Sri Lanka Navy, yesterday, said that even though the claim that 15 Islamic State (IS) terrorists had fled the country was yet to be confirmed by the Indian Government, it had put its fleet units on high alert, strengthening the naval security in the country’s maritime territorial boundary.NDTV had revealed that boats carrying 15 IS terrorists had left the Sri Lankan shores to the Lakshadweep islands last week.

“We have not received any official confirmation regarding this so far from the Indian Government, but we have passed this information on to all our fleet units, ordering them to be vigilant of any suspicious boat or vessel spotted in the high seas,” Navy Spokesman Lt. Commander Isuru Suriyabandara told the Daily FT.

He said that since the coordinated suicide attacks on Easter Sunday (21 April), the SLN had launched a special security plan to strengthen surveillance around the island.

The SLN spokesman said that in addition to the special security plan, all SLN fleet units had been alerted of this unconfirmed information.However, the Indian coastal police department had told PTI that the coastal police stations and the police chiefs of coastal districts had been alerted and asked to look out for any suspicious vessels as of 23 May, the day the alert came from Sri Lanka.“We have been alert since the Sri Lankan attack took place. We have also alerted the fishing vessels and others venturing into sea to be cautious of suspicious activities,” coastal department sources had confirmed to PTI.

According to PTI, after the serial bomb blasts in Sri Lanka, Kerala was put on alert, especially after NIA investigations revealed that ISIS operatives had planned attacks in the State.

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