International   

Heathrow too was a target

Hasan Suroor

LONDON: In a post-9/11 "operation'', Al-Qaeda reportedly planned to hijack U.K.-bound planes and crash them into Heathrow airport, according to American Government documents claimed to be based on information obtained from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Ramzi bin al-Shibh, the alleged masterminds behind 9/11 attacks, during interrogation by U.S. intelligence agencies.

The reports from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in America, released this week to coincide with the fifth anniversary of 9/11, claim that the alleged plot to bomb Heathrow airport was in an advanced stage and "four operatives'' had been identified.

"Lead operative"

According to the documents, Ramzi was a "lead operative in the post-September 11 plot conceived by Sheikh Mohammed to hijack aircraft and crash them into Heathrow airport.''

"He was asked by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to recruit operatives in Saudi Arabia for an attack on Heathrow airport and, as of his capture, had identified four operatives for the operation,'' the documents claim.

A number of other high-profile British targets were also alleged to be on Al-Qaeda's hit list. U.S. President George W. Bush said that Canary Wharf, an iconic skyscraper in London, was believed to be among the targets.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

NATO seeks more troops for Afghan operations
Heathrow too was a target
Army takes total control of Sampur
Indian hand in Baloch unrest, says Pakistan
Video shows Osama with 9/11 plotters
August toll high despite Baghdad crackdown
Questions about dental fillings
15 killed in Kabul suicide blast
Call for clampdown on CIA
Cub crushed to death
Admits to CIA leak
Sri Lanka distances itself from Minister's charge

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu