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"Plot'' to kidnap Blair's son smashed

Hasan Suroor

"... Fathers4Justice have been involved in some pretty spectacular stunts recently."

LONDON: An incipient "plot'' to abduct Prime Minister Tony Blair's five-year-old son Leo, the youngest of his four children, was "smashed'' shortly before Christmas, The Sun newspaper claimed on Wednesday.

It said the alleged plot was apparently mooted by a "lunatic'' fringe in the Fathers4Justice group which has staged a number of headline-grabbing stunts to draw attention to its case for giving divorced or separated fathers easier access to their children.

"No details of how the fanatics intended to snatch the child have been disclosed. But it is understood the men only wanted to hold Leo for a short period of time and were not intending to harm him,'' the tabloid said quoting a security source as saying that the alleged moved was "nipped in the bud.''

No arrests have been made but police inquiries are continuing.

The BBC reported police sources as saying they were aware of the "plot'' but it was only at a "chattering stage'' when it was foiled. Officially, there was no word either from the police or Downing Street.

The Sun said the Blairs were informed of the alleged plan and were assured that police were "on top of the situation.''

Graham Dudman, the paper's managing editor, told the BBC: "The police took this very seriously because, of course, Fathers4Justice have been involved in some pretty spectacular stunts recently."

In its front-page splash, the newspaper said the police "stumbled'' on the "startling plan'' when investigating the fanatical elements of the Fathers4Justice group.

In the past, stunts by the group included dropping purple powder at the Prime Minister in the Commons and scaling the gates of Buckingham Palace.

Matt O'Connor, founder of the group, confirmed that officers of the anti-terrorism unit of the Metropolitan Police "visited'' some former members of his organisation over the Christmas period but said he did not know about the alleged plot.

Condemning it "unreservedly,'' he said: "We do peaceful direct action with a dash of humour. We're in the business of uniting dads with their kids not separating them...We have to consider the future of the organisation if our name is being associated with such actions.''

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