Urgent News: "Plot to blow up planes" foiled

simon redshaw · Post by **simon redshaw** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 9:31 am

From the BBC website:

[quote][/quote] A terrorist plot to low up planes in mid-flight from the UK to the US has been disrupted, Scotland Yard has said.

It is thought the plan was to detonate explosive devices smuggled on aircraft in hand luggage.

Police have arrested about 18 people in the London area after an anti-terrrorist operation lasting several months.

According to MI5's website, crititical threat level means "an attack is expected imminently and indicates an extremely high level of threat to the UK".

BBC home affairs correspondent Daniel Sandford says he does not think the police believe an attack is imminent.

"The reason for raising the threat level is in case there is some other sub-plot, back-up plot around this that the police aren't aware of", he said.

Scotland Yard said in a statement that their investigation into the alleged plot was a "major operation" which would be "lengthy and complex".

"We would like to reassure the public that this operation was carried out with public safety uppermost in our minds"

Home secretary John Reid confirmed that there had apparently been a plot "to bring down a number of aircraft through mid-flight explosions causing a considerable loss of life"

Prime Minister Tony Blair is on holiday in the Caribbean, but Downing Street said the police operation was taken with his full support and he had been "in constant touch".

A spokesman for Number 10 added that Mr Blair had briefed US President George Bush on the situation during the night.

Transparent Bags

The Department for Transport set out the details of the security measures at UK airports.

Passengers will not be allowed to take any hand luggage on to any flights in the UK, the department said.

Only the barest essentials - including passports and wallets - will be allowed to be carried on board in transparent platic bags.

"we hope that these measures, which are being kept under review by the government, will need to be in place for a limited period only," the statement said.

Jam-packed

At Heathrow Airport, BBC presenter Fiona Bruce said there were "ranks of people" unable to get into the terminal.

"Terminal One is completely at a standstill. Nobody is being checked in at all."

She said it was "jam-packed", but passengers were mangaing to remain "good-natured".

BBC journalist Joe Lynam encountered the increased security measures at Gatwick airport.

"I was handed a piece of paper saying that pretty much nothing could be taken on board the plane," he said.

Everything had to be checked in and that includes mobile phones, ipods, wallets - even spectacle cases had to be checked in."

British Airways said that passengers who do not wish to fly on Thursday can rebook on flights leaving over the next two weeks.

David Learmount from Flight International Magazine said he expected passengers to be searched much more carefully.

He added: "This is the first time this measure has actually been taken. Certainly, I've never seen hand luggage banned."

Sorry for this very long piece, but it is very worrying and distressing news and something that could affect many of us over the next few weeks. Something to bring your attention to. Could cause many problems to plenty of people.

It seems that once again this country is being held to ransom and terrorised by a number of basket-cases who have no thought for human life and only want to kill as many people as possible and cause as much destruction and inconvenience as they can to innocent people going about they everyday lives in order to pursue there cause against the WESTERN NATIONS. They have no relation to religion although they like to use that as an excuse for their actions.

For these people, prison is by no means enough. They should be treated as they like to treat others and once proven to be the terrorists, should be exocuted immediately. No prison, just summary exocution - electrocution, firing squad, or something similiar.

simon redshaw · Post by **simon redshaw** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 10:09 am

To update that last news, there are disruptions at all airports across the U.K.

redtiger · Post by **redtiger** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 10:35 am

yeah my mum and her fella know all about it, they fly to greece on sat, the holiday company say it should be ok tho. if the fliht is delayed i'll mis the middleex sevens cause i have to take them to manchester airport :roll:

Sim · Post by **Sim** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 1:18 pm

Its shocking i don't understnad these people, mindless idiots.

Well done to all of the security services etc who have clearly done a fantastic job although we're not out of the water yet i'm sure, they apparently are looking to arrest about 50 people altogether and so far have only detained 21.

The thing that amazed me was this women asked what she thought and her response was "its so stupid if you've got a bomb in your bag and you take it out and out it in your luggage then you've still got a bomb and its still on the plane".

Alright love you silly cow, clearly not understanding that not all bombs are like the ones the army have where they set them off, some are home made and have to be set by a phone or chemical compunds mixed could make enough of a bang to do harm. Grrrr it does frustrate me. Also other people have complained because of the dealys, WAKE UP YOU STUPID MONGS, THEY'RE DOING IT FOR YOUR SAFETY AND BENIFIT TO PROTECT YOU, BE THANKFULL, IT'S A SMALL INCONVINENCE CONSIDERING IF IT WASN'T IN PLACE YOU MAY BE BLOWN TO PEICES OVER THE ATLANTIC AND WOULDN'T EVER HAVE A FUNERAL SEEING AS SHARKS WOULD HAVE A NICE CHAR GRILLED HUMAN FOR DINNER. i can't belive the stupidity and Naivity of some people.

Kinoulton · Post by **Kinoulton** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 1:29 pm

Sim,

Believe me, people can be stupid. I queued up to get into the Basillica in the Vatican once.

There was tight security at the time, maybe there always is. The reason for the queue was that they were searching people and their bags to make sure that they had no objects that could be used as weapons.

There were plenty of notices saying which items were not allowed in and that if you had any such objects you would have to leave them at the entrance and pick them up later.

Everyone in the queue was astonished to see a man at the front calmly empty his large bag and produced an enormous knife, perhaps the biggest knife I've ever seen.

Yes, it was handsomely made and he was presumably taking it home as a souvenir, but he actually thought he was going to take it past security and on into the Basillica! He even argued long and hard when security said he couldn't.

People are still saying it's ridiculous that they can't take their nail files on planes even though one of the stewardesses killed in 911 had her throat slashed with one.

People can be such dopes.

Sim · Post by **Sim** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 2:10 pm

Yeh too right people are just so pathetic and stupid. Oh well i'm not travelling tonight or today so oh well the people can continue to be stupid.

Rizzo · Post by **Rizzo** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 11:37 am

It's amazing how selfish and stupid people can be - the BBC messages page had people posting about how it was "disgusting" that they couldn't take a CD player and books on board to entertain their three-year-old, and another person whinging that they would have "nothing to read" on a long haul flight! I wonder what would be better then, permit people to take stuff on (many take waaaaay too much) and run the risk of carnage and explosions etc?

add to that the odd few messages saying "my friend is due to fly from tenerife to Humberside airport on Tuesday, will this still be okay?" - ummm do what the media announcements tell you - contact the airline - don;t post random questions like this on a BBC messageboard!

Sim · Post by **Sim** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 1:27 pm

Rizzo my exact sentiment (i think thats the correct usage) people are just so pathetically stupid and iggnorant. And yes about the second part just contact the airlines what a silly moo!

stevetelcom2000 · Post by **stevetelcom2000** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 2:25 pm

Does anyone know if the 85 bus from Countesthorpe to Leicester is affected? I may have to use it on Saturday.

I would hate my trip into Leicester City centre to be ruined :

I have tried asking on the BBC website but they weren't very helpful.

Kinoulton · Post by **Kinoulton** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 4:12 pm

Well going off the thread and onto the Vatican thead:

You missed nothing regarding the artefacts. I have honestly never seen such complete tat as the stuff being sold by the nuns in the gift shop.

It made the stuff they sell at Chapel St Leonards look like designer goods.

Sim · Post by **Sim** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 8:00 pm

Just reading up on Boings Jumbo jets, they hold 524 paasangers. THey probably if going to America carry between 2 - 4 Flight crew and cabin crew will be between 10 - 20 i would estimate.

So if these terrorists had succeded we would be looking at an approx death toll of between 5360 - 5640. Shocking really isn't it. and as i said totally estimated.