Terrorist plot foiled
Junior
4,853 Posts
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4778575.stm
Well it's good news that it's been foiled but the scale of the attack is the most frightening aspect to me. I've got a horrible feeling this is going to be a more and more common experience over the coming months/years. This plus the 22nd August post is giving me the heebie jeebies in a major way.'Airlines terror plot' disrupted All airports have been put under the restrictionsReid statement A terrorist plot to blow up planes in mid-flight from the UK to the US has been disrupted, Scotland Yard has said. It is thought the plan was to detonate explosive devices smuggled on to as many as 10 aircraft in hand luggage. Police were searching addresses after a total of 21 people were being kept in custody after 25 arrests in the London area and West Midlands. High security is causing delays at all UK airports, and MI5 has raised the threat level to critical. According to MI5's website, critical threat level - the highest - means "an attack is expected imminently and indicates an extremely high level of threat to the UK". Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Paul Stephenson said the alleged plotters had intended "mass murder on an unimaginable scale". Home Secretary John Reid confirmed that there had apparently been a plot "to bring down a number of aircraft through mid-flight explosions causing a considerable loss of life". According to BBC sources the "principal characters" suspected of being involved in the plot were British-born. Arrests were made in High Wycombe, London and Birmingham. In other major developments: The US Department of Homeland Security increased the threat level applied to US-bound commercial flights originating in the UK The Home Office confirmed there had been three meetings overnight and on Thursday morning of the Cabinet's emergency committee, Cobra, chaired by Mr Reid, to discuss the terror alert A spokesman for Number 10 said Tony Blair had briefed US President George Bush on the situation during the night All passengers were banned from taking hand luggage onto flights, while the government warned of delays. BBC home affairs correspondent Daniel Sandford said he did not think the police believed an attack was imminent. "The reason for raising the threat level is in case there is some other sub-plot, back-up plot around this that the police aren't aware of," he said. Scotland Yard said in a statement that their investigation into the alleged plot was a "major operation" which would be "lengthy and complex". "We would like to reassure the public that this operation was carried out with public safety uppermost in our minds." BBC security correspondent Gordon Correra said given that most liquids were being banned from flights it suggested the suspected plot involved "some kind of liquid explosive". He also said the plot had an "international dimension", while the investigation had involved the CIA. "The Americans have definitely been involved for quite some time," he said. Prime Minister Tony Blair is on holiday in the Caribbean, but Downing Street said the police operation was undertaken with his full support and he had been "in constant touch". Transparent bags The Department for Transport set out the details of the security measures at UK airports. THREAT LEVEL The current threat level is assessed as critical as of 10th August 2006 - this means that an attack is expected imminently and indicates an extremely high level of threat to the UK MI5 statementReid's terror plea Ministers' statements in full Passengers are not allowed to take any hand luggage on to any flights in the UK, the department said. Only the barest essentials - including passports and wallets - will be allowed to be carried on board in transparent plastic bags. "We hope that these measures, which are being kept under review by the government, will need to be in place for a limited period only," the statement said. British Airways said that passengers who do not wish to fly on Thursday could rebook on flights leaving over the next two weeks. At Stansted airport, more than 2,000 passengers, clutching their plastic bags, snaked around the terminal queuing to pass through customs.
Comments
In the Gaza Strip. It's safer.
(coffee, shampoo, toothpaste, jelly filled doughnuts?)
they just said you can take baby food and milk on board. But only if you TASTE IT FIRST TO PROVE IT'S LEGIT
Prior to 9/11 I used to love to have fun with the X-ray machine operators at the Airport when running a box of LP's through their equipment.
When they would stop and look at a box of records closely I'd ask what they thought was in the box.
I got answers ranging from "Bowling Ball" with a 25 count box(It isn't too difficult to figure out a bowling ball would not fit in this size box) to "Tree Stump"......these are the folks that are protecting our lives!!!
Yeah that was my first gut reaction as well which is kinda sad.
However they haven't let up on the interviews since and John Reid has happily let himself be quoted so I suspect that they may actually have some smidgen of proof this time round.
(Oh yeah, not quite everyone arrested on terror suspicions has been set free, Mohammed Abdul Kahar, the guy shot in the police raid has subsequently been arrested after police found child porn images on his computer while they were scraping it for terrorist related junk
They are making people throw out shampoo, lotion, deodorant
I have to fly domestically in a few days. I want to bring deodorant.
At the moment, everything has to go in the hold, including records, laptops etc etc.
You're supplied with a clear small plastic bag, into which you can put your passport, keys (removing the electronic key fob if you have an alarm on it) etc etc.
No bottled water or sodas, just a small liddle clear plastic bag.
Might contain chemicals that could be mixed in-flight to make explosive material.
And only in your hand luggage, I think.
[Rushes off to apply for said patent...]
Here's what I just received from my Corporate Travel Dept....
During the night last night, British Authorities foiled a terrorist plot to blow up flights enroute from London to the United States. 21 Arrests were made and at this moment NOTHING NEGATIVE HAS OCCURED ON ANY PLANE. So it is believed that the plot was thwarted in time. However the investigation is still underway.
Air traffic is flying worldwide, HOWEVER there are extreme delays and many flight cancellations.
U.S. officials raised the "threat level" for air transport to red , the highest alert. The terrorists had targeted flights operated by American Airlines, Continental Airlines and United Airlines, a U.S. official said.
IF YOUR TRAVEL IS NOT ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, WE WOULD ADVISE THAT YOU TRY TO DELAY ANY TRIPS FOR AT LEAST 24 HOURS. If you must travel, please arrive at the airport at least an hour earlier than you normally would.
Passengers at all airports in the United States were told to expect intensified searches, considerable delays and new restrictions on carry-on items. The Transportation Security Administration announced that passengers on all U.S. flights, domestic and international, would be banned from transporting any type of liquid or gel in their carry-on luggage . The ban applies to all types of beverages, shampoo, toothpaste, hair gels and other items of a similar consistency, the TSA announced. Some international airlines are declaring a ban on ALL hand baggage especially computers and cell phones. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL, PLEASE CHECK WITH YOUR SPECIFIC AIRLINE PRIOR TO LEAVING FOR THE AIRPORT.
The Corporate Travel Office, both in the U.S. and U.K, have been alerting travelers of the raised security levels since early this morning, and will continue to call passengers and work with passengers who's flights have been cancelled or delayed throughout the day. We are trying to make contact with everyone who's flight might be affected. We will continue to monitor the situation and send out updates as necessary.
Did you not find Kahar's child porn arrest to be somewhat suspect? Perfectly timed to coincide with the announcement that the police had (surprise surprise) been cleared of any wrongdoing in that 'botched' raid.
Yeah suspect doesn't even begin to describe it. Been precious little press about it as well apart from alongside the story of the police being cleared of wrongdoing.
I don't think anyone's jaw would drop if the charges were dropped in a week or so's time but I guess time will tell.
next thing you know they won't be allowing passengers on planes because of the risk of someone spontaneously combusting.
The only plane thought to be brought down by a liquid explosive.
from Answers.com:
Korean Air Flight 858 was a flight that flew from Abu Dhabi International Airport in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates to Gimpo Airport near Seoul, South Korea via Bangkok International Airport in Bangkok. On November 29, 1987, it mysteriously disappeared.
According to the South Korean authorities, the Boeing 707 (registered HL7406) took off from Abu Dhabi and was flying to Bangkok on the way to Seoul. Two passengers who departed from the plane at Abu Dhabi left a radio and liquor bottle containing explosives in an overhead rack on the airplane. The bomb exploded while the plane was over the Andaman Sea near Thailand. Radar contact was lost at the time of the explosion.
All 11 crew members and 104 passengers on Korean Air 858 were killed, making it the deadliest terrorist attack against South Korea.
Two North Korean agents were arrested by South Korean officials shortly after the bombing. One killed himself with a suicide pill but the other, Kim Hyon Hui, was captured before she herself could commit suicide. She told investigators that the bombing was ordered by Kim Il Sung's son, Kim Jong-il. The story against North Korea reinforced the country's place on the United States terrorism supporter's list.
People who believe the event is a conspiracy say that the event was engineered by the South Korean authorities for political aims, citing a lack of hard evidence.
More on the surviving North Korean agent.
Interesting story...
Kim Hyon Hui
Kim Hyun Hui (aka "Ok Hwa") (b. January 27, 1962, Kaesong) was one of the North Korean agents responsible for the Korean Air Flight 858 bombing in 1987.
Her father was in the Department of Foreign Affairs and as a result, the family lived in Cuba for a time. Kim excelled as a student and after school activities. In college, she studied Japanese. This later proved to be a fateful decision for Kim and led to her selection as an agent for the North Korean Communist Party.
Once selected to become an agent for the Party, Kim was given a new name Ok Hwa and sent to live in a compound outside of Pyongyang. There, Kim was trained in martial arts, physical fitness, and Japanese for three years. Her language instructor was a Japanese woman named Eun Hae who had been kidnapped from Japan. Additionally, students at this facility were shown propaganda films and indoctrinated regarding North Korean communism. At the end of her training, Kim was rigorously tested. Part of her final exam, required her to infiltrate and steal documents from a mock embassy.
Kim spent time in China studying Chinese and was allowed to travel through Europe with an older gentleman, known to her as Kim Sung Il. This was part of her extensive preparation to complete a mission that was of great importance to the ruling Kim family. Kim Hyun Hui only wanted to live with her family from whom she had been separated throughout her training. Her younger brother had died and her sister, who had married, was now a widower.
Kim was given an assignment to blow up Korean Airlines 858 and was told that the order came directly from the "Dear Leader himself, Kim Jong-Il." Kim was told that the mission was very important and that its successful completion would result in the re-unification of Korea. Additionally, Kim was told that she would be able to return and live with her family and would not have to work as an agent afterward. She was once again paired with Kim Seung Il who was recovering from an operation to his stomach.
She was traveling with a false Japanese passport under the name of Mayumi along with an older gentleman who was to be her father. He was Kim Sung Il. The two traveled through Europe and eventually met up with other North Korean agents in Budapest who provided them with the materials to complete their mission. Once they had left behind the bomb (hidden in a radio device) in a luggage rack of KAL 858, Kim Hyun Hui and Kim Sung Il deboarded in Abu Dhabi and traveled to Bahrain. The two agents were apprehended in Bahrain and upon arrest Kim Sung Il bit a cyanide pill that was hidden in a cigarette. Kim Hyun Hui attempted to do the same thing but the capsule didn???t kill her. She was hospitalized and then later interrogated.
Throughout her initial questioning Kim Hyun Hui insisted that her name was Pai Chui Hui, an orphan from Northern China. Initially, she stated that she was an orphan girl from Northern China who had met an elderly Japanese man with whom she was traveling. When asked about her sexual relations with the older man, Kim Hyun Hui became angry and attacked her interrogator and fought with the guard. Just as she was about to shoot herself with the guard???s weapon she was subdued. Kim Hyun Hui was then transferred to the custody of South Koreans.
During her interrogation in South Korea, Kim Hyun Hui???s resistance broke down quickly. Kim was taken to see the prosperity of Seoul outside of her prison cell. She had been taught in North Korea that American culture had supplanted the Korean culture in the South. She had also been taught that the rich exploited the poor who lived in poverty. What she saw outside of her prison cell made her realize that everything that she had been taught regarding South Korea was mere propaganda. Once she came to this realization, Kim Hyun Hui confessed the details of her role in the bombing of Flight 858.
For her role in the bombing of KAL 858, Kim Hyun Hui was sentenced to death in March 1989 but was later pardoned by South Korea's president Roh Tae-woo. She later wrote her biography entitled "Tears of My Soul" and donated the proceeds to the families of the victims of Flight 858.
Sad but true. They surely would have found the child pornography when they had him arrested intially. They wouldn't have released him had they not been through everything thing of his in that house including every file on his computer. If he really had child porn on there they presumably waited until the right time to re arrest him. But as you say they could be making the whole thing up.