Major Terror Plot distrupted in Britain !!

[RAPTOR]

Major Terror Plot Disrupted in Britain
Several Arrested for Planning to Use Explosives Smuggled in Hand Luggage
By DANICA KIRKA, AP

LONDON (Aug. 10) - British authorities thwarted a terrorist plot to blow up several aircraft mid-flight between the United States and Britain using explosives smuggled in hand luggage, officials said Thursday.

British Airways advised passengers on its Web site Thursday that no hand luggage was to be permitted on any aircraft leaving Britain.

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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.
The national threat level 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.
The U.S. government raised its threat level to the highest level for commercial flights from Britain to the United States early Thursday.
"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 U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.
Prime Minister Tony Blair, vacationing in the Caribbean, had briefed President Bush on the situation overnight, Blair's office said.
The Department of Transport advised all passengers that they would not be permitted to carry any hand baggage on board any aircraft departing from any airport in the country.
Passengers faced delays as tighter security was hastily enforced at the country's airports and additional measures were put in place for all flights. British Airways said laptop computers, mobile phones, iPods and remote controls were among the items banned from being carried on board.

08-10-06 03:03 EDT


Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

 

[RAPTOR]

Guys ,this is MAJOR. All news networks are reporting this...Heathrow has been shut down and true to form....Pakistan's Enemies..(indians/hindus) have started to post their own news propaganda to somehow implicate Pakistani Moslems in the U.K. I wouldnt be surprised if this was another RAW planned attack like the mooombai train bombing or the madrid attacks in which shopping bags from Kerala were found...as well as the arrests of 18 indian immigrants by spanish police. Sky news and FOX have already started to host 3 indian news casters trying to implicate Pakistan. You might have noted the recent utterings by some indians about training camps in Pakistan and Richard Boucher's weird assumptions about certain camps operating in Kashmir.

More should be posted on here as soon as Scotland Yard and MI6 /MI5 notify the media of any further developments.

 

[MrConcerned]

yes if it's Pakistani Muslims involved, it must be RAW. With geniuses like you, why does the ummah of 300 million have only 9 Nobel Prizes, when the 9 million Jews have 165?

 

[Samudra]

If people are going to make their own conspiracy theories linking RAW,CIA and Mossad to every goddam terrorist attack then heaven help the world!

 

[A.Rahman]

yes if it's Pakistani Muslims involved, it must be RAW. With geniuses like you, why does the ummah of 300 million have only 9 Nobel Prizes, when the 9 million Jews have 165?

and what nobel prize has to do with anything?

 

[JSK]

Britain bans hand luggage fearing use of liquid explosives; 21 arrested

LONDON - British authorities said Thursday they thwarted a terrorist plot to simultaneously blow up nine aircraft heading to the U.S. using explosives smuggled in hand luggage, averting what police described as “mass murder on an unimaginable scale.”

Police arrested 21 people, saying they were confident they captured the main suspects in what U.S. officials said was a plot in its final phases that had all the earmarks of an al-Qaida operation. President Bush called it a “stark reminder” of the continued threat to the United States from extremist Muslims.
Little was disclosed about those arrested, although one police official indicated they are British residents. A French official in contact with British authorities described the 21 as originating from predominantly Muslim Pakistan.

Officials raised security to its highest level in Britain — suggesting a terrorist attack might be imminent — and banned carry-on luggage on all flights. Huge crowds backed up at security barriers at London’s Heathrow airport as officials searching for explosives barred nearly every form of liquid outside of baby formula.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the terrorists planned to use liquid explosives disguised as beverages and other common products and set them off with detonators disguised as electronic devices.

NBC News’ Robert Windrem has learned each plane would have multiple plotters on board, each carrying a component of the bomb that would then be combined in flight.

Alerts raised worldwide

The extreme measures at a major international aviation hub sent ripples throughout the world. Heathrow was closed to most flights from Europe, and British Airways canceled all its flights between the airport and points in Britain, Europe and Libya. Numerous flights from U.S. cities to Britain were canceled.

Washington raised its threat alert to its highest level for commercial flights from Britain to the United States amid fears the plot had not been completely crushed. The alert for all flights coming or going from the United States was also raised slightly.

Two U.S. counterterrorism officials said the terrorists had targeted United, American and Continental airlines. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.

A U.S. intelligence official said the plotters had hoped to target flights to major airports in New York, Washington and California.

British Home Secretary John Reid said the 21 people were arrested in London, its suburbs and Birmingham following a lengthy investigation, including the alleged “main players” in the plot. Searches continued in a number of locations.

The British Broadcasting Corp. said police were evacuating homes in High Wycombe, a town 30 miles northwest of London, near one of the houses being searched. Police refused to confirm the report or to discuss any details of the searches.

‘Stark reminder’
Bush said during a visit to Green Bay, Wis., that the thwarted plot was a “stark reminder that this nation is at war with Islamic fascists.” Despite increased security since Sept. 11, he warned, “It is a mistake to believe there is no threat to the United States of America.”

While British officials declined to publicly identify the 21 suspects, French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy said in Paris that they “appear to be of Pakistani origin.” He did not give a source for his description, but said French officials had been in close contact with British authorities.

The suspects were “homegrown,” though it was not immediately clear if they were all British citizens, said a British police official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case. Police were working closely with the South Asian community, the official said.

The suicide bombing assault on London subway trains and a bus on July 7, 2005, was carried out by Muslim extremists who grew up in Britain.

The police official said the plotters intended to simultaneously target multiple planes bound for the United States.

“We think this was an extraordinarily serious plot and we are confident that we’ve prevented an attempt to commit mass murder on an unimaginable scale,” Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Stephenson said.

First time red alert status invoked

Prime Minister Tony Blair, vacationing in the Caribbean, briefed Bush on the situation overnight. Blair issued a statement praising the cooperation between the two countries, saying it “underlines the threat we face and our determination to counter it.”

White House spokesman Tony Snow said Bush also had been briefed by his aides while at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, where he has been on vacation.

“We do believe the plot involved flights from the U.K. to the U.S. and was a direct threat to the United States,” Snow said.

While Snow called the plot a serious threat, he assured Americans that “it is safe to travel.”

Chertoff, the homeland security chief, said the plot had the hallmarks of an operation planned by al-Qaida, the terrorist group behind the Sept. 11 attack on the United States.

“It was sophisticated, it had a lot of members and it was international in scope. It was in some respects suggestive of an al-Qaida plot,” Chertoff said, but he cautioned it was too early in the investigation to reach any conclusions.

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.”

“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,” Chertoff said.

He added, however, there was no indication of current plots within the United States.

‘Close to the execution phase’
Chertoff said the plotters were in the final stages of planning. “We were really getting quite close to the execution phase,” he said, adding that it was unclear if the plot was linked to the upcoming fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

A senior U.S. counterterrorism official said authorities believe dozens of people — possibly as many as 50 — were involved in the plot. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.

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.”

Passengers in Britain faced delays as tighter security was hastily enforced at the country’s airports and additional measures were put in place for all flights. Laptop computers, mobile phones, iPods, and remote controls were among the items banned from being carried on board.

Liquids, such as hair care products, were also barred on flights in both Britain and the U.S.

In the mid-1990s, officials foiled a plan by terrorist mastermind Ramzi Youssef to blow up 12 Western jetliners simultaneously over the Pacific. The alleged plot involved improvised bombs using liquid hidden in contact lens solution containers.

Traveling woes
Huge lines formed at ticket counters and behind security barriers at Heathrow and other airports in Britain.

Ed Lappen, 55, a businessman from Boston, who was traveling with his wife and daughter to Russia, found himself unable to travel further. “We’re safe, we’re OK,” he said at Heathrow. “Now my daughter is going to get a shopping trip in London.”

Hannah Pillinger, 24, seemed less concerned by the announcement. “Eight hours without an iPod, that’s the most inconvenient thing,” she said, waiting at the Manchester airport.

Most European carriers canceled flights to Heathrow because of the massive delays created after authorities enforced strict new regulations banning most hand baggage.

Tony Douglas, Heathrow’s managing director, said the airport hoped to resume normal operations Friday, but passengers would still face delays and a ban on cabin baggage “for the foreseeable future.”

Security also was stepped up at train stations serving airports across Britain, said British Transport Police spokeswoman Jan O’Neill. At London’s Victoria Station, police patrolled platforms with bomb-sniffing dogs as passengers boarded trains carrying clear plastic bags.

Margaret Gavin, 67, waiting to board a train, said she wasn’t scared. “Why should I change my life because some idiots want to blow something up?” she said.

NBC News’ Robert Windrem and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 

[Neo]

It was a terrible day at work for me, thousands of stranded passengers and many delays at Amsterdam airport due security alert.

There's atemporary ban on all handluggage on US bound flights and very limited number of items is allowed on board which has to be carried in special transparant plastic bags handed out by security.
Parents with infants carrying babyfood have to tase the stuff in front of the security before its allowed on board.
Its terrible man...chaotic!

 

[Sid]

One cynical anonymous high-ranking official according to CNN has even said, who knows two years down the line we'd be asked to travel naked. Gave me a good little laugh in the middle of the night!

 

[TexasJohn]

yes if it's Pakistani Muslims involved, it must be RAW. With geniuses like you, why does the ummah of 300 million have only 9 Nobel Prizes, when the 9 million Jews have 165?

I did not RAW was THAT smart!!!!!

 

[Owais]

Pakistan helped foil airlines bomb plot, says foreign office

ISLAMABAD (August 11 2006): Authorities on Thursday said they had made several arrests, which helped the British police uncover a plot to blow up multiple airliners flying to the United States. The detentions of an unspecified number of suspects by key US ally Pakistan were co-ordinated with the detention of 21 suspects in Britain, Foreign Office Spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam told AFP.

"Pakistan played a very important role in uncovering and breaking this international terrorist network," Tasnim said. "There were some arrests in Pakistan which were co-ordinated with arrests in the UK."

The arrests in Britain "followed active international co-operation between Pakistan, the United Kingdom and the United States," adding: "Cooperation on this was spread over a period of time."

Tasnim gave no further details about when the arrests occurred or the identities of those who were detained. "Pakistan is an important partner in the international coalition against terrorism and we are at the forefront of international efforts to combat the scourge of our time," she said.

A senior Pakistani security source said intelligence agencies in Islamabad had provided key leads to Britain's secret service that enabled them to bust the plot.

"The actions that have been taken in London were made possible only with the close co-operation between Pakistani and British intelligence," the official told AFP on the condition of anonymity. "Pakistani intelligence co-operated and provided vital information that led to these actions."

 

[A.Rahman]

One cynical anonymous high-ranking official according to CNN has even said, who knows two years down the line we'd be asked to travel naked. Gave me a good little laugh in the middle of the night!

and no one will question it. they will get used to it

 

[JSK]

Bank of England names 19; 5 ‘facilitators’ of plan arrested in Pakistan

LONDON - British officials identified 19 of the suspects accused of planning to blow up U.S.-bound aircraft in the biggest terrorist plot to be uncovered since 9/11. Travelers saw shorter lines at airports as flight schedules slowly returned to normal Friday.

Five Pakistanis have been arrested in Pakistan as suspected “facilitators” of the plot, a government official said, in addition to two Britons arrested there about a week ago.

The Bank of England said it had frozen the accounts of 19 people arrested Thursday. The men, ranging in age from 17 to 35, had names of Muslim origin, many of which are common in Pakistan.

British police have arrested 24 people suspected of involvement in the plot. Investigators, describing a plan on the scale of the Sept. 11 attacks, said the attackers planned to use common electronic devices to detonate liquid explosives to bring down as many as 10 planes.

The bombs were to be assembled on the aircraft, apparently with peroxide-based solution and everyday carry-on items such as a disposable camera or a music player, two American law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because Britain asked that no information be released.

A federal law enforcement official in Washington said that at least one martyrdom tape was found during raids across England on Thursday. Such a tape, as well as the scheme to strike a range of targets at roughly the same time, is an earmark of al-Qaida.

Strong Pakistan connection
British Home Secretary John Reid said Britain was grateful for Pakistan’s cooperation and that officials believed the main suspects were in custody. However, the threat level in the U.K. remained at “critical,” the highest level.

Agents in Pakistan arrested at least seven people, including two British nationals of Pakistani origin who provided information on the terror plot, a senior government official said Friday. The arrests were made in the eastern city of Lahore and in Karachi, the official said on condition of anonymity because he did not have the authority to speak formally on the issue.

Two were Britons arrested about a week ago, he said. The five Pakistanis were arrested on suspicion that they served as local “facilitators” for the two Britons, the official said. It wasn’t clear when they’d been detained.

The Guardian newspaper, citing unidentified British government sources, said that after the arrests a message was sent to Britain telling the plotters: “Do your attacks now.” That message was intercepted and decoded earlier this week, The Guardian said.

A U.S. congressman briefed by intelligence officials, who did not want to be identified because of the sensitivity of the investigation, said U.S. intelligence had intercepted terrorist chatter.

Many of the 24 suspects arrested in Britain were said to be British Muslims, and neighbors said at least two of those arrested were converts to Islam. One of the suspects was reported to work at Heathrow Airport.

Another difficult day’
Airline passengers faced a second day of disruptions and disappointment as airports struggled to restore flight schedules.

“It is going to be another difficult day today, both for airports and for passengers, but there is cause for optimism that we will get more flights off today,” said Stephen Nelson, chief executive of British Airports Authority, which runs Britain’s major airports.

At Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, around 70 percent of flights were running Friday, but many passengers turned around and headed home after an early morning announcement that a raft of flights had been canceled, including British Airways services to San Francisco and Los Angeles.

“I quite understand all the checks. I know why they have got to do it,” said Elaine Loman, who was hoping to catch a flight from Heathrow to Barcelona, Spain.

The threat of liquid explosives led to a ban on carrying nearly any kind of fluid aboard an aircraft. Mothers tasted baby bottles in front of airport security guards to prove it contained milk or formula — not a component of an explosive.

‘Homegrown’ terror
The raids in Britain on Thursday followed a monthslong investigation, but U.S. intelligence officials said authorities moved quickly after learning the plotters hoped to stage a practice run within two days, with the actual attack expected just days after that.

The test run was designed to see whether the plotters would be able to smuggle the needed materials aboard the planes, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Targeted were United, American and Continental Airlines flights from Britain to major U.S. destinations, which counterterrorism officials said probably included New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said the individuals plotted to detonate liquid explosive devices on as many as 10 aircraft.

British police official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation, said the suspects were “homegrown.” Reuters reported all of those in custody were British citizens.

Tariq Azim Khan, the Pakistani minister of state for information, said “these people were born and brought up in the United Kingdom. Some of them may have parents who were immigrants from Pakistan.”

‘He is completely different now’
Raids were carried out at homes in London, the nearby town of High Wycombe and in Birmingham, in central England. Searches continued throughout the day, and police cordoned off streets in several locations. Police also combed a wooded area in High Wycombe.

Neighbors identified one of the suspects as Don Stewart-Whyte, 21, from High Wycombe, a convert who changed his name to Abdul Waheed.

“He converted to Islam about six months ago and grew a full beard,” said a neighbor, who refused to be identified. “He used to smoke weed and drink a lot but he is completely different now.”

Ibrahim Savant of Walthamstow, one of the names on the Bank of England list, was a convert formerly known as Oliver, neighbors said.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

source: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14297890/page/2/

 

[A.Rahman]

“He converted to Islam about six months ago and grew a full beard,” said a neighbor, who refused to be identified. “He used to smoke weed and drink a lot but he is completely different now.”

yea, he's a terrorist now.

 

[Neo]

ISLAMABAD, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- "Al-Qaida's No. 3" was the mastermind behind the plot to blow up transatlantic flights, local newspaper Dawn Wednesday quoted an intelligence source as saying.

"It is not Osama bin Laden and it's not Aiman Al Zawahiri, but someone close to the rank of Abu Faraj Al-Libbi," the source said.

It is an al-Qaida connection, the source said with anonymity.
"It is the top hierarchy," he said.

Abu Faraj Al-Libbi, a third-tier al-Qaida operative, was believed involved in an attempt to assassinate President Gen Pervez Musharraf and was arrested from Mardan in May 2005.

The intelligence source said the plot to blow up U.S.-bound planes was similar in pattern to the one hatched to kill President Musharraf.

"There was a mastermind, there was a planner and there were the executioners," he said.

The source said that al-Qaida's link to the London airline bombing plot was established.

Stressing the importance of key person Rashid Rauf's arrest, the source said that without his capture the plot would not have been foiled.

He acknowledged that there had been some hype about the bombing plots but said the plotters were in the planning stage and were procuring chemicals and equipment. They were not in the execution stage, he said.

The source said that Rauf had gone to the United Kingdom in 1981 when he was less than one year old. He returned to Pakistan in 2002 and had since been living here.

He had been living in Pakistan, the source clarified but declined to say when and where he had been arrested.

The source said that Pakistan was withholding the information due to British legal sensitivities and that a team of their legal experts was in Pakistan to discuss the case.

He said that Pakistani security agencies had arrested six to seven suspects, including Rashid Rauf.

This is an ongoing operation and there could be more arrests, he said. "Certainly, there will be more arrests as the investigation proceeds," he said.
The source agreed that some of the London plotters might have come to Pakistan but said that Islamabad was awaiting information, including antecedents and passport details of the plotters to ascertain facts.

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