Names not as key as threat, India says

MUMBAI, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- The names of militant groups threatening local communities in India is not as important as the security challenges they present, police officials said.

Indian security officials have been on high alert for months as the anniversary of the deadly attacks in Mumbai in November 2008 loomed.

Militants with the Pakistani-based Lashkar-e-Toiba stormed several high-profile buildings in Mumbai in a sustained raid that left hundreds dead.

Metro police officials said they are stepping up their security efforts against LeT and the Bangladesh-based Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami. But Mumbai Police Commissioner D. Sivanandhan said vigilance remains the same regardless of the threat, the Economic Times of India reports.

"I don't attribute much importance to the name of a terror organization and would rather concentrate on averting a terror attack in the city," he said.

He cautioned that the threat to national security is migrating and spreading in the online environment, presenting a unique challenge to security officials.

"We have to accept that the city faces a terrorist threat and it is important to be prepared to counter a terror strike," he cautioned.