Al Qaeda threat to Kerala shrines, Jayalalithaa?

(KERALA): A letter posted from Chennai to this pilgrim town Wednesday warned of a bomb attack by the Al Qaida on two of Kerala's most popular temples - the Guruvayoor and Sree Padmanabha Swamy shrines, police said.

It claimed to be from the Al Qaeda and also mentioned that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalaalitha would be assassinated in the coming days.

The letter was in English and was addressed to the Guruvayoor Circle Inspector here.

As soon as the letter arrived, police officials rushed to the famed Sree Krishna Temple near here along with a bomb squad and made a detailed inspection in the temple compound and also in the temple town.

The other shrine mentioned in the letter is the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram, which has lately been in the news worldwide after the discovery of rare jewellery, rubies and diamonds stored in a vault which had not been opened for 150 years.

Ever since the news, the temple has been under heavy security with every devotee entering the temple being frisked. But after the letter threat, top police officials are leaving nothing to chance.

Police say further investigations into the letter are on.