Alert shuts US Consulate

The United States shuttered its Consular section and the Information Resource Centre at the American Center on Tuesday, following intelligen...

The United States shuttered its Consular section and the Information Resource Centre at the American Center on Tuesday, following intelligence reports that American interests in Mumbai and New Delhi could be targeted by targets.

The deep brown wooden gates of the palatial Lincoln House on Warden Road in South Mumbai remained firmly shut through a 8216;tense8217; Tuesday. 8216;8216;All the staff members who reported for duty were asked to go home,8217;8217; a Consulate spokesperson in Mumbai said, but did not elaborate on the security threat. The US Embassy in New Delhi however, functioned normally.

A message posted on the website of the US Consulate in Mumbai said, 8216;8216;Based on information received by the US government, terrorists may be planning attacks on US interests in India in the near future. Although not specific, the information suggests that an attack could be aimed at US interests in New Delhi or Mumbai.8217;8217;

It asked US citizens to 8216;8216;maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps to increase their security8217;8217;.

Meanwhile, the sudden closure of the Consulate surprised the flock of visa applicants who had begun queuing outside Lincoln House from 9 am, like always. This time, however, they were met by stern-looking security guards who turned them away. 8216;8216;The Consulate has been shut due to security reasons, please go!8217;8217; the visa-applicants were told.

Some applicants went away on their own, obviously daunted by the amount of security detail8212;a police mobile parked across the road, cops with rifles and a dog squad that scoured the area around the Lincoln House.

A few Special Branch officials in civvies were also present. 8216;8216;Usually, we are here, and so are the cops. Today however, we have been deployed here in a large number,8217;8217; said one of them, not wishing to be named.

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Police Commissioner A.N. Roy told The Indian Express that the US Embassy had received some 8216;8216;vague intelligence8217;8217; about threats to their 8216;interests8217;, which though couldn8217;t be verified yet. His department, he added, had 8216;8216;taken maximum precautions to foil any kind of threat made to the Consulate8217;8217;. Meanwhile, it is not yet certain whether the Consulate will stay open on Wednesday.