'Lone wolf' terror attacks a major challenge: Rajnath'

Threats posed by "lone wolf" attackers and "do it yourself' terrorists are a major challenge for agencies tasked with ensuring security of the country, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday.

Addressing commandos of the elite counter-terror force National Security Guard on their 34th raising day here, Singh said security forces have exhibited excellent coordination and ensured that there has been no major terror attack in the hinterland since the 2008 Mumbai strike.

He made a reference to recent attacks in New York and London where vehicles were used to run over and kill a number of people. "The 'do it yourself' and 'lone wolf' kind of terror attacks are a major challenge for us and for security agencies," Singh said at the NSG garrison in Manesar. "We will have to prepare accordingly and keep changing and updating our tactics to counter these threats," he added.

Terror is not limited to a country but affects the entire world population, Singh asserted.

Social media has helped in propagating their ideology, he added.

Complimenting the NSG and other security forces and agencies of the country for ensuring that there has not been any major incident in the hinterland since 2008, he said they have achieved successes in thwarting terror or insurgency bids "except" in Jammu and Kashmir. "We have now deployed one unit of the NSG in Jammu and Kashmir for operations," Singh said.

The minister also asked state police forces to develop counter-terror capabilities of their forces as they are the "first responders" when an attack takes place.

The NSG was raised in 1984 as a federal contingency force. Apart from rendering the specialised tasks of counter-terror and counter-hijack operations, it also guards 13 high-risk VVIPs in the country, including the Union home minister.