'Real and Definite Threat' Caused BA Flight Cancellation

The Scotsman ^ | Jan 02 2004 | By Caroline Gammell, PA News

[Dog]

'Real and Definite Threat' Caused BA Flight Cancellation

By Caroline Gammell, PA News

The cancellation of British Airways flight BA223 from Heathrow to Washington was caused by a “real and definite threat”, a defence expert warned today.

The plane had already started checking in passengers and was due to leave at 3.05pm.

But BA announced it had been cancelled at 1.15pm – less than two hours before take off – for security reasons.

Paul Beaver, a defence analyst, said: “This is certainly unusual. The intelligence is very, very precise which is why this one flight has been cancelled.

“We have got intelligence, I am told, that there was a plan to take the aircraft and destroy it over Washington or fly it into something.

“Washington is the definite target.”

Mr Beaver said the information passed on to BA via the Government was likely to have come from American intelligence.

“All I know is there is a real and definite threat.”

He went on: “There is good and precise intelligence that there is more than one al Qaida or al Qaida-like group operating against the US.

“One is based in central America and the other is based in Europe – in London or Paris.”

Mr Beaver said it was not known whether operatives in these potential terror cells are carrying legal British passports.

Yesterday’s flight BA223 was also cancelled several hours before it was scheduled to depart after BA received “security advice” from the Government.

On New Year’s Eve, the same flight had been kept on the runway for three hours after landing at Washington Dulles International Airport to allow security officials to board the plane and question passengers.

The Boeing 747 was escorted into Dulles by two F-16 fighter jets.

An Aeromexico flight from Mexico City to Los Angeles was also cancelled after US authorities refused to allow it to land.

Flight 490 was cancelled after Homeland Security officials said they were concerned it might be a safety risk, said a spokesman for Mexico’s President Vicente Fox.

[nicmarlo]

Would plutonium [vs normal gunpowder] even get picked up on the scanner watching for "traditional" explosives?)

Good question, one to which I do not know the answer.

[alnick]

I have been thinking along these lines as well (suitcase nuke).

[jstolzen]

Coop - I seem to remember on one of the various threats made that they talked about blowing up a nuke mid-air (for whatever reason).

(BTW, I think this was one of those 'net posts that had [to me] little/no credibility. BUT - it WAS mentioned).

Also..AQ seems obsessed with Aviation. Sooo, if you were to detonate on an aircraft, it'd be "double" the psychological impact IMHO.

[nicmarlo]

One wonders if a plane's computer software could be compromised

Now THAT'S a possibility....and has everything to do with the PLANE....and allowing some sort of remote-control....

[knak]

that is funny

[b4its2late]

Got it. Thanks.

[tmp02]

If this was a "definite threat", and there are supposed to be multiple attacks at the same time, then there are other planes out there that are either being searched or have gotten through security. A flight from Heathrow is about 8 hours...what time what this flight to take off...what time was it supposed to have landed in the States...will this be the landing time correspond to other flights that are currently on their way?

[mystery-ak]

If it's the plane instead of the passengers your theory makes sense....Im worried about the ground crew who have access to these planes..

Also, I wonder if that dead stowaway is related to this?

[sweetliberty]

"Didn't the last tape from Bin Laden's #2 guy mention something about Feb??"

Yes, something about a major attack by a certain date in February...I'm thinking the 15th, but I'm going form memory, so I'm not sure.

[tmp02]

I guess he was in the "Belly of the Eagle"...[referring to the dead individuals found near the landing gear]

[Dog]

I'm at flight tracker and BA 217....was 2 1/2 hours late departing it is nearing Canada right now...

[freeperfromnj]

I was wondering the same thing. They still haven't identified him. Two stowaways in one week's time. What are the odds? Perhaps their mission was to test the security on the tarmac. If they stowed away undetected they could just as easily have slipped a device into the wheel well.

[nicmarlo]

I missed the dead stow-away article.....was this recently posted? when/where did this happen? what is the person's ethnicity?

[CWOJackson]

I saw the award you won and have to admit, I'm so jealous. So is there any kind of honorarium with the title? Perhaps an autographed copy of Ann Coulter's restraining order?

[bootless]

If not the crew, then SAMs?

[bootless]

>>MY guess is an Al Quada ( or OBL ) tape bragging that they downed this exact flight was intercepted before it happened. The terrorists jumped the gun.<<

OOh! I'll bet you're right. They got cocky...?

[Coop]

blowing up a nuke mid-air (for whatever reason).

It would most likely spread fall-out over a larger area, but I just think the risk of detection far outweighs any reward from a larger nuclear "footprint."

[freeperfromnj]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1049073/posts

[mystery-ak]

One of the stowaways came out of BA...reported a few days ago....I haven't seen any more stories about it......Im thinking there is a link.