Right now the UK is on very high alert. Security is at its maximum and Heathrow is closed to all new flights. On those flights that are now leaving the UK, passengers are neither allowed to have any hand luggage nor carry any fluids on board.
According to the BBC:
A plot to blow up planes in flight from the UK to the US and commit “mass murder on an unimaginable scale” has been disrupted, Scotland Yard has said. It is thought the plan was to detonate explosive devices smuggled in hand luggage on to as many as 10 aircraft. Police were searching premises with 21 people in custody after arrests in the London area and West Midlands. [Link]
At this point we know very little, and the ” War on Terror” has gone on long enough that I personally will withhold judgement until there is more evidence. I cannot find any news about who the detained suspects are, but sadly the odds are that there might be a very straightforward brown angle to this story.
Update 1:
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p>What little we know about the plot indicates that it is a home grown conspiracy, like 7-7, involving British Asians [thanks AMfD]:
According to BBC sources the “principal characters” suspected of being involved in the plot were British-born. There are also understood to be links to Pakistan. [Link]
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p>The mechanism apparently involved multiple liquids or gels that were inert separately but were explosive in combination. These would not have been detected given current mechanisms.
Update 2:
At this point, we still know very little about who was involved and exactly what they were planning to do. Here are some of the newer reports concerning the alleged plot.
The authorities claim that they had been investigating the conspiracy for a year before they acted:
The secret investigation into the plot has already lasted a year. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke, the Met’s head of anti-terrorism, said that intensive surveillance had been carried out of the meetings, movements, travel, spending and the aspirations of a large group of people, both in Britain and abroad. [Link]
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p>“Sources” claim that the Pakistani government was working with the British in the investigation:
Pakistani intelligence agencies helped the British authorities foil the terror plot to blow up aircraft travelling between Britain and America, highly placed sources in Pakistan said today. The agencies have been working closely with British anti-terror police in monitoring the activities of the suspected terrorists for some time, many of whom have links with Pakistan-based Islamic militant groups, The Times has learnt. [Link]
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p>We are still awaiting confirmation concerning who was involved. They are believed to be all British citizens, many of whom are of Pakistani origin, but this has not been confirmed by the authorities:
Mr Reid [the home secretary] would not comment on claims that the detainees were British-born Muslims of Pakistani descent… [he also] refused to be drawn on whether the apprehended individuals suspected of terrorist activities were foreign or “home-grown”. [Link]
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p>Initial reports based on one of the raids suggest that North Africans may also have been involved:
[a neighbor]… said he believed two north African men had been living in the flat for about a month. He said: “I saw a couple of north African-looking men about three weeks ago. They were in their mid 30s. They were dressed quite normally in T-shirts and trousers. “I haven’t seen them in the last couple of weeks. There is not often anyone there at that house.” [Link]
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p>Nor do we know for sure how many planed were targeted. Some reports say up to ten, while other reports say up to twelve:
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p>
Officials also declined to confirm the number of flights believed to have been targets – sources said up to 10 – and the home secretary would only say the alleged intention was to carry out a “wave” of attacks. [Link]
In sum, we know very little for sure at this point.
Update 3:
The US claims that the plot was days away from being executed and that most of the plotters were of Pakistani decent. However, this is still not official confirmation (I have no trouble believing it, I am simply noting that there is a difference between official and unofficial confirmation, the latter has been given several times already):
According to a U.S. intelligence official, the plotters were “days away” from going through with their plan. Searches last night turned up airline schedule information in their possession, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. All of those arrested were British citizens, and most appeared to be of Pakistani descent, the official said. [Link]
Update 4 [Thanks Jai]:
Five suspects are still being sought, more information concering the possible identity of the conspirators:
Five of the suspected London terrorists are still at large and are being urgently hunted, according to U.S. sources who have been briefed on the airplane bombing plot. Officials tell ABC News 24 people now have been taken into custody. Twenty-two are believed to be of Pakistani descent. One is Bangladeshi, and another is of Iranian descent, according to the officials. [Link]
Pakistan officially confirms its involvement in foiling the plot:
A senior Pakistani security official told the AFP news agency that Pakistani intelligence agencies helped British authorities foil the plot. Foreign Office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said: “Pakistan played a very important role in uncovering and breaking this international terrorist network. “There were some arrests in Pakistan which were co-ordinated with arrests in the UK…” [Link]
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p>
Update 5:
ABC news claims it has the names of three of the suspects, and links them to recent travels to Pakistan:
Three of the alleged ringleaders of the foiled airplane bomb plot have been identified by Western intelligence agencies involved in unraveling the plot. Two of them are believed to have recently traveled to Pakistan and were later in receipt of money wired to them from Pakistan, reportedly to purchase tickets for the suicide bombers.Sources identify the three, who are now in custody, as:
- Rashid Rauf
- Mohammed al-Ghandra
- Ahmed al Khan. [Link]
Update 6 [Thanks Vikram and RC]:
More information on exactly how far along the plot was, and the presence of an inside man:
An undercover British agent infiltrated the group, giving the authorities intelligence on the alleged plan, several U.S. government officials said. The men had not bought plane tickets, the officials said, but they were in the process of perusing the Internet to find flights to various cities that had similar departure times…
Among those arrested were a Muslim charity worker and a Heathrow Airport employee with an all-area access pass, according to Britain’s Channel 4.
The suspects were planning to stage a test run within a couple of days, said a U.S. intelligence official. [Link]
I cannot find any news about who the detained suspects are, but sadly the odds are that there might be a very straightforward brown angle to this story.
You are quite right.
From the same BBC article:
According to BBC sources the “principal characters” suspected of being involved in the plot were British-born. There are also understood to be links to Pakistan.
Thank God they caught on to this before the incidents happened. I am all for getting rid of carry-on luggage or at least having every bag manually inspected, as well as placed through the x-ray machine.
I am watching BBC News 24 on my desktop. All the arrested individuals are said to be British citizens of Pakistani origin.
Sadly I think it is inevitable that another attack will be successful at some point. Large co-ordinated plots like this are more vulnerable to detection. But smaller scale attacks are almost inevitable even if this kind of ‘spectacular’ are more difficult to carry out.
The suggestions are that some kind of liquid explosive or accelerant, a new explosive technology, was to be used. All passengers have been banned from taking any kind of drink or liquid on to planes. Heathrow and all British airports are at a level of lockdown and extreme security not seen since 9/11 – an security analyst being interviewed on BBC News just said this.
BBC intelligence source believes that American airlines and flights to America were targetted.
From the Guardian via Pickled Politics: The Guardian said today: “By any standard this was a memorable day for the future of multiculturalism in modern Britain.”
The above was in reference to a cricket game won by England.
And today second generation Pakistanis allegedly try to blow up multiple planes!
The terrorgasm on the American Right starts.
from here (unconfirmed?):
What if they didn’t catch everyone? :X
Ennis, Until British start arresting Indians, please don’t club all brown as terrorist. You aren’t a politician, you don’t have to appease anybody by using Brown instead of more specific Muslim or Pakistani for terrorist.
Enough. Ennis did no such thing– this blog SPECIFICALLY states that it covers “brown angles”, the exact phrase he used above (and crossed out, not that you noticed).
Save the negativity for those who deserve it, please.
S Jain
Ennis has not clubbed all browns as terrorists. He has correctly stated that there is a brown angle to it and it looks that British citizens of Pakistani descent are involved. One way or another that is of interest to all of us.
So what is with ethnic Pakistanis (or whatever label you want to pin on them) being so disaffected in Britian?
How come this hasn’t happened in the USA yet?
I thought we were fighting them there so we did not have to fight them here.
“What if they didn’t catch everyone? :X “
Thank god they did, this is so scary. A feeling of dejavu caught me this morning when i turned the tv on to see BREAKING NEWS on the bottom and showing reporters at airports.
It’s statistically improbable.. I don’t understand why everyone is getting their panties twisted.
How come this hasn’t happened in the USA yet?
A. It could very well be but we are unaware yet. B. Pakistani nationals have been in the UK longer than the US and since the first WTC attack the US has been very conservative in letting them in.
And how long before the Left has their “another Bush-Blair conspiracy” paroxysms ? Is just a matter of time before one of these plots succeed. They have infinite patience and supporters here and abroad.
This is rich from the continent that devised both World Wars.
The threat was real, and I’m glad it was doused. But the overreaction to it (no drinks on planes! no planes!) will be just as real, and far more costly. Terrorgasm indeed.
All wars have also involved confronting a Fifth Column factor on home turf.
Eric, That issue was discussed in extreme details right after the 7/7 attack here on this site, it can be found
But Kobayashi-san, aren’t the explosives liquid? Pardon my stupidity, but if as Ennis said, we wouldn’t be able to detect them with our current procedures, wouldn’t we have to do something draconian like ban drinks on planes? Does anyone know more about these liquid or gel explosives?
The type of Islam disseminated amongst British Pakistanis since the 1989 Rusdhie affair, combined with the generally conservative attitude of their backgrounds (rural Mirpuris) mean that they have become particularly susceptible to the message of extremist Islam.
I don’t get what that has to do with this. Plotting to bomb nine planes from three separate airports would have been pretty bad.
I don’t think you can gauge whether this is an over-reaction.
I mean, implementing measures based on new security advice is not an over-reaction as far as I’m concerned.
It wouldn’t surprise me if the next plot involves an “inside man/woman” working with the TSA or airport staff who will help the plotters bypass screening equipment and airport security. Too much dependence on technology to detect and thwart attacks has always been an Achilles heel.
True.
I say: Invade UK while you’re at it. That’ll teach ’em. And they’ll probably welcome the troups with open arms, just like Iraq!
Liquid explosives have been around for over 50 years:
i think the no drinks and gels is a good policy, because if the story is true on its facts, it is possible for different people to smuggle different drinks on board and mix a cocktail in the air.
this must really hit those who travel with laptops etc.
o’ boy – next trip to d.c. is going to be fun
Vikram, I gather that liquid explosives are almost impossible to detect by conventional screening equipment.
The problem with them — which I think is the reason terrorists generally don’t use them — is that they are notoriously unstable. Nitroglycerin can apparently go off if you sneeze, or look at it funny. I gather this plot entailed something more complicated (and more stable?) than nitroglycerin, perhaps an acetate compound that could actually be mixed on the plane itself. One commentator on NPR was talking about a liquid form of TATP, the powdered version of which was in Richard Reid’s shoes; I don’t know if that’s scientifically feasible.
Has there ever been a successful terrorist attack involving liquid explosives?
Going by the list of British Jihadis including 7-11 bombers, shoe bomber, British nationals fighting the US forces in Afghanistan, the war on terror could have been better served with an invasion of Britain instead of Iraq 😉
Lets see what evidence they have against these 21 people. Blair is getting pretty unpopular in Britain and this might be a cynical attempt to show that Blair is in command and protecting the homeland by launching high profile arrests like in the case of the Florida ‘terrorists‘.
On the other hand, this very well might be a very serious plot, the thwarting of which prevented a major tragedy from taking place in the skies.
I guess we will have to wait and see.
Al Mujahid for debauchery
Do you really believe there’s a nefarious cabal in Westminster plotting to frame a group of Muslims to take the heat off Blair? I think that is as unhelpful as the hard-right reflex that seeks to ascribe collective guilt to all Muslims. After 7/7 and other plots including one to blow up central London nightclubs currently on trial, you cannot dismiss this out of hand with conspiracy theories.
Vikram said:
The scary part about that is the TSA has a long history of poor screening for its own hires. There have numerous theft rings busted up over the years:
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=266573
And when they’re not busy monitoring their monitors, they waste money left and right (even buy themselves presents):
http://federaltimes.com/index.php?S=1985369
And then congratulate themselves on a job well done (spending even more money!): http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6243299/
TSA is a joke, IMHO. I share your concern on how easy it would be to get someone “inside.” 🙁
One of the negative consequences of instant news is that people expect instant answers. When I heard of the ban on liquids and gels, my initial reaction was, “I can’t even bring a bottle of water or a tube of toothpaste?” And for the forseeable future, that may be the case. Hopefully, all you chem majors out there will devise ways to detect explosives versus toothpaste. I’m thinking of those round pads which they currently rub on luggage, and then place in a scanner to detect certain chemicals.
I’ll expect some overreaction by the right, but that should not excuse government bungling in other areas. Similarly, I’ll expect overreaction by the left, but that does not mean there can exist a few dozen men who wish to murder others on a massive scale. The Bombay train bombings were less than a month ago.
Typo – but that does not mean there cannnot exist a few dozen men
Do you really believe there’s a nefarious cabal in Westminster plotting to frame a group of Muslims to take the heat off Blair?
I am sure they have something on these dudes/dudettes. As I havnt seen any evidence, it is indeed possible that the British authorities might be exagerrating the potency of these would be attackers. These are the same people who shot dead a Brazilian engineer. If they have arrested 21 people, they must have something on these people. I am only wondering about how serious and imminent was the threat.
One good thing is that another date 8/10 has been saved from being used as a label for terror related reasons.. jihadis should start reusing the dates.. we only have 365 in a year..
I applaud MI5’s and Scotland Yard’s intelligence breakthrough’s that prevented this massacare. If it indeed proved to be britasians that planned this. 7/7 indeed proved to be a waking call, We can launch into endless discussions about the UK”s need to screen its mad mullahs and deny these hate-spewing animals entry to the region or deport them if necessary. But now i think that the reason the UK has been so lax in freezing accounts of terror funding businessmen and their evangelistic counterparts are so that they can monitor them in order to foil upcoming terror plots.
I’m flying to India on Saturday and i hope the US airports are diligent. They can ‘random check’ me all they want, as long as i get home in one piece.
I can’t bring toothpaste on to the plane?? If I’m on a long flight (10 plus hours), I need some toothpaste! (Especially with all that nasty airplane food)
I use these.
I think an interesting point that no one is talking about is how come in all these foiled attempts, these terrorists managed to get visas into the US??? I thought our immigration system was supposed to be more strict.
Just caught the news. Coincidentally, I am currently reading a book called “The Trouble with Islam” written by someone who could easily belong among the mutineers – smart, second-generation Muslim brown raised in North America and possessing a wit that doesn’t quit. Notice I didn’t proffer my views, just the irony of this little coincidence in my life.
Newyorker, I don’t think we do know that they had visas, though admittedly as British nationals visas probably would not have been too hard for them to get.
As some commentors have been pointing out, we don’t know yet whether they had even started to build actual bombs, or actively pursue/develop the plot.
Just on CNN – not Al Qaeda but Al Qaeda inspired group
Brits dont need a visa to come to the US just like the Americans dont need a visa to go to the UK unless you are going there or coming here to go to work etc.
Oops — I knew that!
I’m not sure.. But I thought (Western) European citizens and Canadians don’t need visas to enter US for tourism/personal reasons.. They need visas only for work.. Is that true??..
Oh yah – duh!!! I forgot that some countries don’t require tourist visas. Perhaps, that may change??? I doubt it though.
AK, I dont like US’s foreign policy either, but I am not naive to think that the Democratic party is going to change any of the foreign policy. And how about your claim that somehow the south is the ‘enemy’ and NY are the ‘good people’. More racialy motivated attacks on south asians happened in NY, NJ and PA area (several attacks even in MA) compared to the similar size area of Texas. Your beloved Democrats voted overwhelmingly for the war in Iraq and continue to vote for keeping the failed policy in Iraq.
Look, I’m sure someone can come up with powdered explosives that can be hidden in the cuffs of trousers or activated with saliva or whatever. The real point is that coming between the public and their right to be terrified is about as smart as getting in the sightline between a mother hippo and her calf.
The orgy of fear-mongering continues all over the world. People love being frightened: it gives them a sense of purpose. The British authorities scream about “murder on an imaginable scale,” but what do such words actually mean. A thousand dead: horrible, but not unimaginable. Far from unimaginable.
But, of course, in thrall to the hormones of fear (the same ones that people get from thrill rides) millions of citizens are delighted to offer up their civil rights. No one stops and thinks for a moment: what would it take for the terrorists to succeed? Remember, for a terrorist, success is not defined in terms of numbers killed. It’s defined in terms of numbers terrified. In that sense, with the reliable help of the government, today’s operation is another resounding success.
Further reading: the paper Abhi posted a couple of days ago was excellent, actually.
My hand luggage can be limited to a pack of gum (mouth freshner), toothbrush and tongue cleaner. I am all set for a long ride.