US officials fear that should the firm evidence emerge that the Mumbai terror attacks were planned and directed from within Pakistan, it would certainly escalate tension between the neighbouring countries and could also provoke an Indian military response, even strikes against militants, a media report said on Saturday.

Quoting the officials in Washington, 'The New York Times' said there was no evidence that Pakistani government had any role in the attacks.

But American intelligence and counter-terrorism officials told the paper that there is mounting evidence that a Pakistani militant group, most likely Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), was responsible for deadly attacks in Mumbai.

An American counter-terrorism official was quoted as saying that there was strong evidence that LeT had a ‘maritime capability’ and would have been able to mount the sophisticated operation in Mumbai.

However, the officials, the ‘Times’ said, cautioned that they had reached no firm conclusions about who was responsible for the attacks, or how they were planned and carried out.

Nevertheless, they said that evidence gathered in the past two days pointed to a role for LeT or possibly another militant group Jaish-e-Muhammad, which also has a track record of attacks against India.

The American and Indian intelligence services, the ‘Times’ said, have used communications intercepts to tie the Pakistan-based militants to the terrorist strikes.

Indian officials may also be gleaning information from at least one captured gunman who participated in the Mumbai attacks.

The paper quoted an Indian intelligence official as saying that during the siege, the militants have been using non-Indian cellphones and receiving calls from outside the country, evidence that in part led Indian officials to speak publicly about the militants' external ties.

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