laden's network may be targeting India for its rising economic power and links to the United States.

An e-mail sent to Americans registered with the embassy said New Delhi, the capital, and Mumbai, the country's financial and entertainment hub, were targeted for attacks around India's Independence Day celebrations Tuesday.

The embassy warning said the ``likely targets include major airports, key central Indian government offices, and major gathering places such as hotels and markets." It urged Americans to maintain a low profile and be alert until Wednesday.

The warning prompted India to step up already tight security ahead of Independence Day, a time when militants from the country's regional separatist movements -- from Islamic militants in Kashmir to tribal guerrillas in the northeast -- often launch attacks.

On the approach road to New Delhi's international airport, guards with assault rifles stopped cars, buses, and trucks, checking IDs and searching some vehicles.

Some Indian officials sought to play down the threat.

Home Secretary D.K. Duggal struck a defensive note, calling the warning ``innocuous" and an internal US Embassy matter.

On Thursday, British police said they had thwarted a terrorist plan to blow up US-bound jetliners. The embassy warning did not appear linked to that plot.

News of the embassy warning briefly prompted a 1 percent drop in the benchmark index of the Mumbai Stock Exchange, the 30-share Sensex. It recovered later.

Some specialists said India could now be a target of terrorists because of its economic success and growing ties to the United States.