Posted on 03/30/2006 7:23:39 PM PST by aculeus
Four men were being questioned last night under the Terrorism Act after being arrested in a town 36 hours before a visit by the Queen.
Buckingham Palace said that the royal visit to Stafford this morning will go ahead as planned, despite the security scare.
Armed police swooped on Stafford General Hospital on Wednesday night after a 28-year-old man was taken in with what nurses believed were injuries related to bomb-making equipment. They were also concerned that four men who visited him were acting suspiciously.
As police surrounded the accident and emergency unit, the four attempted to flee but were caught 100 yards from the main entrance. No shots were fired.
The men, aged 24, 26, 27 and 30, were taken to a police station in Staffordshire for questioning while the patient was removed to Nottingham City Hospital, where he remained seriously ill.
He was under armed guard and tests were being carried out on him to establish the exact nature of his injuries. A Staffordshire police spokesman said: "We were contacted last night by staff at the hospital who developed concerns about the 28-year-old who had been taken there for treatment yesterday afternoon.
''There were concerns about the nature of his illness and what they felt was the suspicious behaviour of four men with him."
He said police were piecing together "the full train of events", but said there was "no evidence that a terrorist incident has taken place nor that there is any specific threat to the area". The force was liaising closely with the Anti-Terrorist Branch in London. They were also keeping Buckingham Palace closely in touch with the inquiry.
One police officer said that the incident had "set nerves jangling".
It was unclear last night whether security will be tightened further, especially as the Queen and Prince Philip are due to chat with members of the public in the market square during a walkabout as part of their visit to commemorate the town's 800th anniversary.
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Ages are nice, but names and pics would be most helpful.
Did they recently see the movie V for Vendetta or express agreement with the ideas in the movie?
Let's give it a few hours. Unless they are completely innocent (and the cops completely off base) this smells like the beginning of an interesting story.
Larry, Moe, Curly and Akbar.
Larouchies?
I'm going out on a limb here and guessing that the four had rags wrapped 'round their heads - all ready to be pull-started!
O.K., I will help, at least 3 were named Mohammed, there a splattering of "abu"s and if no less than 2 had an "Ali" in there, then they were Shiite's.
guessing that the four had rags wrapped 'round their heads - all ready to be pull-started!""
Thanks for the smile.....
’Er Majesty’s pushin ’eroin, and where the ’ell is mine?
Damnnn Hey Snugs get in here somebody try bomb your Queen other day
The Brits are whistling past the French cemetery...
They were all Wisconsin Luthereans with sandy blond hair. They were shouting "Lutefisk Akbar" as they were led away by police.
So what was this Mohammad's last name?
<< Four held in royal visit 'terror' alert. [Attempt to bomb the British queen?] >>
How to you tell one British queen apart from every other - male or female - Briton?
You know perfectly well what their names were and what they looked like.
MUSTAFA: WHAT HAPPEN?
DOCTOR: YOU NOT KNOW WHAT YOU DOING.
I don't know Brian how do you tell one British queen apart from every other - male or female - Briton.
It better be a good punch line.
You haven't given me a chuckle in over a week you are slipping.
<< You haven't given me a chuckle in over a week, you are slipping. >>
That's what a girl once said to me.
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