British Say 3 Terror Attacks Prevented

AP/Yahoo ^ | 5/11/06 | David Stringer

[Coop]

LONDON - The suicide bombers who killed 52 passengers on London's transit system last year contacted someone in Pakistan just before striking, Britain's top law enforcement official said Thursday.

Home Secretary John Reid also told the House of Commons that police and intelligence agencies had thwarted three attacks since the July 7 bombings, but did not say who was behind them or where and when they were to take place.

Reid's statement indicated that a third bombing attempt had been stopped since February when Peter Clarke, deputy assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said two attacks had been thwarted since the transit bombings.

A report by the Intelligence and Security Committee concluded that intelligence agents had been alerted to two of the suicide bombers before the attacks but limited resources prevented them from uncovering the plot.

The committee said intelligence agents did not concentrate on the two terror suspects — Siddique Khan and Shazad Tanweer — because they were not believed to be an urgent threat and investigators decided to focus on "known plans to attack the U.K."

Reid, speaking of the contacts ahead of the attacks, said authorities did not know what was discussed. Authorities have long held that the four bombers were homegrown terrorists who acted alone.

"There are a series of suspicious contacts from an unknown individual or individuals in Pakistan in the immediate run-up to the bombings," Reid said after his department released its narrative of the attacks. "We do not know their content."

Three of the bombers' families were originally from Pakistan and several had traveled there before the attacks.

The report also said the degree of al-Qaida involvement in the attacks, if any, was unclear...

[Coop]

I swear I heard just a week or two ago that Al Qaeda was not or did not appear to be involved in these attacks. Am I recalling correctly? No, I didn't believe that line of thinking, but now this article would seem to place a great deal of doubt on such an assertion.

[Coop]

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[justshutupandtakeit]

The general line has been these were sympathizers not part of a central plot. Of course, that ignores the flight to Rome and the attempt to go to ground in a safe house there.

[Coop]

Thanks for the clarification

[amutr22]

Well, I certaily hope they didn't thwart these attacks by listening in on any phone calls, for God's sake. We must protect their RIGHTS!!!

[GretchenM]

fyi