The Hindu : Front Page : U.K. foils plot to blow up U.S.-bound planes

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Aug 11, 2006

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U.K. foils plot to blow up U.S.-bound planes

Hasan Suroor

21 suspects held in raids; plan was to use "sophisticated" liquid explosives; high alert in Heathrow, other airports

UK terror plot foiled - Aug. 10, 2006

LONDON: Britain on Thursday went on the "highest" security alert after the discovery of an alleged terrorist plot to commit what Scotland Yard described as "mass murder on an unimaginable scale" by blowing up as many as 10 United States-bound flights originating from the United Kingdom.

The plot, which might have been carried out in the next few days, was likely to have involved a "wave" of almost simultaneous attacks by detonating "sophisticated" liquid explosives smuggled into planes in hand luggage. Flights bound for major American cities, including Washington DC, were reported to have been on the terrorists' hit list.

The Heathrow airport was closed to all incoming short-haul flights amid a warning that the threat remained. There was chaos at Heathrow and other British airports after flights were either cancelled or delayed as more elaborate security measures were put in place.

British Home Secretary John Reid said that had the plot been executed it would have caused loss of life on an "unprecedented scale." He complimented the MI5 and the anti-terror police on foiling it in good time. Prime Minister Tony Blair, who was on holiday abroad, was in "constant touch" with the developments.

In a massive operation, 21 people were arrested and police were searching premises across the country. The names of the arrested persons were not disclosed but Mr. Reid said the "main players" were in custody.

BBC said the "principal characters" suspected of being involved in the alleged plot were British-born with "possible links to Pakistan." Sky TV quoted sources as saying they were "British Muslims."

(A senior Pakistani official told AFP in Islamabad that Pakistani intelligence helped British authorities foil the plot. "The action taken in London was made possible only with the close cooperation between Pakistani and British intelligence.")

In London, Deputy Commissioner of Metropolitan police Paul Stephenson said the plan was to cause "untold death and destruction."

"We are confident that we have disrupted a plan by terrorists to cause untold death and destruction and to commit, quite frankly, mass murder. 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," he said.

Head of the anti-terrorist branch Peter Clarke said the decision to act was taken on Wednesday night. The investigation, which led to Thursday's lightning operation, followed an "unprecedented" level of surveillance of the suspects and had "global dimensions."

He emphasised that no particular community was being targeted.

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