British Name 19 Alleged Plotters; Pakistan Reports Al Qaeda Link; 40 Arrested In Italy

NY Sun ^ | August 11, 2006 | ROBERT BARR

[neverdem]

Associated Press

LONDON (AP) - British officials Friday identified 19 of the suspects accused of planning to blow up U.S.-bound aircraft in the biggest terrorist plot to be uncovered since 9/11. In Pakistan, officials reported signs of an al-Qaida connection and said they had detained a "key person" in the case.

Travelers saw shorter lines at airports as flight schedules slowly returned to normal, one day after the disclosure of the alleged conspiracy severely disrupted British air traffic.

British police have arrested 24 people suspected of involvement in the plot. At least one was reportedly a woman with a small child; two others were converts to Islam. One of the suspects reportedly worked at Heathrow Airport.

The identities of 19 were disclosed by the Bank of England as it announced it had frozen their accounts. They ranged in age from 17 to 35 and had Muslim names, many of them common in Pakistan. Pakistani officials said they were British-born.

Pakistani officials said they had arrested five Pakistanis and two Britons in the case, including British national Rashid Rauf, arrested about a week ago and described as a "key person" with ties to al-Qaida.

"We arrested him from the (Afghanistan-Pakistan) border area and on his disclosure we shared the information with British authorities, which led to further arrests in Britain," Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao The Associated Press. The five Pakistanis were described as suspected "facilitators" of the plot.

Later, a Pakistani intelligence official said 10 Pakistanis had been arrested Friday in the eastern district of Bhawalpur, 300 miles southwest of Islamabad, in connection with the alleged plot. A second intelligence official confirmed there had been arrests but didn't know how many. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because of their sensitive positions.

Police in Italy arrested 40 people in a...

[rvoitier]

This guy's got the right attitude!

Airline passenger Anton Gerasimov enjoys the last drink of his champagne before boarding a flight to Russia, Thursday, Aug. 10, 2006, at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco. Growing lines of irritated travelers snaked through U.S. airport terminals Thursday as people waited hours to reach security checkpoints, where they were ordered to dump all liquids, water bottles, suntan lotion, even toothpaste, following the discovery of a terror plot involving planes leaving Britain. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

[Richard Kimball]

Is it my imagination, or have we started rounding up a whole buncha people just about 10 days before Iran's "final answer?"

[My2Cents]

Wow. Good point. No one else has suggested it, as you have here, but I had the same thought this morning. If these 59 "suspects" start singing, and finger Iran, I hope we have an appropriate final "encouragement" to Iran before their final answer on the 22nd.

[My2Cents]

59 arrests. I know we dodged a bullet, but this has to be one of the most successful days for the good guys in the WOT.

[Jameison]

Iran is a problem that must be dealt with now.
Or we are going to have a rampaging destructive monster on our hands in 5 years time.
Thanks a lot Jimmy Carter.

[Jameison]

"Tariq Azim Khan, the Pakistani minister of state for information, said "these people were born and brought up in the United Kingdom. Some of them may have parents who were immigrants from Pakistan."

That is why ethnic profiling of Islamic people at our airports should be strongly enforced.
Political correctness has already gotten plenty of people killed in this country, and its going to get even more people killed if we don't change our politically correct practices.

[MooseMan]

They ranged in age from 17 to 35 and had Muslim names, many of them common in Pakistan.

Obviously, they were from an Amish clan in Pakistan.

Let the profiling begin. Amish people with Muslim names be on the alert!

[Deo volente]

If Israel or the United States has credible evidence that Iran is going to launch a nuclear attack on August 22, the only correct response would be to annihilate them on the 21st.

[ROTB]

Speaking of which ...

>One of the suspects reportedly worked at Heathrow Airport.

... a security officer no less. I think his name was "Mohammed". No joking, though I am hazy on the name. Saw this on another FR thread on the same subject.

[Jameison]

"One of the suspects reportedly worked at Heathrow Airport.

... a security officer no less. I think his name was "Mohammed". No joking, though I am hazy on the name."

Talking about Heathrow..I spent a night there a few years back.
And I'll tell you one thing. Most of the cleaning people that came into the airport to clean the place up during the night, were Pakistani types, and they had access to practically everywhere in the airport.
Didn't see much sign of any security during the night either.
And this was after 9/11.
I remember thinking, any of these guys could plant anything anywhere they want, and there's no one stopping 'em. I was shocked.

[mreerm]

not just here. look at the stories of 40 rounded up in Italy and special attention in India. the next few weeks could be VERY interesting. the guys picked up in Britain were calling people in the US...and it wasn't to meet them at the airport for a ride home. we have almost no idea what's going on. the guys buying the pre-paid cell phones (read IED detonators) got picked up BY ACCIDENT and they had THOUSANDS of detonators........THOUSANDS!

[mreerm]

you're right NEVERDEM. now let's BUILD on our success!

[mreerm]

i heard the same yesterday...and that he had an ALL ACCESS PASS!!!

[EBH]

All those people and it was only one of how many plots? How many more are out there? Hundreds, thousands?

[My2Cents]

Richard Miniter said in his book, THE SHADOW WAR, that on average, one terror plot is foiled each day.

[Dutchgirl]

Police still guarded homes in High Wycombe, where the Muslim community expressed outrage that their community and children have been thrust into the international spotlight.

"They are considered ordinary British Muslims and they haven't caused any harm to anyone," accountant Mohammed Naeem said of the suspects. "They come from decent families."

I think Mo and I would differ on the meaning of "decent."

[Richard Kimball]

Whenever I hear people asking "Why are we in Iraq and Afghanistan?" I tell them, "Read a map."

If the Democrats don't understand this, they're even stupider than I think they are. I think they know why we invaded Iraq and Afghanistan. I KNOW Iran's figured it out. That's the real reason for the "fierce resistance" in Iraq and the "distraction action" in Lebanon. The closer we get to our goal, the harder they'll fight.

[Chena]

BTTT

[foreshadowed at waco]

Actually that map makes me feel pretty good...we've got them surrounded...no wonder they hate us so!