New Delhi:

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) on Monday said it has “learnt its lessons” following incidents of a spate of hoax messages being sent to Indian airlines recently and the situation has improved after the assessment protocol for such calls was revised.

Several domestic carriers, between October and November, received hundreds of “hoax” messages or calls on their official communication channels including on social media claiming bombs being placed or a hijacker onboard leading to numerous diversions and delays for passengers in specific and the entire aviation ecosystem in general.

“There were a very large number of hoax calls recently (to the airlines)…but we have learnt our lessons. The Government of India rules were revised regarding the requirements for convening the Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC) meetings.

“The basic revision done was that the BTAC can meet online or in a digital mode hence cutting down the time to convene such a meeting. The situation has improved considerably after this…,” CISF Deputy Inspector General (Operations) Shrikant Kishore told reporters here.

PTI had in October reported that the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) under the Union civil aviation ministry has tweaked BTAC procedures in the wake of the messages being sent over the social media daily by adopting a “multi-layered” approach to assess threats and determine their “credibility and seriousness.” According to the new guidelines, upon receipt of a bomb threat, the BTAC can be convened over a internet-based secure platform but this is only an “interim” arrangement till the members of the committee assemble physically at the designated control room.

Asked about the issue of congestion at several airports in the country during the vacations, Kishore said the force and other agencies involved in civil airport operations were “at a better position now” as they saw “improvement and enhancement” in security infrastructure and manpower.

The force provides counter-terrorist security cover to 68 civil airports of the country and has deployed about 48,000 personnel for this task out of its total manpower of about 1.7 lakh men and women.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The seal on the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building is seen June 9, 2023, in Washington. File
| Photo Credit: AP

The FBI warned of bomb threats at polling stations in “multiple” U.S. states on a tense Election Day, adding that none were credible, but many appeared to originate from Russia.

In one area of battleground state Georgia, police reported 32 bomb threats made against voting sites, some of which briefly suspended operations while authorities checked for explosives.

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The 2024 U.S. presidential campaign has been a particularly volatile one, and security for Election Day has been ramped up given concerns over possible civil unrest, election chicanery and violence against poll workers.

“The FBI is aware of bomb threats to polling locations in several states, many of which appear to originate from Russian email domains,” spokeswoman Savannah Syms said in a statement.

“None of the threats have been determined to be credible thus far,” she added, urging the public to “remain vigilant.”

Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said the state had identified Russia as the source of bomb threats, without elaborating

32 polling stations in Georgia’s Fulton County – which includes the state’s largest city Atlanta — were among those facing threats, County Police Chief Wade Yate told reporters.

He added that five sites were briefly closed while authorities checked for explosives but found nothing.

“None of the polling places were closed for more than 30 minutes,” South Fulton’s Mayor Kobi told AFP outside one of them – Feldwood Elementary School, in South Fulton.

“There are some people who are trying to discourage people in South Fulton from voting, but we are the Blackest city in the United States,” he said.

“We are the descendants of, the sons and daughters of people who faced lynch mobs, water cannon… to exercise the right to vote. And so, we aren’t going to let bomb threats turn us around.”

‘Smelled like fuel’

With Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump deadlocked at the climax of the 2024 race, authorities are keen to reassure jittery Americans that their votes are secure. But they have also bolstered physical security for election operations nationwide.

Poll workers have been given panic buttons, special weapons teams have been deployed on rooftops and hundreds of National Guard personnel have been placed on standby.

The FBI set up a national election command post in Washington to monitor threats 24 hours a day through election week.

The U.S. Capitol Police, who protect the seat of Congress in Washington, arrested a man on Tuesday (November 5, 2024) who “smelled like fuel” and was carrying a lighter and accelerant.

He was stopped at the Capitol visitor centre – part of the complex that was stormed by Mr. Trump supporters in a deadly riot on January 6, 2021, as they sought to overturn his election loss to Joe Biden.

Police Chief J. Thomas Manger later told a press conference that the man had “papers” he intended to deliver to Congress and that it was unclear if he was planning to light himself on fire.

“There’s no indication, right now, that it had anything to do with the election,” he said.

The bomb threats were not the first time U.S. authorities have pointed the finger at Russian interference during the vote.

Hours before polls opened, officials warned that Russia-linked disinformation operations had falsely claimed attempts were being made in battleground states to fraudulently sway the outcome of the election.

Mumbai:

Mumbai Police served a notice to a teenage boy, his father, and another person from Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh asking them to join questioning in connection with bomb threats posted on social media targeting three flights, officials said on Tuesday.

Three international flights originating from Mumbai received bomb threats on Monday. While a New York-bound Air India flight was diverted to New Delhi and rescheduled, the other two, both operated by IndiGo, were delayed by several hours.

Nothing suspicious was found on any of the planes, police officials had said.

The bomb threat was received through a post on the micro-blogging platform X and the handle is being verified, the officer said.

Two IndiGo flights, one headed to Muscat and the other to Jeddah, also received bomb threats before they took off and the planes were moved to isolation bays for security checks.

“On Monday, a bomb threat was posted on X for an Air India’s Mumbai-New York flight and IndiGo’s Mumbai to Muscat and Mumbai to Jeddah flights,” said Rajnandgaon Superintendent of Police Mohit Garg.

After receiving information about the tweet’s connection with Rajnandgaon, Raipur Cyber Cell, Kotwali Police Rajnandgaon, and Cyber Cell, collected electronic data related to the case, he said.

Mumbai Police have registered a case against an unknown person and the X handle.

“A team of Mumbai Police reached Rajnandgaon on Monday. With the help of Rajnandgaon Police, a notice was issued to a 17-year-old boy, who is a resident of Rajnandgaon city, his father, and the person whose X account was used, They were summoned for questioning and further action to Mumbai,” Garg added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)