Posted on 08/10/2006 4:25:50 AM PDT by ShadowDancer
U.S. Airline Threat Level At Highest After Plot Foiled
POSTED: 1:42 am EDT August 10, 2006
UPDATED: 7:18 am EDT August 10, 2006
LONDON -- The U.S. government raised its threat warning to the highest level for commercial flights from Britain to the United States early Thursday in response to a terror plot disrupted in London. Terrorists had targeted United, American and Continental airlines, two U.S. counterterrorism officials said.
In addition to the highest alert for flights from Britain, the alert for all flights coming or going from the United States was also raised slightly. The government banned beverages, hair gels and lotions from flights, explaining only that liquids emerged as a risk from the investigation in Britain.
Multiple flights to multiple American cities were put on alert. Specifically, these airlines included United Airlines, American Airlines and Continental Airlines Inc., the two counterterrorism officials said. American and United flights were turned into terrorist weapons on Sept. 11, 2001, when they were hijacked and crashed.
It is the first time the red alert level in the Homeland Security warning system has been invoked, although there have been brief periods in the past when the orange level was applied. Homeland Security defines the red alert as designating a "severe risk of terrorist attacks."
"We believe that these arrests (in London) have significantly disrupted the threat, but we cannot be sure that the threat has been entirely eliminated or the plot completely thwarted," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff in announcing that the threat level for flights from Britain to the United States has been raised to the highest "severe or red" level.
"To defend further against any remaining threat from this plot, we will also raise the threat level to high, or orange, for all commercial aviation operating in or destined for the United States," Chertoff said.
A statement issued by Chertoff said "currently, there is no indication ... of plotting within the United States."
AP Image Passengers at check-in area of Terminal 1 at Heathrow airport during terror alert on Thursday morning.
A U.S. law enforcement official said there have been no arrests in the United States connected to the plot.
A senior U.S. counterterrorism official said authorities believe dozens of people and as many as 50 were involved or connected to the overseas plot that was unraveled Wednesday evening. The plan "had a footprint to al-Qaida back to it," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.
It was not believed to be connected to the Egyptian students who disappeared in the United States more than a week ago before reaching a college they were supposed to attend in Montana. Three of the 11 have since been found and the FBI has said neither they nor the still-missing eight are believed to be a threat.
The plan involved airline passengers hiding masked explosives in carryon luggage, the official said. "They were not yet sitting on an airplane," but were very close to traveling, the official said, calling the plot "the real deal."
U.S. intelligence has been working closely with the British on the investigation, which has been ongoing for months, the second official said.
Authorities have not yet arrested or detained all suspects who are believed to be involved in the plot, the official said, prompting Chertoff's alarm.
"Consistent with these higher threat levels, the Transportation Security Administration is coordinating with federal partners, airport authorities and commercial airlines on expanding the intensity of existing security requirements," Chertoff said.
"Due to the nature of the threat revealed by this investigation, we are prohibiting any liquids, including beverages, hair gels, and lotions from being carried on the airplane."
He said the changes take effect at 4 a.m. local time across the United States and will be undated as warranted.
The metal detector and X-ray machines at airport security checkpoints cannot detect explosives. At many, but not all airport checkpoints, the TSA has deployed walkthrough "sniffer" or "puffer" machines that can detect explosives residue.
As part of the foiled Bojinka Plot to blow up 12 Western airliners simultaneously over the Pacific Ocean in the mid-1990s, terrorist mastermind Ramzi Youssef planned to put together an improvised bomb using liquid in a contact lens solution container.
Chertoff said travelers in the United States "should also anticipate additional security measures within the airport and at screening checkpoints."
Multiple airlines with flights to multiple U.S. airports were at risk, according to a western counterterrorism official. Another official refused to identify the airlines because they were still being notified of the threat but referred to them as the "usual suspects." In the past, U.S. cities with terrorism threats or plots have included Washington, New York, Boston and Los Angeles. Airlines whose planes were hijacked on Sept. 11, 2001, were United Airlines and American Airlines. British Airways has also dealt with numerous threats in recent years.
"These measures will continue to assure that our aviation system remains safe and secure," Chertoff added. "Travelers should go about their plans confidently, while maintaining vigilance in their surroundings and exercising patience with screening and security officials."
At U.S. Northern Command, the military headquarters established in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to improve coordination of the defense of U.S. territory, spokesman Sean Kelly declined to comment on any precautionary steps taken in response to the heightened threat levels.
"It is inappropriate to speculate or comment on any current operational activities or discuss future force protection measures," he said.
Prime Minister Tony Blair's office said in London that the prime minister, vacationing in the Caribbean, had briefed President Bush on the situation overnight.
There was no immediate public reaction from the White House. Bush is spending a few days at his ranch near Crawford, Texas.
The Homeland Security Department devised the alert system after the Sept. 11 attacks. The last time the U.S. government raised the terrorist risk here to orange, or high, was in July 2005 after the subway bombings in London. It was lowered to yellow a month later, the elevated risk status that has been the norm since the system was created.
U.S. authorities, including the Transportation Security Administration, planned a news briefing early Thursday.
In London, Britain's Home Secretary John Reid said the alleged plot was "significant" and that terrorists aimed to "bring down a number of aircraft through mid-flight explosions, causing a considerable loss of life."
Police arrested a number of people overnight in London after a major covert counterterrorism operation that had lasted several months, but did not immediately say how many. Heathrow airport in London was closed for most European flights.
The national threat level in Britain was raised to critical - a warning level that indicates the likelihood of an imminent terrorist attack. The threat rating was posted on the Web site of Britain's MI5 - the British domestic spy agency.
All types of liquid HE.....It doesn't take much HE of any type to destroy a commercial aircraft that is pressurized and traveling at 450+ mph......
A small rupture and airspeed, decompression and gravity do the rest.....
Binary liquid HE is the easiest to transport and handle. Basically, without details, two inert liquids when mixed form a HE....add a detonator device and booooom...
This isn't rocket science....and when your enemy is willing to die completing explosives, this leaves the door wide open as to type...
Why not ban ALL carry ons? Have the airline stock essentials like Insulin and Baby Formula?
Quoting UK Home Secretary John Reid:
"During the investigation an unprecedented level of surveillance has been undertaken and that surveillance has had as its objective to gather intelligence and evidence in support of the investigation," he said.
"We have been looking at meetings, movements, travel, spending and the aspirations of a large group of people. This has involved close co-operation not only between agencies and police forces in the UK but also internationally.
"As is so often the case with these investigations, the alleged plot has global dimensions."
Major thank you to the Brits for their assistance, hard work and cooperation. One of our few allies who actually "gets it."
Could they plant some sort of beacon/directional?
TATP - they were just saying the plot was to carry the parts on, put them together and detonate either by friction (throwing a small container against something, for example) or electronic detonation (such as was suspected in the OU bombing suicide, for example, which may have exploded prematurely, before electronics used).
Problem is, once mixed, the stuff is so volatile it can go off at any instant, such as just happened last month in an apartment complex here in Houston.
Baby formula comes in powder form.
Insulin comes in a dry powder inhaler as well.
Ahmadinejad said, "Well, (with the letter) I wanted to open a window towards the light for the president so that he can see that one can look on the world through a different perspective. … We are all free to choose. But please give him this message, sir: Those who refuse to accept an invitation will not have a good ending or fate. You see that his approval rating is dropping every day. Hatred vis-à-vis the president is increasing every day around the world. For a ruler, this is the worst message that he could receive. Rulers and heads of government at the end of their office must leave the office holding their heads high."
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1680752/posts
"a thought here.... all the carry ons..add weight to a flight ..more weight.. more fuel consumed.. now with BP oil shut down..could Blair being holding back fuel for the british airlines..and US carriers..in preperation for a air strike on Iran? i believe Blair shut down the oil fields of BP to reserve oil..in case of a oil shortage in the event of air strikes on Iran! think about it..its a self imposed reserve of oil...
This complaint is so ignorant. You know that if they didn't search old white ladies, we would be putting them at risk.
Assume we had a policy of not searching old white ladies. Wouldn't that be a weakness that the terrorists would use? Either recruit an old white lady for the cause or hold her family hostage.
how long is the time of passage of objects
thru the human digestive tract?
passengers need to be observed, at least that long
Depends on how much fiber is in their diet.
September is National Preparedness Month
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1680811/posts
What's confusing to me is how "imminent" this threat was.
Was this something supposed to happen TODAY? Because it sure seems that way with all the threat raising and such.
And if thought is that it might happen today, or very, very soon, why on earth did they let this investigation go this far before swooping in? I heard they still had 30 suspects they were trying to round up.
Later, of course, more will be known I suppose. But for now I am shocked at the reaction to this and even that they are even flying ANY planes with all this going on.
This complaint is so ignorant. You know that if they didn't search old white ladies, we would be putting them at risk.
Assume we had a policy of not searching old white ladies. Wouldn't that be a weakness that the terrorists would use? Either recruit an old white lady for the cause or hold her family hostage.
To some extent it is ignorant - to some it is not. Treating all passengers the same is somewhat ignorant also. I would definitely give young men of Mideast descent more of a once over. We need to get rid of the PC nonsense handed to us from Mineta.
Big sigh. My teenage son is flying alone for the first time from Washington to Los Angeles today on United. I could have lived without this happening now.
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