There are concerns over the safety of Australian athletes competing in India, after reports they could be targeted by terrorists.
A Pakistani militant with links to al-Qaeda, Ilyas Kashmiri, has warned the international community against sending competitors to the Indian Premier League cricket, hockey's World Cup and the Commonwealth Games, according to media reports.
The Hong Kong-based Asia Times Online website said Kashmiri sent the warning by email, Fairfax newspapers reported on Wednesday.
"We warn the international community not to send their people to the 2010 Hockey World Cup, IPL and Commonwealth Games. Nor should their people visit India - if they do they will be responsible for the consequences," the Asia Times quoted Kashmiri as saying.
The Australian newspaper said Kashmiri was a leader of a group called the 313 Brigade, which is reportedly an operational arm of al-Qaeda and has been linked to a number of incidents including the attacks on Mumbai last year and bombings in Islamabad.
An Indian security expert, B Raman, said Kashmiri had a history of issuing threats through Asia Times Online, Fairfax reported.
Police 'following up' threat
"He is a well-known terrorist figure in Pakistan so this has to be closely followed up," he said.
The reported al-Qaeda threat came soon after a deadly bomb blast at a restaurant in western India which killed 10 people and injured 57 - the first major strike on Indian soil since the assault on Mumbai in November 2008.
Sporting organisations contacted by The Australian on Tuesday night said they would rely on security reports before travelling to India.
Meanwhile, NZPA reported that New Zealand Commonwealth Games officials were waiting to hear from security forces on how seriously to take the threat to sports events in India.
On Tuesday night NZ/AEDT time, the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) said from Vancouver it was aware of the reports of the threat.
An NZOC spokeswoman at the Winter Olympics said it was taking the matter seriously and team personnel had been in contact with the Combined Threat Assessment Group (CTAG) group, an inter-departmental New Zealand counter-terrorism operation.
"We are seeking government advice on the nature and validity of the threat and will take action as appropriate," the spokeswoman said.
New Zealand athletes are heading for India next week to take part in the Hockey World Cup, while a number of New Zealand cricketers play in the IPL.
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