India / Jammu kashmir DGP Dilbag Singh terms twin blasts at IAF station in Jammu airport a terror attack

Jammu and Kashmir DGP Dilbag Singh has described the blast at the Indian Air Force (IAF) station in Jammu as a terrorist attack. He has confirmed that the IED blast was done through a drone. Dilbag Singh has said that the drone itself has been used as an IED bomb. Its fragments have been recovered from the spot. He has also told that the terrorists had also planned to blast in the crowd, which has been foiled.

The DGP has said that an IED bomb of 5-6 kg has been recovered by the Jammu Police. It was recovered from Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist and it was planned to blast it in a crowded area. With this seizure, the plot of a major attack has been foiled. The suspects taken into custody are being interrogated. Along with other agencies, the police is also involved in the investigation. FIR has been registered and investigation is on.

A TV news channel quoted the DGP as saying that the plot of the attack has been hatched from across the border (Pakistan) and the perpetrators are present within the border. Police, IAF and other agencies are probing the matter. So far two suspects have been taken into custody.

Two explosive-laden drones crashed into the Air Force Technical Area of ​​the high-security airport in Jammu early on Sunday, triggering an explosion. Officials said the first explosion occurred around 1.40 a.m., causing the roof of a building in the technical area of ​​the airport to collapse. The Air Force is responsible for overseeing this location and the second explosion took place on the ground six minutes later. Two Air Force personnel were injured in the blast.

The air distance between Jammu airport and the international border is 14 kilometres. The officials involved in the investigation are trying to trace the air route of both the drones. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh's office said that he spoke to the Deputy Chief of the Air Force Air Marshal HS Arora regarding the blasts. The Indian Air Force tweeted that "two low intensity explosions" were reported early Sunday in the technical area of ​​Jammu Air Force Station. The tweet said, "One of the explosions caused minor damage to the roof of a building, while the other exploded in an open area. There was no damage to any equipment. Investigation is being done in collaboration with civil agencies.” It said that Air Marshal Vikram Singh is reaching Jammu to take stock of the situation.

Sources said a high-level meeting of senior police officers and officers of the Indian Air Force was held at the air base. Investigation teams of various agencies including Air Force, National Investigation Agency (NIA) have also reached the air base. It may be mentioned that the Jammu airport is a civilian airport and the ATC (Air Traffic Control) is under the Indian Air Force. Jammu airport director Pravat Ranjan Beuria said flight operations were not disrupted due to the blast. "Flights to and from Jammu are operating as per schedule," he said.