Jammu and Kashmir police chief Dilbag Singh said: “The attack at the IAF station in Jammu is a terror attack.”
Two blasts took place at the Air Force base in Jammu Airport in the early hours of Sunday in what is believed to be the first use of drones in a terror attack on an Indian military facility.
In the explosions that took place a little before 2 am at the high security airport located around 14 km from the border with Pakistan, two Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel suffered minor injuries.
Explosions, at 1.37 am and 1.43 am, were heard a km away, said reports.
After the blasts were reported, National Bomb Data Centre experts and forensic teams were rushed to the Jammu airport. Of the two blasts, one caused damage to the roof of a building while another explosion took place in an open area.
Jammu and Kashmir police chief Dilbag Singh said: “The attack at the IAF station in Jammu is a terror attack.”
While the FIR has been registered under the anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the National Investigation Agency has taken over the probe.
The police chief said another major strike was averted when a terrorist, believed to be working for the Pakistan-based outfit Lashker-e-Taiba, was arrested with an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) that was to be used for a strike “in a crowded place”. The arrest is not linked to the airport attack, Dilbagh Singh said.
“Drones with payload were used in both the blasts at Jammu airfield. Another crude bomb was found by the Jammu police. This IED was received by a Lashkar e Taiba operative and was to be planted at some crowded place,” Mr Singh told NDTV.
Under the control of IAF, the Jammu airport is a dual use facility also used to operate passenger flights. Jammu Airport director Pravat Ranjan Beuria told PTI there was no disruption in flights.
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