DHAKA: A little known radical Islamic group has threatened to kill Indian cricketers when they tour Bangladesh from Tuesday (Dec 7), the Indian High Commission (embassy) told AFP.

"We received a hand-written fax letter on Thursday (Dec 2) from an Islamic group called Harkat-ul-Zihad, saying that Indian cricketers will be killed if they visit Bangladesh," said high commission spokesman Shaibal Roy Chowdhury.

Bangladeshi authorities suspect the locally-based Harkat-ul-Zihad was behind an assassination bid on leading secular poet Shamsur Rahman here in 1998.

"In revenge for the killing of 2000 Muslims in Gujarat, we are going to kill Indian cricketers if they visit Bangladesh," Chowdhury quoted the letter as saying.

The riots in the western Indian state in early 2002, which left at least 2,000 people dead -- most of them Muslims -- erupted after a suspected Muslim mob set alight a train, burning to death 59 Hindu activists and other passengers.

The threat letter also drew a parallel with the Palestinian Black September attack which left 11 Israeli athletes dead at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

The high commission said an Indian security team would arrive in Bangladesh on Monday (Dec 6) to assess the situation.

The Bangladeshi government had been informed of the threat and it promised to take high-level security measures, the spokesman said.

"We have been informed about the threat by the high commission here and we have assured them to provide highest possible security to the visiting cricketers," said Nurus Safa Chowdhury, director of the foreign ministry's external publicity wing.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India was consulting the government over the extent of security needed for its players.

"We are in touch with the foreign ministry and other government departments and hopefully everything will be sorted out by Monday (Dec 6)," said vice-president Rajiv Shukla.

"Assurances have been sought from Bangladesh cricket officials and we are positive that the tour will go on as per schedule," said Shukla. "The players have not shown any concern for security so far."

The Indian team is due to play two Tests and three one-dayers.

The first Test will be held in Dhaka from December 9 and the second match in the eastern port city of Chittagong from December 16.

The first one-dayer in Chittagong on December 23 will be followed by back-to-back day-night matches in Dhaka on December 26 and 27.

The high commission spokesman said a final decision on whether the Indian team would tour Bangladesh was expected later Sunday (Dec 5).

Courtesy Agence France Presse