London - Police statement on airline bombing plot - "mass murder on an unimaginable scale"

Reuters ^ | August 10, 2006 | Paul Stephenson

[HAL9000]

Police statement on airline bombing plot

LONDON (Reuters) - Following is the full text of a statement issued by London Deputy Commissioner, Paul Stephenson on Thursday morning:

"We are confident that we have disrupted a plan by terrorists to cause untold death and destruction and commit mass murder.

The Commissioner has been fully briefed and he is at New Scotland Yard today. He and I want to pay tribute to officers from the Met's Anti-Terrorist Branch and the security services for the work they have undertaken to disrupt these activities.

We believe that the terrorists' aim was to smuggle explosives onto airplanes in hand luggage and to detonate these in flight.

We also believe that the intended targets were flights from the UK to the USA.

Overnight we have arrested 21 people. The majority of those arrests have been in London but we have also made arrests in Thames Valley and Birmingham. We are currently searching a number of addresses.

We are grateful to our colleagues in other force areas for their support.

As the operation got under way we spoke to community leaders to make them aware that a major anti-terrorist operation was taking place but without giving specific details about locations. This extensive dialogue will continue throughout the operation.

We would like to reassure the public that this operation was carried out with public safety upper most in our minds. This is a major operation, which will inevitably be lengthy and complex. The UK is now at the highest possible level of alert.

We will consider the threat in its wider sense and take whatever action is necessary to protect people in London and throughout the country.

Measures have already been put in place to restrict hand luggage taken onto aircraft. This will inevitably cause significant delay and we ask people to remain calm, patient and vigilant at this very difficult time.

Put simply this was a plot to commit mass murder on an unimaginable scale."

[tkathy]

These suspects will be described as "mentally ill, wonderful model citizens". All who knew them will be shocked, shocked I tell you.

[defconw]

Ping, WTG GB! and Thank You to Scotland Yard.

[ketelone]

Disaster averted.

[poobear]

"Hope the minimum wage rent-a-cops at airport terminals are sure to check grandma from Iowa real good. But be sure not to upset middle eastern males by asking them to submit to searches."

I agree with your cynicism but the security at OIA make a very decent living. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember the ads after 9/11 offering hourly wages ranging from $18.00 to $30.00 per hour. While that's not going to make your rich, the benefits and pensions are quite attractive around these parts. Let's just hope they do their jobs.

OIA is expecting heavy Delius do to the elevated security. No shampoo, toothpaste, mouthwash, etc. Their going to make you prove the content of baby formula. All shoes will be inspected. (Except of course middle eastern men in their 20's /s) This should be interesting on the evening news.

[AFPhys]

If any portion of this plot is successful, it will doom the Lamont branch of the DNC and the Old Media terrorist sympathizers.

[AFPhys]

...bringing down the planes could have been a precurser to other parts of the plot.

That's how I read the last sentence of the Brit's statement.

[The Sons of Liberty]

Thank GOD for the vigilance of MI5!

We must be prepared, there may be additional aspects to this plot.

[oh8eleven]

Check DU. I don't have the stomach to.
Here's a sampling (BARF alert):

- The UK government mostly lie about these things.
- political ploy
- It seems like this has been planned to coincide with the new terror alert system that came into effect on 1st August.
- can you IMAGINE how they are treating every passenger who isn't lily white? what a horror.
- I've pretty much laughed off most of the terra!terra! crap
- I'd like to think that this is just another fizzy Pepsi can in the NY subways, but they still are calling this a "critical" threat...

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

Deport Muslims Now! No camps -- just deport! Raze ALL mosques. Do it now!

[prairiebreeze]

This is our societies, our lives at risk!

Oh what silliness. Why, we've brought this on ourselves by...by...well, by breathing and by being blue-eyed and non-muslim. We must engage these poor misguided but deep-down benevolent muslim males in dialogue. We must endeavor to understand how we've made them angry at us and resolve to change ourselves and our society so they aren't mad at us any more. We must engage the UN to assist us in our dialogue and afford us new opportunities for extending peace and harmony.

We must......stop typing before we hurl our coffee. Haaa! Good morning guys.

Serious and sobering business, this. Thank God the Brits were on top of this one.

[relictele]

Don't forget the intrepid TSA:

[johnny7]

...all 21 arrested were Muslim males.

Then they'll say...

“They've all recently converted to Christianity... are bi-polar... and were very upset over Israel's actions in Lebanon and America's actions in Iraq. Friends of the accused are 'shocked'... to hear of the news. All were described as 'hard-working'... 'studious'... and 'caring' people.”

[Michael81Dus]

Can you please read your post again, and then the post you replied to. Then call yourself a stupid fool and laugh about it.

:-D

[philman_36]

More peace from our friends of the ROP*
Oh, they want peace all right, but only under their terms.

[Dog]

Michael ...that was American humor.

[AFPhys]

...[I] really think the aclu should be treated as an enemy combatant

The day will someday arrive that the terrorists will succeed in raising the ire of the Western mind. Several years ago, we discussed this at length on FR. I maintain that we have forgotten that the Crusades happened for a reason, not out of simple blood thirstyness on the part of the Christians, but only after less drastic measures were tried. When the ire of the West is finally achieved, we will then abandon all attempts to look the other way when traitors (including the ACLU, reporters, commentators, and even politicians) express sympathy of any type with the terrorists or their objectives. I don't know when that day will come, or how many successful attacks it will take, but come it will.

[Raycpa]

I certainly hope the folks in the UK did not wire tap any local phones or intrude on banking records in order to catch these guys. That would make them as bad as the terrorists, right?,

[Dog]

Per the Brit news conference: They could be looking for up to FIFTY people...they have 21 in custody.

[AFPhys]

These suspects will be described as "mentally ill, wonderful model citizens". All who knew them will be shocked, shocked I tell you."

LOL!!!