High alert in Mumbai as Paris attacks resemble 26/11
14 Nov 2015
A high alert has been sounded in Mumbai in the wake of the terror attacks in Paris on Friday night that left over 120 people dead.
Security has been stepped up at crowded places like railway stations, airports, markets, malls, theatres and hotels across various cities in Maharashtra, including Mumbai.
"We are reviewing security measures at places with heavy footfall," a senior police official said. "Owners and managers of such places have been asked to practise mock drills to avoid any possible untoward incidents."
Atulchandra Kulkarni, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), also told NDTV that security is being reviewed at major tourist attractions and foreign establishments.
"All police station in-charges have been asked to remain in their area," he added.
The horrific terrorist attack in Paris has been described as a copycat version of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks by security experts in the United States, who believe that the incident will be a game-changer for how the West looks at the threat terrorism presents to all.
Over 160 people were killed in November 2008 when terrorists stormed a luxury hotel, the main railway station, a Jewish centre and other sites in Mumbai.
John Miller, Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counter-terrorism of the New York Police Department, told CNN in an interview, that the Paris attack resembles the Mumbai terrorist attack in terms of low-cost, low resource and other various features of the 26/11 attacks.
"The attacks show a level of sophistication we really haven't seen in an urban area since 2008 in the attack in Mumbai," Michael Leiter, former director National Counterterrorism Center, told NBC News.
WBZ-TV Security Analyst Ed Davis also said the Paris attack resembles the Mumbai terrorist attack.
"This is exactly what we fear most. A Mumbai-style attack with multiple teams simultaneously hitting different places," Davis said.
Over 120 people were killed as terrorists attacked sites throughout the French capital and at the stadium where a soccer match was underway (See: France under emergency: terrorists kill over 120 in multiple attacks).
