Bomb threat issued by banned SIMI

DEHRADUN, India, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- A spiritual center in northern India received a handwritten bomb threat allegedly from the banned Students Islamic Movement of India, officials said Wednesday.

Officials at the spiritual enclave in Hardwar in northern India told police they had received a letter in the mail threatening to bomb holy cities throughout the state of Uttarakhand, the Press Trust of India said.

On Aug. 10 Indian officials detained several members of the movement for their alleged involvement in a July blast in the western state of Gujarat that killed at least 50 people.

Sixteen bombs were detonated July 26 in a coordinated series of blasts during the evening.

Inspector General of Police Ashok Kumar said officials had issued a regional alert for religious areas because of the ongoing religious festival of Chardham Yatra.