The US Embassy in India today warned that foreign militants, possibly al Qaida members, may be planning to carry out bombings in two major Indian cities in the coming days.
In an email sent to American citizens living in India, the embassy said New Delhi, the capital, and Mumbai, the country's financial and entertainment hub, were the targets of the alleged plot, and that the attacks were believed to be planned around India's Independence Day, which falls on August 15.
Indian officials refused to comment on the warning.
Word of the alleged plot came a day after British police said they had thwarted another terrorist plot, possibly just days away, to blow up US-bound planes over the Atlantic and kill thousands.
Investigators described a plan on the scale of the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States that would use common electronic devices to detonate liquid explosives concealed in sports drink bottles to bring down as many as 10 planes.
The US Embassy's warning for India said the "likely targets include major airports, key central Indian government offices, and major gathering places such as hotels and markets".
It urged American citizens to maintain a low profile, and be especially alert and attentive to their surroundings.
Meanwhile, the Press Trust of India news agency reported the arrests of two members of a Pakistani Islamic militant group suspected in a string of bombings in India, including last month's attacks on Mumbai's commuter trains which killed 207 people.
One of the two alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba militants is Pakistani, and both were arrested late yesterday with 2 kilos of a powerful explosive known as RDX and a huge quantity of ammunition, PTI reported.
The news agency said the arresting officers believed they had foiled a terror plot.
The Pakistani was identified only as Anaz, a native of Islamabad, and the other man as Abrar Ahmed, from the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, PTI said.
They were arrested at New Delhi's train station, PTI reported.
