The Indian interior ministry has recommended extra security measures for Indian airlines after intelligence on a threat from militants to hijack a plane of the national carrier Air India, Reuters cited officials as saying today. The warning comes ahead of India's annual Republic Day on Tuesday, when there are often security scares. Security officials said they have put the country's air defences on the highest possible alert after intelligence agencies warned the interior ministry of possible air attacks by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba using gliders. India has beefed-up security measures and remains wary of militant threats after the 2008 Mumbai attacks killed 166 people and raised tensions with nuclear-armed neighbour Pakistan. "We have alerted our civil aviation security people against a possible attempt to hijack an Indian airlines flight," U.K. Bansal, the special secretary for internal security in the Home (interior) Ministry, told Reuters. "This would obviously be from terrorist groups who are arraigned against Indian interests," he added, but did not specify which group. An Air India spokesman did not offer any immediate comment on the threat. The ministry had not recommended suspension of flights, but suggested measures such as greater frisking and deploying more sky marshals, Bansal said.
