On June 30, Tuesday, two hotels in Mumbai, including the iconic Taj Hotel, received a call allegedly threatening a 26/11-like attack.
The call came in at around 12:30 a.m which was later traced back to Karachi. The Indian Express reports that the officials stated the caller allegedly identified himself as a part of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group. The caller threatened to blow up the Taj Mahal Palace in Colaba and the Taj Lands End in Bandra during the call.
Right after the call was made, the Mumbai Police beefed up security at Taj Mahal Palace, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, and Taj Lands End, Bandra. The Indian Hotel Company (IHCL) immediately notified the authorities about the threatening calls, allegedly from Pakistan, for its two hotels in Mumbai. They said that they are providing full support and cooperation to the investigating agencies.
Taj Hotel got the call on the same day when the Pakistan Stock Exchange building in Karachi was attacked by four gunmen and ended with at least 5 casualties and 7 were injured due to grenade blasts. The four gunmen were reportedly shot dead before they could take over the building.
The LeT has been said to be involved in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks where the Oberoi Trident hotel, CST, Nariman House, Cafe Leopold, and Cama Hospital in Mumbai were targeted. At least 166 people were killed and over 300 injured in the attack.