THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Jews and the Synagogue at Mattanchery in Kerala have been under security cover ever since the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.But, of late, the Kerala Police have beefed up its surveillance to a new level after intelligence inputs revealed possible Islamic State (IS) ‘lone wolf’ attacks on Jews in India.
Intelligence agencies sounded an alert in this regard after the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) unearthed the modus operandi of two suspected IS operatives, nabbed last year, who had planned to target Jews in India.The ATS had also filed a chargesheet claiming the accused persons - Mohammad Kasim Stimberwala and Ubed Ahmed Mirza – had planned attacks on the Jewish community.According to intelligence officers, though the probe revealed the attack was planned on Jews in Mumbai, the possibility of Jews in Kochi being targeted cannot be ruled out.
“It’s a fact there are only a handful of Jews in Kochi. They could be soft target for the IS terrorists. International reports have already made it clear the IS is after Jews,” said an intelligence officer.
State police chief Loknath Behera said the police were taking necessary measures to ensure the safety of Jews in the state.
“Threat to the Jewish community from terrorists has been evident after the Mumbai terror attack. We have put in place appropriate security measures at Mattanchery,” Behera told Express.In the chargesheet, the Gujarat ATS claimed both the suspected IS operatives were highly radicalised by Islamic State and had done recce of some Jewish settlements in the country.
According to a report by Anti Defamation League (ADL), which works against anti-semitism, “fourteen years after 9/11, terrorist groups motivated by Islamic extremist ideology, from al-Qaeda to Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), continue to rely on depictions of a Jewish enemy – often combined with violent opposition to the state of Israel – to recruit followers, motivate adherents and draw attention to their cause. Anti-Israel sentiment is not the same as anti-Semitism. However, terrorist groups often link the two, exploiting hatred of Israel to further encourage attacks against Jews worldwide and as an additional means of diverting attention to their cause.”