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...

[My2Cents]

And it's why we haven't reduced our troop strength in Iraq (I'm guessing).

[Richard Kimball]

Unless we get Rats in office, I suspect we're there for the forseeable future. Like Korea, Europe and Japan, we'll have military bases in locations that make it pretty difficult for anybody to kick up much dust. I don't think the bases in Iraq or Afghanistan are going to go anywhere for a while.

I'm hoping that Shell gets their cheap method of producing oil from oil shale online. That would make the oil companies even richer while knocking the snot out of the middle eastern oil market. If we can get oil down cheap again, the money that funds Islamofascism will dry up.

[Deo volente]

"...we've got them surrounded."



Yes, and checkmate is getting closer by the day.

[bohemien]

I am Italian and i live in Italy. Italy is the best place in Europe where terrorists find the easiest nest to proliferate weapons and babies. It is also the only place in Europe where it is legal to be illegal. Our police can't take any step against illegals, they must release them just after the docs check, not because they want so but coz they follow the so-called "law". Our prime minister's yesterday released interview said that he was happy on the hills spending a wonderful relaxing morning on his byke. While the whole western world is on alert? These last days he relieved us Italians saying that there is no danger in our country. The day after they arrested 40 terrorists. ONLY? Optimistically, we have hundreds... Hey, no worry, these 40 will be assolved by the left justice and presto, quickly!