BRITAIN ON STANDBY FOR NUKE STRIKE; SECRET PLAN TO EVACUATE MILLIONS IN TERROR ALERT

August 17, 2002 | August 17, 2002 | John Twomey

[Wallaby]

Not for commercial use. Solely to be used for the educational purposes of research and open discussion.

BRITAIN ON STANDBY FOR NUKE STRIKE; SECRET PLAN TO EVACUATE MILLIONS IN TERROR ALERT

By John Twomey The Express; NEWS; Pg. 8 9 August 17, 2002

PLANS to move millions of people out of Britain's major cities in the event of a terrorist attack have been secretly drawn up, it was revealed yesterday.

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The Al-Muhajiroun group, whose leading supporters include controversial Sheikh Abu Hamza alMasri, has warned Britons that they will "choke on the smoke" of revenge attacks if a strike against Saddam is launched.

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The mass exodus would be launched at centres of population around the country if there was a nuclear or biological strike. In London, emergency nerve centres for the Government, the police and vital financial services have already been built and equipped. They would be ready within hours of a terrorist outrage. The move is in direct response to the September 11 atrocities and a possible terrorist backlash after any military strike against Iraq.

But police stress there is no specific intelligence about an imminent attack. The authorities say they are responding to a general threat.

Details of the emergency plans emerged as pressure was mounting for the deportation of extremist Muslims who openly support the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

The Al-Muhajiroun group, whose leading supporters include controversial Sheikh Abu Hamza alMasri, has warned Britons that they will "choke on the smoke" of revenge attacks if a strike against Saddam is launched.

It is understood Scotland Yard's Anti-Terrorist Branch is examining material - including videos - linked to the group in case they breach the Terrorism Act. The extremists, who are condemned by the vast majority of Muslims in Britain, want the UK to be incorporated into an Islamic state in Europe.

Emergency plans have been drawn up for major UK cities to ensure that local government and the police can operate effectively in the event of a terrorist attack. They include new measures introduced since September 11 such has no-fly zones over power stations and other vital sites.

A major element of each plan is understood to cover supplies of crucial drugs - including antidotes to known biological weapons - and medical services.

The existence of London's postSeptember 11 plan was revealed in a letter to the all-party Commons Defence Committee by Judith Mayhew, chairman of London Corporation's policy and resources group. "London is currently looking at methods of mass evacuation in certain geographical areas, " she wrote. Details of the exodus plans would be broadcast on radio and TV in a way which would not "overdramatise" the crisis.

Police chiefs believe there could be mass panic if London or other major cities came under attack, particularly from chemical weapons. Areas of dense population or with poor road and rail links would create additional problems.

Methods of dealing with possible outbreaks of public disorder at railway stations and other transport terminals also feature in the plans.

Home Secretary David Blunkett is in overall command of the emergency planning as head of the newly-created Civil Contingencies Committee. But in the event of a disaster the Prime Minister would be in charge, working from the Cobra nerve centre in Whitehall.

Tony Blair recently ordered a GBP 1.4million re-fit of Cobra. It is understood the money will be spent on upgrading communication equipment to link the centre to a network of regional government bunkers dotted around the country. He has ordered the work to be completed before any military action against Saddam.

One expert said last night: "Planning of this kind has been going on for decades, particularly in the face of a Cold War nuclear attack. It is only right that Government is prepared for any nightmare scenario."

[LurkedLongEnough]

They would be ready within hours of a terrorist outrage.

This phrase makes me skeptical about intent of the article, regardless of the content. Is the use of the term "outrage" just a British substitute for "attack", or is this a poor translation from the Arabic?

[MCRD]

Yeah right, but us other 10% have good reason to despise the cheese eating surrender monkeys.

[Wallaby]

I'm not sure what you are skeptical about. At any rate, any such evacuation plan would be British and so certainly not in Arabic.

[Traitain]

"Umpteen years of cold war with thousands of nukes on both sides, and the Brits haven't had evacuation plans before this? Now, that I would have kept secret :))."

Well, you pretty much answered that yourself. Thousands of nukes and one small island, where can you escape to if your entire country has been reduced to a giant sheet of glass?

Traitain