IS threat to blow up Mumbai Air cargo complex puts airport on high alert

The cargo terminal area has been evacuated and the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad is at the spot

Security officials went on high alert after a note was found warning of an ISIS attack on Mumbai Airport's Air Cargo Complex (ACC) on Republic Day (January 26), or "anytime", official sources said here on Wednesday.

The note was discovered in one of the toilets of the sprawling and bustling ACC building, located around 3.5 km away from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on the Sahar Road sometime on Wednesday afternoon.

It read "attack the cargo on 26.01.18 or anytime - ISIS".

Immediately the Central Industrial Security Force, Mumbai police and bomb squads got into action and started evacuating the entire cargo section, and launched a search. It was also decided that people will now be allowed inside only after thorough screening, said officials.

The cargo terminal area has been evacuated and the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) is at the spot, an airport spokesperson said.

Though the threat note has been received two months in advance, the airport security agencies are not taking any chances.

The note looks like a hoax, sources said, adding anti- sabotage checks were being conducted in the cargo area.

"While the cargo area is not secured by the CISF, passenger checks and vigil has been enhanced in the main airport terminal area," a senior CISF officer said.

In late January 2016, a telephonic threat was received warning that the CSMIA would be blown up within a fortnight, by February 2016.

Though the security agencies concluded it was a "non-specific threat", all teams were on high alert to ward off any untoward incident.