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August 10, 2006

UK: Major Islamist Airplane Terror Plot Uncovered - 21 Arrests, Flights Cancelled, Airport Chaos

Britain and the United States have raised their security alerts to the highest level, as the UK Home Secretary John Reid this morning announced that a major plot to "bring down a number of aircraft through mid-flight explosions, causing considerable loss of life" had been uncovered.

There have been 21 arrests in Britain, connected with this plot, from London, Thames Valley and Birmingham. Incoming European flights to Heathrow Airport have been suspended. Passengers are being subjected to rigorous baggage checks before boarding planes, and only the barest of essential hand lauggage is being allowed onto planes, kept in transparent bags.

News so far is carried by the Times, the Guardian, the BBC and Telegraph with more links below, and updates to follow.

MI5 stated: "The current threat level is assessed as critical as of 10th August 2006 - this means that an attack is expected imminently and indicates an extremely high level of threat to the UK."

John Reid announced: "Overnight the police, with the full knowledge of ministers, have carried out a major counter-terrorism operation to disrupt what we believe to be a major threat to the UK and international partners. The police, acting with the Security Service MI5, are investigating an alleged plot to bring down a number of aircraft through mid-flight explosions, causing a considerable loss of life. The police believe the alleged plot was a very significant one indeed.

At 2am this morning the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre raised the UK threat state to its highest level - "CRITICAL". This is now being publicly announced as I promised to Parliament last month. This is a precautionary measure. We are doing everything possible to disrupt any further terrorist activity. This will mean major disruption at all UK airports from today. But as far as is possible we want people to go about their business as normal. The police will provide an update on the operation later this morning and ministers will keep the public regularly informed. "

Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander stated: "Earlier this morning, all UK airports and all airlines operating into and out of the UK were asked to implement a heightened level of security. This step has been taken to ensure maximum security on all flights so people can go ahead with their travel arrangements.

However, ensuring maximum security unfortunately will involve immediate and severe disruption for passengers, with significant delays likely at all UK airports. What these changes mean in practice is that all hand baggage will now have to be checked in with only a small number of essential items allowed through search controls. Exceptions will be in place for those travelling with infants and for prescription medicines. Extra security arrangements will be in place for flights to the USA.

Passengers wanting detailed information on these new arrangements for their individual flight should contact the airline they are using. Additionally advice on what will be allowed as hand luggage is also available on the Home Office, Department for Transport and Foreign Office websites.

This heightened level of security will last only as long as the situation demands. We will keep this under review. I will provide a further update later in the day and would ask all passengers to show patience and understanding in the inevitably difficult circumstances they will now be facing."

The situation at airports such as Stansted (above) and Heathrow is chaotic for passengers. There are major delays as flights are double-checked and baggage is checked. At Stansted, no passengers are allowed to take drinks bottles into aircraft. Mothers of young babies are allowed to bring milk, but must drink some, to demonstrate that it is milk.There are traffic tailbacks of two miles on the M11 motorway, leading to Stansted.

Manchester airport says its flights will all suffer at least 30 to 90 minutes delays. Some airline services, such as RyanAir are removing handling charges to baggage brought onto flights today.

Gatwick airport has seen only half of its EasyJet planes leave today.

Birmingham International Airport has told passengers to turn up as normal for outgoing flights, but to make the process easier by reducing their hand luggage to a minimum.

Lufthansa AG, Air France, KLM, Alitalia and Iberia have cancelled all incoming flights to the UK until at least this afternoon. BAA, which operates Heathrow, says that all short-haul flights from Europe and Uk have been cancelled. Several outbound flights have been cancelled.

Special extra train services have been added by Eurostar to ensure those who wish to travel to the continent can do so by rail, via the Channel Tunnel.

Paul Stephenson, Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner, stated that the plot had been to create "mass murder on an unimaginable scale." He said: "We are confident that we have disrupted a plan by terrorists to cause untold death and destruction and to commit, quite frankly, mass murder."

The US Department of Homeland Security increased their threat level to US-bound commercial flights from the UK to "red". This is the first time it has raised the alert level so high, for flights coming in from another country

The Times states that there were plans to detonate bombs on NINE flights simultaneously. The suspects in custody are believed to all be British nationals, and most are of Pakistani origin.

Several addresses are currently being searched.

Deputy Commissioner Paul Stephenson said: "We believe that the terrorists' aim was to smuggle explosives onto aeroplanes in hand luggage and to detonate these in mid-flight. We believe the target was flights between the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

There are 21 people who remain in custody, but the operation is ongoing. We believe we have been very successful in arresting suspects, but this is a very early stage of a very extensive and complex operation. It is a very, very serious plot... Put simply, this was a plot to commit mass murder on an unimaginable scale.

Stephenson stated: "This is not about communities: it is about criminals, murderers, people who want to commit mass murder. This is about people who might masquerade in the community, hiding behind certain faiths, but who want to commit acts that no right-minder person would want to applaud."

The Telegraph quotes a West Midlands Police spokesman as saying: "This morning two men were arrested under the Terrorism Act in Birmingham." The majority of the arrests happened in Birmingham.

More updates will be added.

UPDATE: All of those arrested are Pakistani-origin, British-born Muslims, stated ITV news. Arrests were made in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, as well as Birmingham in the Midlands, and east London, including Walthamstow.

The US government has said there appear to be Al Qaeda involvements, and George Bush has said that the world is at war with "Islamic fascism".

At 8.00 pm BST, it was announced that the total number of suspects who have now been arrested is 24.

Keyword: The name of the UK police operation on this plot is Operation Overt

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at August 10, 2006 7:13 AM

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Posted by: Sveriges fana at August 10, 2006 3:11 PM

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