Pak-based jihadis’ ‘Mumbai style’ terror attacks planned on Europe foiled

LONDON - The latest terror plot to launch Mumbai-style attacks in the UK, France and Germany has been unearthed and disrupted after intelligence sharing among the spy agencies from these three countries and the United States.

Intelligence sources revealed that Pakistan-based militants, thought to be linked to Al Qaeda, were planning simultaneous strikes on London and other European cities, the Daily Mail reported.

The plot was in the ‘advanced but not in the imminent stages,’ and the plotters had been tracked by the spy agencies for some time, the sources added.

MI5 sources disclosed that the attacks would have been similar to the commando-style raids carried out in Mumbai in 2008 which had killed 166 innocent people.

“There are some pretty notable threat streams,” said a U.S. military official, adding that the significance of those threats was still being discussed among counterterrorism officials but that threats of this height were unusual.

Last week, French authorities had said that they had uncovered a suicide bombing plot to attack the Paris subway linked to al Qaeda’s North African affiliate, adding that the threat might be connected to the country’s recent vote to ban burqas.

In Britain, the current threat level from international terrorism is severe, implying that a terrorist attack is highly likely. There are five levels of threat, of which ’severe’ is the forth highest and critical, which means an attack is imminent.

Meanwhile, the CIA has intensified missile attacks against militants in Pakistan’s tribal regions, launching at least 20 drone strikes so far this month, the highest monthly total in the past six years.

Mumbai was at the centre of a terror siege in November 2008 when nine terrorists from the Pakistan-based Islamist group Lashkar-e-Taiba launched ten simultaneous attacks at popular landmarks including the Taj hotel, cafes, a train terminal and a Jewish centre. (ANI)