'Al-Qaeda plotted to kill Tony Blair'

Express India ^ | Sept. 11, 2005 | Reuters

[FairOpinion]

London, September 11: British police thwarted an al-Qaeda plot to assassinate Prime Minister Tony Blair during celebrations to mark Queen Elizabeth's 50 years on the throne, according to the former London police chief.

Ex-Metropolitan Police commissioner John Stevens, who was Britain's most senior officer, said officers had learned that al-Qaeda snipers intended to kill Blair and his wife Cherie in front of a major parade through the capital in June 2002.

In extracts of his new autobiography serialised in Sunday's News of the World newspaper, Stevens, who retired in January, said the plot was foiled after a huge covert operation was carried out to protect the Blairs.

"It was a significant threat. Mr Blair remained very calm and very pragmatic. He knew there was a specific threat against him and his wife yet he remained absolutely unfazed," Stevens said.

[FairOpinion]

And who knows how many other attacks were foiled that we either never find out about, or find out about many years later...

We are fighting the GWOT the right way: fighting them "over there", so they can't attack us "over here".

And we are winning, even if AQ manages a few attacks here in there, as in Madrid and London.

I hope we keep foiling their planned attacks in the US and elsewhere.

[TAdams8591]

AGREED.

[virgil]

Al-Qaeda just likes to kill in general.