RAWALPINDI - The Airports Security Force (ASF) and other law enforcement agencies (LEAs) have been told to beef up the security at all airports in the country as militants of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are planning to launch attacks on airports by using new technologies, reliable sources told The Nation on Saturday.
The ASF and other LEAs have been warned of attacks in the light of intelligence reports shared by the US officials in Islamabad with Pakistani authorities last month, the sources said.
According to the sources, a meeting was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the mid of last month in which the Pakistani authorities were informed that militants of ISIS also known as Daesh were planning terrorist attacks — particularly on aircrafts, transportation, and public spaces — by using new technologies.
The sources said some of the new technologies that the ISIS may use include concealing explosives inside personal electronics appliances.
They are planning small armed attacks and physical assaults on airports and other transportation hubs. In addition to it, they may opt to chemical and toxic gas attacks, the sources said while sharing the intelligence reports.
According to the sources, in view of the threats posed by the ISIS, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the ASF had been directed to tighten security procedure including the screening system for explosives besides improving X-rays methods at airports.
The security officials have been directed to increase physical security and background screening of transportation sector workers. Deployment of canines at checkpoints had also been suggested.
The sharing of advance passenger information (API), the passenger name record (PNR) and cargo screening has also been suggested to be enhanced as the terror group may use cargo to execute their plan.
Besides the Director General (DG) ASF Karachi, DG Civil Aviation Authority (Karachi), Additional Inspector General of Police Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Punjab, AIG Special Branch Punjab, Intelligence Bureau, the divisional police chiefs and the other concerned authorities had been directed to take appropriate safety measures and increase security at all airports across the country.
A senior security official told The Nation on condition of anonymity that they were fully prepared to avert any such bid by using all available resources.
“The security at the Benazir Bhutto International Islamabad Airport was increased to ‘red-alert’ in the last two days in the light of intelligence about the terror attack, but the level of alert was brought to normal on Thursday,” the official said. He said they have been concentrating on search and checking of people entering the airport premises.