Chennai: Amid an extensive search to hunt down the terrorists who shot dead 26 innocent civilians at Pahalgam on April 22, there was a huge commotion on Saturday over intel about five Lashkar-e-Taiba suspects flying out of India.
A massive search operation was carried out at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo after Sri Lankan authorities were alerted by the Chennai Area Control Centre that suspects wanted in India were on board a Sri Lankan Airlines flight arriving from Chennai.
Flight UL-122, which landed in Colombo at noon, was subjected to a comprehensive security search on arrival.
The search was carried out in coordination with local authorities following an alert from the Chennai Area Control Centre, Sri Lanka Airlines said in a statement.
Following a thorough search, the 4R-ALS aircraft was cleared for further operations.
However, the search process and mandatory security procedure caused a delay in the next scheduled service of the aircraft, flight UL-308 to Singapore, the airline informed.
“The safety and security of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority, and we strive to ensure that the highest standards of safety are consistently maintained,” it added.
India have identified five terrorists, including three Pakistani nationals, who carried out the massacre in Baisaran valley, near Pahalgam.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have vowed to punish the terrorists and their backers, who are on the run 11 days after the deadly strike.
