UK airport delay after plot foiled

[estranged4life]

Thursday, August 10,2006; Posted: 2:44 a.m. EDT (06:44 GMT)

LONDON (CNN) -- Major delays are expected at all UK airports after the nation's threat level was raised to "critical" when police disrupted a plot to blow up planes in mid-flight.

The British Home Office on Thursday raised the country's alert level to "critical," meaning "an attack is expected imminently."

London's Metropolitan Police said a months-long intelligence operation by the anti-terrorist branch and security service resulted in several arrests overnight, according to a Scotland Yard news release.

The aim of the plot was to explode devices carried aboard planes in handheld luggage -- especially on flights from Britain to the United States, according to Scotland Yard.

Major disruptions are likely at airports across Britain on Thursday after authorities said no carry on luggage would be allowed into the cabin of aircraft.

"All passengers must be hand searched, and their footwear and all the items they are carrying must be X-ray screened," a BAA statement said. (Full story)

The alleged terror plot comes more than five years after Briton Richard Reid attempted to detonate explosives hidden in his sneakers on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami in December 2001, only a few months after the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington.

Passengers thwarted his plan, and the plane landed safely in Boston. Reid pleaded guilty to terrorism charges in October 2002 and is serving a life sentence at the nation's super-maximum security prison in Florence, Colorado.

In Washington, FBI Special Agent Richard Kolko said the agency is aware of the "ongoing situation in London" and will issue a statement later.

-------------------------

Saw this on my local news (Trying to check the weather before I went to asleep-And yes, tomorrow will be day 12 of consecutive 100+ degree weather) and according to reports there were plans to bomb at least 20 airline jets in midflight from the UK to the USA today.

[eclipse]

Scary stuff.....
Thanks for the info.

And how do you stand the heat???:sorry: It must be miserable- I would have to move...And,
while we are talking about you,
what is with the new icon?? (smiling sponge bob)

It just doesn't fit in with what I picture you to be /like/are/about-
Unless during my vacations, you have TOTALLY changed your personality :nod: ????

[Peestie]

With events like this it won't be long until the entire world is in the same state Northern Ireland was 30 years ago, with people afraid to go out incase a bomb goes off or a terrorist attack...

It's sad and depressing that the world is turning out like this.

[MacMan]

Wow! I just heard this on the radio, said it was about 10 planes bound for the US that they planned to plant bombs in the luggage. Scary **** man!!

[Gailh]

Most of the UK airports are severely disrupted today.

No hand luggage can be taken onto the aircraft other a few items such a wallet/passport/tickets etc.

Items for babies can be taken on board but any milk or liquid has to be tasted by the parent in front of security people. Looks like the plot involved some form of liquid explosives or liquids which can be mixed on the plane.

Jesus - what sort of world are we living in?

Gail

[irishgrl]

yep, no shampoos, hair gels, toothpaste or any other liquid/semi-liquid can be brought on board. baby formulas and medicines need to be cleared with security first.....Im just glad this plot was foiled. Better a few flights be disrupted than a bunch of people dead :shrug:

[estranged4life]

And how do you stand the heat???:sorry: It must be miserable- I would have to move

I am used to it since I am 'Oklahoma born, Oklahoma bred'. Whenever the weather is 'hot' on both coasts, the local TV stations laugh at the fact that 90 degrees is considered a 'heat wave'.

Try a typical Oklahoma summer such as this one, 26 days of over 100 degree temps thus far since the official start of summer, With a predicted 35-45 days total for the summer (Which will still not be a record-50 days in 1980).

Oh, It is supposed to be about 107-112 today...In the shade.


...And, while we are talking about you, what is with the new icon?? (smiling sponge bob)

It just doesn't fit in with what I picture you to be /like/are/about-
Unless during my vacations, you have TOTALLY changed your personality :nod: ????

I am an animation junkie...I find SpongeBob hilarious, thus the new avatar.

Yeah, I listen to metal/death metal, but I have a wicked sense of humor & reality...So I'm able to laugh at any/everything, Especially myself since I dont take life too f**kin seriously (If ya lived the life I have thus 36+ years, Ya could understand why I have greying hair.)

Brian 'If it doesnt kill me...I'll laugh about it-Even then I will still find something funny in my own death" j.

[eclipse]

OK :eek:

Just wanted to make sure it was still the Brian,
I have come to know and enjoy~~
Twisted minds can think, you know,We are living (48+ years here) proof !!:laugh: :laugh:

[JazmenFlowers]

this is some scary ****te. I heard they only got 21 of 50 or so that were plotting.

[wondergirl9847]

...for the men and women of the UK police who found this out. I hope they find the other 30 jerkoffs who were in on it too. Scary as frick. :distress:

[David]

The Islamic jihadists just keep trying & trying to blow up the rest of us. Why don't they go do something useful?

[DavidMn]

I've been to Europe and back twice, and it really makes me think, it couldve been me....:shocked:

[littlewolf]

how many times have flown inside the states?
and it wasn´t you,don´t worry about things like that.
i´m glad i wasn´t at the airport,they didn´t let people have their car or home keys.
they had to fly home without them,if they were lucky their luggage arrived on same flight,if not,they may still be in london.what´s the difference, am i sitting in london or any other airport ,if i can´t go home.
bit too much.

[Rickypt]

News today reveals that they planned to blow the planes up over major cities in the U.S., not the Atlantic Ocean. They had planned August 22nd, but stepped up plans when members of their ring started getting arrested.

[JazmenFlowers]

News today reveals that they planned to blow the planes up over major cities in the U.S., not the Atlantic Ocean. They had planned August 22nd, but stepped up plans when members of their ring started getting arrested.
jesus. this is scary.

I may have missed this, but where were they actually caught/arrested? had they actually gotten to the airport?

[Rickypt]

jesus. this is scary.

I may have missed this, but where were they actually caught/arrested? had they actually gotten to the airport?

No, I think they were caught in their homes. They had been under surveillance for a year.

[DrummerDeanna]

No, I think they were caught in their homes. They had been under surveillance for a year.

I read or head that a run-through was also in the works within days...yikes.

[JazmenFlowers]

No, I think they were caught in their homes. They had been under surveillance for a year.
oh ok, thanks.

surveillance for a year? wtf? I guess maybe they were holding off to get as much info from them or some other reason, but a year seems like a long time.

[Rickypt]

oh ok, thanks.

surveillance for a year? wtf? I guess maybe they were holding off to get as much info from them or some other reason, but a year seems like a long time.

Yeah, and also probably to catch as many people as possible.

[BTFLCHLD]

This is all terribly worrisome. Does anyone else feel like a sitting duck?

[bretonbanquet]

Try not to be worried - that's why they're doing all this. Terrorism is all about fear - if you change your life to try and avoid being blown up, then to an extent, they win.

Also, it's worth pointing out how much the Pakistani authorities helped out with arrests and intelligence - I don't know how many suspects the British authorities would have caught without the help from Pakistan.