Mumbai attacks could spur vigilance in the West

Lahore, Dec.12 (ANI): The Mumbai attacks have prompted some Western officials to step up vigilance against the type of low-tech assault the 10 gunmen mounted last month, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

Since the attacks in Mumbai, Al Qaeda websites and chat-rooms have lit up with aspiring militants urging more such attacks, the report quoted the Washington-based SITE Intelligence Group as saying.

Intelligence officials say they are worried that would-be jihadis may copy the approach of the Mumbai attackers, who carried out their assault on foot using little more than machine guns, explosives and cell phones, the report said.

The report quoted New York Police Department (NYPD) intelligence head David Cohen as saying what used to be merely propaganda against the US and Israel had been 'operationalised' by the Mumbai attacks.

The NYPD has dispatched three officers to Mumbai to better understand the attacks because of concerns about copycats, the report said. (ANI)