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11-08-06, 18:46
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/cbed2e12-28b5-11db-a2c1-0000779e2340.html
MI5 tracked group for a year
By Bob Sherwood and Stephen Fidler in London
Published: August 10 2006 22:30 | Last updated: August 10 2006 22:30
It was the biggest anti-terrorist surveillance operation ever mounted in the UK.
For more than a year, police and security service officers had tracked a “large group” of people they were convinced were plotting to blow up transatlantic aircraft in mid-flight.
The detectives allowed the alleged plot to continue for as long as they dared. They followed the young Muslim men’s movements in London and other parts of the UK, listened into their meetings and monitored their spending. But by late on Wednesday, with the suspected suicide bomb plans well advanced and an attack considered “imminent”, MI5 and anti-terrorist branch officers decided they could wait no longer without risking public safety.
During the night, 24 people were arrested in a co-ordinated series of raids on homes in London, High Wycombe and Birmingham.
By 2am, MI5, which is responsible for domestic security, had raised Britain’s threat level to the highest possible alert. Surprised airport staff were told to implement the most stringent security precautions, causing chaos at the airports.
John Reid, the home secretary, said security chiefs were confident that “we have the main players in custody” but the terror threat would remain at “critical”, which implies a terrorist attack is imminent, in case other members of the suspected terrorist cells were still at large.
Most of the people being questioned yesterday were believed to be young British Muslims, although police refused to rule out the possibility of international connections.
The Pakistan government said on Thursday night that the country’s intelligence helped to crack the plot and had arrested some suspects. A senior government official said “two or three local people” were held a few days ago in Lahore and Karachi.
In London officers were beginning the painstaking task of ascertaining the suspect’s true identities and nationalities, interviewing witnesses and searching homes and business premises.
Peter Clarke, deputy assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan police, who is leading the investigation, said: “The investigation has focused on intelligence, which suggested that a plot was in existence to blow up transatlantic passenger aircraft, in flight.
“The intelligence suggested that this was to be achieved by means of concealed explosive devices smuggled onto the aircraft in hand baggage. The intelligence suggested that the devices were to be constructed in the UK, and taken through British airports.”
He said the number, timing and destinations of the planned attacks were still under investigation. But officials in Washington indicated that United, American and Continental flights to New York, Washington and California had been targeted.
British security officials suspected the innovative use of liquid explosives smuggled on board could have evaded airport detection devices. They said the method of attack, if used to blow up an aircraft over the ocean on a flight from the US to the UK, could potentially have been used repeatedly because its detection would have been all but impossible after the event.
One official said: “We were very lucky to have acquired the intelligence about the modus operandi of the attacks. If we hadn’t got the intelligence, they probably would have succeeded and there would have been little or no forensic evidence showing how they had done it. The modus operandi could have made waves of attacks feasible.”
British police had liaised closely with US law enforcement agencies for some time, although US officials said they learnt the intelligence pointed to threats against specific US airlines only in the past two weeks.
Security officials indicated that the police were aware of threats against a number of airlines but had not told the carriers for fear of compromising the operation. The airlines were eventually warned by US officials.
During the night the government’s Cobra emergency response committee was hurriedly convened and met again twice during the morning, chaired by Mr Reid, to oversee developments.
Tony Blair, on holiday in the Caribbean, spoke to US President George Bush during the night to tell him the operation to disrupt the plot was under way. It is understood the two leaders had also spoken about the plot in the days before the arrests.
The US Department of Homeland Security increased its security level for US-bound flights from the UK to “red”, the first time it had applied the highest level for flights from another country. It also despatched US air marshals to Britain to provide extra security.
As the day wore on, Eurostar increased its security for trains through the Channel tunnel, and Kent police stationed armed officers at the county’s ferry ports.
Nine houses were evacuated in High Wycombe near to where at least one suspect was arrested as a “precautionary measure”. Police also raided a mosque in the Small Heath area of Birmingham, near where two men had been arrested.
The suspects, most of whom were arrested in London, were held on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism under the 2000 Terrorism Act.
The number of arrests suggests the group occupied significant resources from MI5, which has enjoyed a big increase in its budget since 2001 and is in the midst of a recruitment campaign.
However, officials said the breaking-up of the group would give the agency little respite because those involved would be quickly redeployed to tracking other suspects.
John O’Connor, a security consultant and former Metropolitan police commander, said part of the alleged plotters’ objectives had been achieved. “Airports have been disrupted. Businesses have been disrupted.”
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2006
MI5 tracked group for a year
By Bob Sherwood and Stephen Fidler in London
Published: August 10 2006 22:30 | Last updated: August 10 2006 22:30
It was the biggest anti-terrorist surveillance operation ever mounted in the UK.
For more than a year, police and security service officers had tracked a “large group” of people they were convinced were plotting to blow up transatlantic aircraft in mid-flight.
The detectives allowed the alleged plot to continue for as long as they dared. They followed the young Muslim men’s movements in London and other parts of the UK, listened into their meetings and monitored their spending. But by late on Wednesday, with the suspected suicide bomb plans well advanced and an attack considered “imminent”, MI5 and anti-terrorist branch officers decided they could wait no longer without risking public safety.
During the night, 24 people were arrested in a co-ordinated series of raids on homes in London, High Wycombe and Birmingham.
By 2am, MI5, which is responsible for domestic security, had raised Britain’s threat level to the highest possible alert. Surprised airport staff were told to implement the most stringent security precautions, causing chaos at the airports.
John Reid, the home secretary, said security chiefs were confident that “we have the main players in custody” but the terror threat would remain at “critical”, which implies a terrorist attack is imminent, in case other members of the suspected terrorist cells were still at large.
Most of the people being questioned yesterday were believed to be young British Muslims, although police refused to rule out the possibility of international connections.
The Pakistan government said on Thursday night that the country’s intelligence helped to crack the plot and had arrested some suspects. A senior government official said “two or three local people” were held a few days ago in Lahore and Karachi.
In London officers were beginning the painstaking task of ascertaining the suspect’s true identities and nationalities, interviewing witnesses and searching homes and business premises.
Peter Clarke, deputy assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan police, who is leading the investigation, said: “The investigation has focused on intelligence, which suggested that a plot was in existence to blow up transatlantic passenger aircraft, in flight.
“The intelligence suggested that this was to be achieved by means of concealed explosive devices smuggled onto the aircraft in hand baggage. The intelligence suggested that the devices were to be constructed in the UK, and taken through British airports.”
He said the number, timing and destinations of the planned attacks were still under investigation. But officials in Washington indicated that United, American and Continental flights to New York, Washington and California had been targeted.
British security officials suspected the innovative use of liquid explosives smuggled on board could have evaded airport detection devices. They said the method of attack, if used to blow up an aircraft over the ocean on a flight from the US to the UK, could potentially have been used repeatedly because its detection would have been all but impossible after the event.
One official said: “We were very lucky to have acquired the intelligence about the modus operandi of the attacks. If we hadn’t got the intelligence, they probably would have succeeded and there would have been little or no forensic evidence showing how they had done it. The modus operandi could have made waves of attacks feasible.”
British police had liaised closely with US law enforcement agencies for some time, although US officials said they learnt the intelligence pointed to threats against specific US airlines only in the past two weeks.
Security officials indicated that the police were aware of threats against a number of airlines but had not told the carriers for fear of compromising the operation. The airlines were eventually warned by US officials.
During the night the government’s Cobra emergency response committee was hurriedly convened and met again twice during the morning, chaired by Mr Reid, to oversee developments.
Tony Blair, on holiday in the Caribbean, spoke to US President George Bush during the night to tell him the operation to disrupt the plot was under way. It is understood the two leaders had also spoken about the plot in the days before the arrests.
The US Department of Homeland Security increased its security level for US-bound flights from the UK to “red”, the first time it had applied the highest level for flights from another country. It also despatched US air marshals to Britain to provide extra security.
As the day wore on, Eurostar increased its security for trains through the Channel tunnel, and Kent police stationed armed officers at the county’s ferry ports.
Nine houses were evacuated in High Wycombe near to where at least one suspect was arrested as a “precautionary measure”. Police also raided a mosque in the Small Heath area of Birmingham, near where two men had been arrested.
The suspects, most of whom were arrested in London, were held on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism under the 2000 Terrorism Act.
The number of arrests suggests the group occupied significant resources from MI5, which has enjoyed a big increase in its budget since 2001 and is in the midst of a recruitment campaign.
However, officials said the breaking-up of the group would give the agency little respite because those involved would be quickly redeployed to tracking other suspects.
John O’Connor, a security consultant and former Metropolitan police commander, said part of the alleged plotters’ objectives had been achieved. “Airports have been disrupted. Businesses have been disrupted.”
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2006