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Police foil plot to kidnap Blair's youngest son+
(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)LONDON, Jan. 18_(Kyodo) _ British police have foiled a plot to kidnap Prime Minister Tony Blair's youngest son, five-year-old Leo, local press reported Wednesday.
The plan was reportedly devised by extremist supporters on the fringe of pressure group "Fathers 4 Justice" which campaigns for the access rights of divorced fathers to their often estranged children.
No details were given as to how the group planned to evade the tight security surrounding the Blair family, but the plot allegedly centered on snatching the child and holding him for a short period as a publicity stunt without any intention to harm him.
It was reported that officers from the Metropolitan Police's Special Branch uncovered the plot in its early development just before Christmas, but there were no reports of any arrests, prompting speculation that the plot had not reached an advanced stage.
In the past, the Fathers 4 Justice group has staged several high-profile publicity stunts, including a campaigner dressed as Batman scaling Buckingham Palace and another protestor hurling purple powder at Blair while he addressed parliament in the House of Commons.
Matt O'Connor, founder of Fathers 4 Justice, expressed his disgust at the extremists associating themselves with the group, stating, "I'm stunned. We are in the business of reuniting kids with their fathers, not taking them away."
Despite police sources revealing they were not convinced that those involved had the ability to carry out the plot, reports suggest the protection for Blair, his wife Cherie, and their four children had been reviewed with armed police guarding them round the clock.
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