Intelligence agencies had warned Andhra of possible blasts

The twin blasts in Hyderabad might have taken the Andhra Pradesh police by surprise but Central intelligence agencies had warned the state police— at least twice — of a possible terrorist attack in the city.

The first advisory to the state police was issued on February 9, the day Afzal Guru was hanged in Tihar Jail, while the second alert was issued just two days ago, on February 19. “We had intelligence inputs for the last two days, which were shared with all the states,” Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters in Delhi. However, so far, no terrorist organisation has claimed responsibility for the attack. Shinde said 10 people were killed in the blasts, while several others were injured. Although home ministry officials did not name the terrorist organisation that carried out the blasts, they are not ruling out the role of home-grown terrorist outfits in the attack. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appealed to the people to maintain peace and calm in the country, but emphasised that terrorists responsible for the attack would be punished.