Indian official: suspect Pakistan's LeT in Punjab attack; 9 dead so far, several injured; attack still in progress (UPDATED)

UPDATE 4:00 AM EDT
Frm The Hindu 'live blogging' of the incident
-  Gunmen reportely holed up in an empty building
-- MoS Jitendra Singh goes on record to say that ISI likely behind the Gurdaspur attack.
-- Security forces want to capture the gumen for questioning so they're going slow as there doesn't seem to be a hostage situation.

The situation is still fog of war so this will be my last update for this post.
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Zee News reports

A high alert has been sounded and security strengthened across Punjab, neighbouring Haryana and Union Territory of Chandigarh in the wake of the terror attack which came less than three weeks before the country's Independence Day. ... A senior police official says that in view of the attack, "maximum alert" has been sounded across the state and security has been beefed up along its borders with neighbouring Jammu and Kashmir.

From another report at Zee, a countrywide terrorist alert has also been issued by the government.

Sophisticated, complex attack in Punjab; concerns are that it's meant to derail negotiations between India and Pakistan on a range of issues. Bloomberg reported at 1:49 AM EDT that India's government suspects LeT (a veritable arm of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency) is the perp:

[...] Security forces have surrounded the militants, who are holed up in a police complex in the town of Dinanagar, Abhinav Trikha, a deputy commissioner in Punjab, said by phone.

India’s Home Ministry suspects that Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba is behind the attacks, a government official told reporters in New Delhi. He asked not to be identified, citing ministry rules.

The incident is the most serious since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power last year. While border incidents are common in Jammu and Kashmir state further to the north, Punjab has been relatively peaceful over the past decade. [...]

No mention of the accusation in what seems to be the latest report on the attack:

9 killed in suspected terror attack in PunjabTNN via Times of India
Jul 27, 2015
10.21 AM IST

GURDASPUR: In a suspected terror attack, gunmen wearing army uniform on Monday went on a rampage attacking a bus, a health centre and a police station, leaving nine persons, including a policeman, dead and several injured in Gurdaspur district of Punjab.

Army has launched an operation against the militants numbering about five who are holed up in Dinanagar police station complex.

The assailants also targeted a building where the families of police personnel reside and threw grenades.

According to police, the mayhem started at about 5am when the attackers first targeted a roadside eatery and took off in a car after killing a person who was sleeping near Dinanagar bypass.

They opened fire on a moving bus, in which four passengers were injured, they said.

They also targeted a community health centre adjacent Dinanagar police station, in which a policeman and three civilians including a woman who were present in the premises were killed.

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The gunmen entered the Dinanagar police station and opened fire on policemen there in which five policemen were seriously injured. They then targeted other part of the building where the families of police personnel reside.

[END REPORT]

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