At least four months before the Lashkar-e-Toiba launched the attack on Mumbai and killed 165 people during 26/11,a Central intelligence agency had tipped off the Mumbai Police about what the agency thought was a vague terror threat that went by the codename of Leoport. This is the latest revelation in a series of intelligence tip-offs about the attacks on Mumbai that Central and state security agencies claim were circulated in the weeks and months before but were still unable to prevent the attack that virtually held Indias financial capital to ransom. The Leoport alert came as an oral alert sometime in June-July and it was circulated to the Mumbai Police for action,sources told The Indian Express. While the Central agency was unable to make much of Leoport,the Mumbai Police interpreted it as a possible reference to Café Leopold in Colaba which eventually became the first target of Lashkar gunmen who came by sea on November 26. The Central agency was not sure if Leoport was a building or a hotel or a port or the name of an area as it was not familiar with Mumbai, one top officer said,speaking on condition of anonymity. But it was not difficult for the Mumbai Police. The alert prompted meetings between the states Anti-Terrorism Squad and the Deputy Commissioner of Police of the area and led to a security review in and around Leos,as the south Mumbai watering hole,popular with locals as well as foreigners,is commonly referred to. The police presumed that the attack could involve exploding bombs in the Colaba area with Leos as the focal point. At the time,we had no inkling that terrorists would come by sea and launch an armed attack from Café Leopold. We thought that there could be a plan to carry out blasts in the area around Leopold. Accordingly,security at the Taj Mahal Hotel and Café Leopold were reviewed, said another senior officer. Meetings were also held between a senior police officer and the management of the two establishments to discuss security in light of the threat. We called the owner of Café Leopold and informed him that there was a threat to the place. We also gave him detailed instructions concerning security arrangements that should be in place as well as access control. The Taj Mahal Hotel management was also contacted in this regard, he said. Farzad Jehani,co-owner of Leos,confirmed that Mumbai Police had warned him about the threat. Yes,the police had contacted us several months before the attacks. They told us that there was a threat of a terrorist attack,but did not mention anything specific. They also gave us certain instructions which we followed. For instance,after the police warned us,we made an extra effort to ensure nobody left behind any bags inside the restaurant, he told The Indian Express. With nothing happening for months after the measures were put in place,the alert levels dropped and security was also eased,sources said. The latest revelation joins a long list of alerts and tip-offs ahead of 26 As first reported by The Indian Express,Indian intelligence had obtained information on November 19 about a Lashkar vessel even indicating its latitude,longitude,about 60 km off Karachi. The Indian Coast Guard launched a search for it but could not find it. It was later suspected that this vessel was the Al Husaini,used by attackers and their handlers to reach Indian waters and hijack M V Kuber. But both the vessels managed to sneak past and that,too,when a major combined defence force exercise to protect the coast was being held in the region.
