Mission in Paris at full security alert, says India

New Delhi, May 18 (IANS) India Friday said its mission in Paris has been fully alert to security issues in consultation with the local authorities. Reports from the French capital earlier said that slain terror suspect Mohamed Merah had plans of targeting the Indian embassy there.

"The Indian embassy in Paris has been fully alert to security issues. The embassy also remains in touch with the relevant French authorities in regard to its security; in planning its security requirements, the embassy takes account of all possible threats," external affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said here, noting that the threats included those reported in the media.

"The ministry is in regular contact with embassies abroad for detailed review of the security situation from time to time. Paris is one of the stations where the security requirements of the embassy are reviewed in consultation with the MEA," he added.

French daily le Monde had reported, quoting sources from the Central Directorate of Internal Intelligence, that Merah, shot dead by the French special forces in Toulouse on March 22, had also planned to attack the Indian embassy in Paris.

The paper claimed that Pakistani Taliban handlers of Merah had given the Indian embassy in Paris as a target and that they had trained him in Pakistan during last summer.

However, he finally decided against attacking the Indian mission due to the task's difficulty level.

These were part of a judicial dossier, according to the report.