(Image source from: Is India prepared for terror attacks suggested in Al Qaeda video?})

In the wake of terrorist group Al Qaeda issuing a video threatening to spread its activities in the Indian subcontinent, the Indian government is on a high alert. On Thursdat the Union Home Ministry issued an alert to all states after an Al Qaeda video announced the formation of a wing in the Indian subcontinent for its operations.

The Indian government has taken the matter with seriousness after seeing a video of Al Qaeda chief Ayman al Zawahri online. In the video Zawahri is seen making promises to spread Islamic rule and "raise the flag of jihad" across the "Indian subcontinent".

Officials say that the government is taking the video to be authentic and has alerted local governments.

Recently, Islamic State pamphlets have reportedly been distributed in India's neighbouring country Pakistan.

The video also shows Zawahiri making two references to Gujarat. Gujarat home secretary S.K. Nanda said that the state has been put under high alert in the wake of the Al Qaeda video. The state machinery will work closely with the Union government to deal with any threat to the state.

A top police officer said since the 2002 riots Gujarat has been on the list of target of terrorist organisations, which includes Al Qaeda. Now that Narendra Modi is prime minister of the country the threat has increased, the official added.

Zawahiri, who talked of formation of "Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent", described the decision as glad tidings for Muslims "in Burma, Bangladesh, Assam, Gujarat, Ahmedabad, and Kashmir". His message promised that the new wing will rescue Muslims in the subcontinent from injustice and oppression.

However, intelligence inputs gathered in Jammu and Kashmir say that they have not detected any traces of Al Qaeda's activities so far.

(AW: Pratima Tigga)