US says India informed of possible water-borne terror attack from Pakistan

Washington, Dec.3 : The Bush administration has claimed that it had warned the Indian government beforehand that terrorists appeared to be plotting an assault on Mumbai.

The Daily Times quoted a senior State Department official as saying that information was passed on to New Delhi that a waterborne attack on Mumbai appeared in the works.

This official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of intelligence information, said both India and Pakistan have acted "in a wise manner" so far, noting there has been no buildup of troops along the India-Pakistan border or other overt signs that sometimes-sharp rhetorical exchanges will escalate to military confrontation.

On the origins of the terrorists, the official did not detail the evidence leading to a connection in Pakistan, and did not single out any one terror organisation as suspect.

However, the official also said that the terrorists "certainly have international reach", a fact that the administration argues demands global co-operation to combat them, including participation from Pakistan, India and the US.

The revelation of a US warning to India about a possible attack comes as the Indian government faces widespread accusations of security and intelligence failures in the wake of the assault.

ANI