New Delhi: A SriLankan Airlines flight from Chennai underwent a comprehensive security search at Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport after a claim of the presence of five suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists on board. Security measures were initiated after Chennai Airport authorities received a threat email claiming that five Lashkar operatives were on board a SriLankan Airlines flight, amid heightened vigilance in the country following the April 22 Pahalgam attacks.
The threat mail, classified as ‘non-specific’, was received by the Chief Security Officer at 11.05 am, which mentioned, “Five South Indian males on UL 122 (9.55am) are Lashkar operatives. Clean profile, well-trained, no suspicion”. By the time the email was received, the flight had already departed, and the information was passed to Colombo Airport, where a thorough security screening was conducted, deboarding the passengers.
A statement from SriLankan Airlines said that its flight was thoroughly inspected and subsequently cleared for further operations. On April 22, terrorists killed 26 people, mostly tourists, in the Barisan Valley of Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir. A massive search and manhunt is underway for the attackers, who remain untraceable.
Terrorists unleashed gunfire in Pahalgam on April 22, killing at least 26 people — mostly tourists — in the deadliest attack in the Valley since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the terror attack, prompting India to downgrade its diplomatic ties with Pakistan on all fronts.
