Posted on 08/11/2006 7:11:41 AM PDT by Rutles4Ever
Terrorists were planning to unleash a series of deadly mid-air explosions on flights between London and America on August 16, it has been revealed today.
Members of the terror group, who were arrested in a series of raids by anti-terror police yesterday, were due to mount a dry run today to check if they could smuggle components for liquid explosives through Britain's airports.
United Airline tickets dated next Wednesday were found by police at the home of one of the raided addresses.
One US intelligence official told today's Evening Standard: "The bombers were a couple of days from a test, and a few days from doing it."
The airlines targeted were United, American and Continental, which fly to New York, Washington and California.
Today the Bank of England named and froze the assets of 19 of the 24 air terror suspects arrested. The bank was acting under the instruction of Chancellor Gordon Brown and on the advice of the police and security services.
It acted under powers granted by the United Nations to tackle the financing of terrorism in the wake of the September 11 2001 attacks. Its action means it is a crime to make their money available without a licence from the Treasury.
The oldest of the named suspects is 35 and the youngest 17. Thirteen of them are from east London - nine from Walthamstow, one from Chingford, one from Leyton, one from the Limehouse and Poplar area and one from Clapton.
Four are from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, and the other two are from Birmingham and Stoke Newington, north London.
The imam of Walthamstow mosque, where many of the suspects live, urged the Muslim community to remain calm and assist the police in their inquries. The unnamed imam added: "We'd like to remind people that the suspects are innocent until proven guilty."
Meanwhile, a senior Pakistani government official said today that two British nationals arrested in Pakistan provided information about the alleged UK air terror plot.
The UK remains on a "critical" level of alert against terrorism and air passengers at UK airports are expected to face widespread disruption again today following the introduction of new anti-terrorism measures yesterday including a ban on hand luggage.
The plot, which was described as an attempt to commit "mass murder on an unimaginable scale" by blowing up passenger jet, may have been thwarted just days before it was due to be carried out.
Thanks for posting that. I just read it and it is absolutely frightening.
??? Debunked: ????
I'm not sure about that. She is making the rounds on the radio programs telling her story. Heard her last night, and she is again being interviewd this morning on a Seattle area radio stattion.
They have been under surveillance for quite some time now, and part of the reason they were caught was the US NSA wire taps, something the MSM is not talking much about. The Brits have been following their movements and waiting to get them when they could arrest as many as possible at one time. Some of them were in Pakistan receiving training at different times, but when they intercepted a message that implied the attack was imminent the Brits acted.
I thought they were all 'British nationals'-you know, like Reginald,Basil,Clive -you know, all the usual suspects.
how do you think I feel?!? The Lusitania was sunk on my birthday!!!
Well, exactly 70 years prior to my birth, but still!!! =P
So why's the report classified?
I just read the Snopes.com debunk comments and they are not saying the event did not happen, in fact they confirm IT DID HAPPEN, but quote authorities that said it was just a Syrian band and she overreacted.
Let's just say they needn't be checking the ones being worn by 80 year-old great-grandmas.
BTW, the "unimaginable scale" item can really only mean one thing, unlike the "over the Atlantic" comment we've been hearing in the media.
That is, they {begin rank speculation here} must've intended to detonate above densely populated areas, either on take-off-and-climb or upon approach-to-landing. The greater fuel at the flights' start makes that phase a tempting guess, though they wouldn't have been able to get more than a couple of planes into to the air that way, suggesting the approach-to-landing phase, i.e., over populated US areas, is more likely what they had in mind. Even then, after two would've lit up, only landing phases over relatively unpopulated areas (by any aircraft) would've been allowed by the authorities.
Another possibility along the unimaginable scale could've involved the militarily-forced downing of (apparently) commandeered, threatening flights.{/speculation}
HF
I choked on that too.
I regret to say that it may take another successful 9/11 scale attack to truly wake some people up for good. Not that I want this to happen but that is probably what it would take. Foiled attacks fade away from memory even quicker than successful attacks and in six months, we'll have the same old people yip-yip-yapping about why we bothering with all this terrorism prevention business.
Snopes is compiled by a couple of leftists with an agenda. I'd be more discerning about what they "debunk".
Her article was the first thing I thought of when this broke yesterday. I think it was a dry run. Which probably means that this is a larger plan than this particular group of people. They may have been doing this as research for any number of people.
I agree with you wholeheartedly! Everything you said.
I hadn't thought of that. Just more evidence of what monsters these people are.
That woman should be jailed for stupidity!
I suspect the timing of this so called terror plot. The Red Sox have lost five in a row, including a sweep by the Kansas City Royals after doing nothing at the Trading Limit. HA! I think not Karl Rove.
Coincidence I tell you! Simply coincidence according to CAIR anyways......
The day Elvis died.
Everyone's been whining about screening babies and old women at airports.
I say keep screening us ALL. We are dealing with evil here.
A pregnant woman was going to blow herself up. Screen everyone!
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