Posted on 08/17/2002 2:17:45 PM PDT by Wallaby
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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.
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.
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.
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."
I see all the same old dusty anti-French comments are being dragged out, nothing original here..
Me too! LOL.
g
I have news for you. Most people are doing just fine. Check the unemployment figures. Well over 90% of us are going to our jobs just like we ever have. The stock market concerns us, but so do a lot of things. Especially terrorists who have continually tried to kill us and would still like to if they get the opportunity.
Sorry, but I'm not buying it. The war on terrorism is real. Al-Qaida is real. Bury your head in the political sand if you wish, but don't ask us to join you. We're not that foolish.
Yeah, this time it was to the Salvation Army!
Yes, a lot of people have lost a lot of money in their retirement accounts--money that was based on phony baloney stock prices that soared under the Clinton Administration.
Now stock prices are down to where they should have been without the false accounting, or even a bit high, based on historical measures. So those accounts are down to what they would have been without the corporate BS under Clinton.
You want to blame this on Bush, and you think the war on terror is a phony exercise. You're entitled to your opinion, even if you're objectively wrong.
i was going to reem you on this, but i see that enough other people have taken you to task already.
but i would wish that you would get a decent screen name.
And, I'll add, the stock market is not the unit of measure of the economy. Its an indicator and it is linked, but it isn't the whole enchalada.
Unemployment is nowhere near what it was in the 70's. And people survived - in droves. :^)
I suspect that a certain spherical disruptor has decided that by talking down the economy (which he/she likely knows little about), he can deflect attention from an issue that can kill innocent Americans, and thus is of much greater importance than a deflated stock bubble.
"There's a bømbe for you, Mr. Balls. Did you expect one?"
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