Terrorist Plot - breaking news
Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 4:43 am
woke up to the news being full of this....
First a British article then an American one
on the telly they are saying that they have people in custody and arrests have been made
First a British article then an American one
on the telly they are saying that they have people in custody and arrests have been made
A plot to blow up planes in flight from the UK to the US and commit "mass murder on an unimaginable scale" has been disrupted, Scotland Yard has said. It is thought the plan was to detonate explosive devices smuggled in hand luggage on to as many as 10 aircraft.
Police were searching premises with 21 people in custody after arrests in the London area and West Midlands. High security is causing delays at all UK airports. The threat level to the UK has been raised by MI5 to critical.
According to MI5's website, critical threat level - the highest - means "an attack is expected imminently and indicates an extremely high level of threat to the UK".
Heathrow Airport has been closed to all incoming flights that are not already in the air, while several outbound services have been cancelled.
The airport is crammed with thousands of passengers, while at Stansted more than 2,000 people are queuing to pass through customs.
'Operation ongoing'
Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Paul Stephenson said the alleged plotters had intended "mass murder on an unimaginable scale". "We are confident that we have disrupted a plan by terrorists to cause untold death and destruction and to commit, quite frankly, mass murder," he said. "We believe that the terrorists' aim was to smuggle explosives on to aeroplanes in hand luggage and to detonate these in flight. We also believe that the intended targets were flights from the United Kingdom to the United States of America. "I can confirm that a significant number of people are currently in custody and the operation is ongoing."
Police had spoken to a "good number of community leaders to make them aware that a major operation was under way," he added.
The arrests took place in London, High Wycombe and Birmingham.
West Midlands Police said two men were arrested under the Terrorism Act in Birmingham. No firearms officers were involved in the operation, it said in a statement. According to BBC sources the "principal characters" suspected of being involved in the plot were British-born.
BBC home affairs correspondent Andy Tighe said police sources had told him they had found "interesting items" which were being examined.
He said police acted when "something happened". "Some kind of development that they felt if they held off any longer it could be detremental to public safety."
In other major developments:
-The US Department of Homeland Security increased the threat level applied to US-bound commercial flights originating in the UK to "red" - the first time it has done this for flights coming in from another country
-The Home Office confirmed there had been three meetings overnight and on Thursday morning of the Cabinet's emergency committee, Cobra, chaired by Home Secretary John Reid, to discuss the terror alert
-A spokesman for Number 10 said Tony Blair had briefed US President George Bush on the situation during the night
-All passengers were banned from taking hand luggage onto flights, while the government warned of delays.
BBC home affairs correspondent Daniel Sandford said he did not think the police believed an attack was imminent now there had been arrests.
"The reason for raising the threat level is in case there is some other sub-plot, back-up plot around this that the police aren't aware of," he said.
BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera said given that most liquids were being banned from flights it suggested the suspected plot involved "some kind of liquid explosive".
He also said the plot had an "international dimension", while the investigation had involved the CIA.
"The Americans have definitely been involved for quite some time," he said. Prime Minister Tony Blair is on holiday in the Caribbean, but Downing Street said the police operation was undertaken with his full support and he had been "in constant touch".
Transparent bags
The Department for Transport set out the details of the security measures at UK airports.
Passengers are not allowed to take any hand luggage on to any flights in the UK, the department said. Only the barest essentials - including passports and wallets - will be allowed to be carried on board in transparent plastic bags. "We hope that these measures, which are being kept under review by the government, will need to be in place for a limited period only," the statement said.
U.S. Raises Threat Alert After Foiled London Plot
Terrorists Were Reportedly Planning To Blow Up Planes Flying To U.S.
(CBS News) WASHINGTON The U.S. government raised its threat warning to the highest level for commercial flights from Britain to the United States early Thursday in response to a terror plot disrupted in London. Multiple flights to multiple American cities were put on alert, a western counterrorism official said.
In addition to the highest alert for flights from Britain, the alert for all flights coming or going from the United States was
also raised.
"We believe that these arrests (in London) have significantly disrupted the threat, but we cannot be sure that the threat has been entirely eliminated or the plot completely thwarted," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff in announcing that the threat level for flights from Britain to the United States has been raised to the highest "severe or red" level.
"To defend further against any remaining threat from this plot, we will also raise the threat level to high, or orange, for all commercial aviation operating in or destined for the United States," Chertoff said.
It is the first time the red alert level in the Homeland Security warning system has been invoked, although there have been brief periods in the past when the orange level was applied. Homeland Security defines the red alert as designating a "severe risk of terrorist attacks."
A statement issued by Chertoff said "currently, there is no indication ... of plotting within the United States."
A U.S. law enforcement official said there have been no arrests in the United States connected to the plot.
A senior U.S. counterterrorism official said authorities believe dozens of people -- possibly as many as 50 -- were involved in the overseas plot that was unraveled Wednesday evening. The plan "had a footprint to al Qaeda back to it," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.
It was not believed to be connected to the Egyptian students who disappeared in the United States more than a week ago before reaching a college they were supposed to attend in Montana. Three of the 11 have since been found and the FBI has said neither they nor the still-missing eight are believed to be a threat.
The plan involved airline passengers hiding masked explosives in carry on luggage, the official said. "They were not yet sitting on an airplane," but were very close to traveling, the official said, calling the plot "the real deal."
Another Western counterterrorism official, also speaking on condition of anonymity about the highly sensitive investigation, called the investigation "very serious."
U.S. intelligence has been working closely with the British on the investigation, which has been ongoing for months, the second official said.
Authorities have not yet arrested or detained all suspects who are believed to be involved in the plot, the official said,
prompting Chertoff's alarm.
"Consistent with these higher threat levels, the Transportation Security Administration is coordinating with federal partners, airport authorities and commercial airlines on expanding the intensity of existing security requirements," Chertoff said.
"Due to the nature of the threat revealed by this investigation, we are prohibiting any liquids, including beverages,
hair gels, and lotions from being carried on the airplane."
He said the changes take effect at 4 a.m. local time across the United States and will be undated as warranted.
Chertoff said travelers in the United States "should also anticipate additional security measures within the airport and at screening checkpoints."
Multiple airlines with flights to multiple U.S. airports were at risk, according to a western counterterrorism official. Another official refused to identify the airlines because they were still being notified of the threat but referred to them as the "usual suspects." In the past, U.S. cities with terrorism threats or plots have included Washington, New York, Boston and Los Angeles.
Airlines whose planes were hijacked on Sept. 11, 2001, were United Airlines and American Airlines. British Airways has also dealt with numerous threats in recent years.
"These measures will continue to assure that our aviation system remains safe and secure," Chertoff added. "Travelers should go about their plans confidently, while maintaining vigilance in their surroundings and exercising patience with screening and security officials."
Prime Minister Tony Blair's office said in London that the prime minister, vacationing in the Caribbean, had briefed President Bush on the situation overnight.
There was no immediate public reaction from the White House. Bush is spending a few days at his ranch near Crawford, Texas.
"The United States and the United Kingdom are fully united and resolute in this effort and in our ongoing efforts to secure our respective homelands," said Chertoff.
The Homeland Security Department devised the alert system after the Sept. 11 attacks. The last time the U.S.government raised the terrorist risk here to orange, or high, was in July 2005 after the subway bombings in London. It was lowered to yellow a month later, the elevated risk status that has been the norm since the system
was created.
U.S. authorities, including the Transportation Security Administration, planned a news briefing early Thursday.
In London, Britain's Home Secretary John Reid said the alleged plot was "significant" and that terrorists aimed to "bring down a number of aircraft through mid-flight explosions, causing a considerable loss of life."
Police arrested a number of people overnight in London after a major covert counterterrorism operation that had lasted several months, but did not immediately say how many. Heathrow airport in London was closed for most European flights.
The national threat level in Britain was raised to critical -- a warning level that indicates the likelihood of an imminent terrorist attack. The threat rating was posted on the Web site of Britain's MI5 -- the British domestic spy agency.
