Posted on 08/13/2006 4:16:33 AM PDT by Aussie Dasher
British Home Secretary John Reid says at least four major terrorist attacks against Britain have been prevented since the deadly July bombings of last year.
He told the BBC all four of the terrorist plots would have led to significant loss of life.
Dr Reid also says British police are currently carrying out "up to two dozen" terror investigations.
He says the Government believes the first British Al Qaeda plot was in 2000 in Birmingham.
Britain's national security threat level was upped to "critical" on Thursday after police swooped on 24 people over an alleged pot to blow up aircraft en route to the United States.
"We think we have the main suspects in this particular plot," Dr Reid said.
"I have to be honest and say on the basis of what we know, there could be others out there... so the threat of a terrorist attack in the UK is still very substantial."
He says the current security measures at UK airports are "time-limited" and under review.
One person detained in Britain on Thursday was released without charge on Friday night, leaving 23 in custody.
British newspapers report the 23, most of them of Pakistani origin, include a taxi driver, an accountant, a student, a pizza delivery man and a security worker, as well as several Muslim converts.
Police have up to 28 days to release or charge the suspects.
They successfully applied for further warrants to detain 22 of the group.
They will apply on Monday to hold the remaining suspect for longer.
BTW, the BEST terrorist plot is one with flowers next to the headstone!
My Democrat brother and sister in law were in London Thursday, headed for home and got caught up in the foiled terrorist plot there. They realize now the dangers of radical Islam and expressed thankfulness for keen surveillance.
Hopefully, their eyes are opened. I think they are.
Blair is Bush's buddy, so of course he's in on it! He wouldn't mind manufacturing a threat and staging a few arrests just to harass the peaceful muslims and help out George.
< /sarcasm >
When America arrested the seven terrorist plotters in Florida, our media rushed to their defense insisting they were simply misguided youths not capable of REALLY causing any harm.
Isn't it great how they always love to give terrorists the benefit of the doubt?
Sickening - and very bloody dangerous!
It will always be substantial as long as a high percentage of "British" Muslims believe terrorist attacks against their current nation of residence are justified. Welcome Islamists into one's nation with open, naive, tolerant, multi-cultural arms and one should expect to get terrorized. The disease of liberalism has now forced Western intel agencies and police forces to attempt to do the near-impossible.
They do what they have to do and there is no ACLU to deter them from their mission of protecting society from the evil dogs.
There are reports this am that the UK said the US forced them to act prematurely. Hmm, how long did they want to wait? The plotters had gotten the order to blow up planes. (Maybe the UK wanted to wait a bit longer to give Pakistan time to arrest the Pakistani giving the orders.)
Thank God for the Muslim woman who tipped off the UK about the plot.
Foil more plots simply by monitoring all Muslims. But then again, why would you want to have this devil worshiping scum in the country at all?
"I have to be honest and say on the basis of what we know, there could be others out there...so the threat of terrorist attack in the UK is still very substantial."...
Dr. Reid is a master of understatement.
If they're like Sen. Schumer, they'll bitch about being delayed and say not a word about having been saved from incineration over the Atlantic.
What I'd like to know is how many of these plots were foiled with the help of wiretapping these islamonazis or infiltrating their mosques and bathhouses?
And is the ACLU or their British equivalent going to sue the government for "illegally " foiling these plots?
She said she felt extremely safe and there is no doubt she puts the blame right where it belongs--on radical Islamic fascists.
I told her that this week I have detected a shift in the rhetoric in this country regarding these Islamofascists. Even the president, who once called Islam and relgion of peace is calling it for what it is. I see those on TV are even starting to equating terrorism with radical Islam. This is progress.
My sister in law, and I discussed how Muslim mothers raise their children to be terrorists. The one woman arrested in England was pregnant--unbelievable.
That is very good to hear. The MSM has harped on "long lines, big waits and airplane delays" as the point of the story, not the fact that lives were saved.
A woman at the table said: "He's a Democrat, isn't he"?
All of us Republicans at the same time gave a resounding "NO"!
You could tell she was offended and another friend (Congressman Steve King's brother) suggested to the woman she needs educating.
Of course she insisted she was the educated one and Bush is a danger and she can't wait until he is out of office.
What a moron. Yup, she's the educated one and she thinks Newt is a Democrat!!
This is representative of those who vote Democrat.
And the overeducated ones are....Democrats?
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