Washington, Dec. 5: The secret US state department cable on Lashkar-e-Tayabba planning to assassinate the Gujarat Chief Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, is based on various intelligence inputs received by it, the source of which is not mentioned in the cable.
The cable notes that the network of Shafiq Khafa, a Lashkar leader, is “striving to stand up two teams in southern India that rely on the support of LeT members based in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Nepal”.
Although specific details of planned Lashkar-e-Tayabba attacks remain unknown, late-May 2009 intelligence indicates that Khafa’s cells were engaged in surveillance activities of potential targets, likely in southern India.
“Early-May reporting further suggests Kerala or Tamil Nadu may be used as a base of operations following the establishment of a facilitation team in Sri Lanka, with the estimated time of completion for setting up the facilitation route and camps to be two to three months,” the cable said.
It is understood that the specific intelligence information was passed on to India.
“Separate tearline indicates, & Pakistan-based Shafiq Khafa prepared in mid-June with India-based associate SJ for possible operations in India.
“Khafa was looking for information on possible training sites in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala,” the cable said.
The cable says that Lashkar-e-Tayabba ’s Shafiq Khafa was preparing for operations in India including the assassination of Mr Modi.
“Tearline reports, & Hussein, an India-based Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LT) member, continued operational planning on three tasks in early June.
“The tasks were associated with a possible operation against the Gujarat Chief Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, the establishment of a training camp, and unspecified work involving a car,” the cable said.