TMCnet News
Mother of Satan(Daily Mail Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) BRITISH Muslims plotted to blow up nine crowded airliners over American cities, it was reported last night. Police said the aim was to 'commit mass murder on an unimaginable scale' - bigger even than the 9/11 atrocity in 2001. The blitz could even have been launched on the fifth anniversary of that attack. U.S authorities said last night that the plotters planned to destroy three planes an hour for three hours, killing all the passengers and potentially causing thousands of deaths on the ground. Police and security services who had been monitoring the plot yesterday arrested 24 people in a series of dramatic raids on homes in London, High Wycombe and Birmingham. Almost all those held are from Pakistani backgrounds. Detectives also found a suspected bomb factory containing liquids and other materials that could be put together to make explosives. The mixture would have been similar to Al Qaeda's favourite explosive TATP, known as Mother of Satan because of its devastating power. It was used by the July 7 bombers in London last year. In an extraordinary move last night a threemile no-fly zone was imposed over the Buckinghamshire town of High Wycombe where the suspect materials were found in one of the raided homes. Neighbours said brothers Amjad and Asad Sarwar, whose family have lived in the semidetached house in Walton Drive for 20 years, were arrested. The 2am police action led to a day of chaos at airports nationwide. Hundreds of thousands of passengers faced lengthy delays or cancelled flights and tight restrictions were imposed on hand luggage. The delays are set to continue today and well into the weekend, with tourists returning to Britain also likely to be affected. Among other developments in a day of drama: Intelligence chiefs raised the UK threat level to critical- the highest - effectively meaning Britain is under attack. Investigators said they feared Heathrow security may have been infiltrated - one of those held was a security guard there. Pakistani officials claimed an extremist arrested on the Afghan border had provided crucial intelligence that led to the plot being discovered. U.S. TV said five members of the terror gang were still being hunted. Scotland Yard Deputy Commissioner Paul Stephenson said: 'We are confident we have disrupted a plan by terrorists to cause untold death and destruction and to commit-mass murder. This was intended to be mass murder on an unimaginable scale.' The mastermind of the plot - which was said to have been aimed at the U.S. airlines United, American and Continental - is understood to be under arrest in Pakistan. The British head of the operation is said to be among the 24 held although Whitehall sources warned last night that a second cell might still be in hiding and planning attacks. U.S. officials said the plot carried the 'hallmarks of Al Qaeda' - simultaneous bombings and the use of airliners. But Peter Clarke, head of the Yard's antiterrorist branch, said only that the network was large and global. He said the investigation had involved unprecedented levels of surveillance, adding: 'We have been looking at meetings, movement, travel, spending and the aspirations of a large group of people.' The men are said to have used Internet cafes in Slough, Berkshire, and East London, while telephone calls between gang members were monitored and at least four vehicles bugged. Some had been planning to board planes at Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham airports, transferring to transatlantic flights from Heathrow and Gatwick. At least a dozen of those under arrest hold dual Pakistani citizenship, according to security officials in Islamabad. It was in Pakistan that two of the July 7 bombers, school teacher Siddique Khan and student Shehzad Tanweer, met Al Qaeda figures and trained at terror camps. Scotland Yard had hoped to carry out the raids in one or two weeks' time. According to Whitehall sources, the operation had to be brought forward at the last minute, however, because of the activities of intelligence agencies in the U.S. Intelligence about the impending terror swoop was passed to authorities in America - believed to be the CIA and FBI - a number of weeks ago. They were asked to sit on the information until arrests were made in England. But the Americans are said to have gone 'proactive' - potentially alerting associates of the UK suspects. A Whitehall source said: ' Scotland Yard was effectively bounced into these arrests by the Americans.' The raids led to the sudden imposition of sweeping new security measures at airports. All hand luggage was banned from cabins and had to be checked in. Passengers were not allowed to carry any electronic devices, including mobile telephones or keyfobs, which could have been used to trigger a bomb. Liquids - including contact lens fluids, shampoo and water - were taken from passengers amid fears that bombs were to be constructed in mid-air from liquid smuggled aboard. Even baby milk taken aboard by parents had to be tasted first. Reports from the U.S. said the suicide bombers had planned to conceal their liquid or gel explosives inside a modified sports drink container. It could have been triggered by the flash from a disposable camera. The reports said the plotters planned to leave the top of the bottle sealed and filled with the original drink, hiding the explosives in a false bottom. They believed this would allow them to pass undetected through airport security, even if they were asked to take a sip of the drink. The flash in a disposable camera has enough electrical power, they apparently believed, to set off the homemade explosive. U.S. officials said the plotters hoped to stage a 'dry run' within two days. The actual attack could have followed days later. Tony Blair, who was told of the raids while on holiday in the Caribbean, said : 'I would like to pay tribute to the immense effort made by the police and security services who for a long period of time have tracked this situation and been involved in an extraordinary amount of hard work. I thank them for the great job they are doing in protecting our country.' He added: 'There has been an enormous amount of cooperation with the U.S. authorities which has been of great value and underlines the threat we face and our determination to counter it.' The Prime Minister is said to have briefed President Bush about the plot on at least three occasions. Last night Mr Bush praised cooperation between British and U.S. security experts, adding the plot was a 'stark reminder that this nation is at war with Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom'. It was also revealed that American air marshals are being sent to the UK to provide increased security on flights bound for the U.S. The travel disruption intensified last night when easyJet said it was cancelling 88 flights today - including 28 to and from Stansted, 40 to and from Luton and 20 to and from Gatwick. Other airports affected include Geneva, Amsterdam, Paris and several in Scotland. The airline said it had to ' sacrifice' some flights to ensure it could offer a robust service on others. Those chosen were the ones where an alternative form of travel - such as train - might be easiest. Rival Ryanair said it was cancelling 44 international and domestic flights scheduled for today, hitting destinations including Ireland, Germany and Portugal. Other passengers were warned to expect delays. In Washington, U.S. attorney general Alberto Gonzales said the plot could have killed 'hundreds of innocent people'. He said those responsible were 'extremists' who had 'gone beyond just stating a desire to kill Americans'. 'Their plotting turned to action as they took several steps to carry out their deadly plan,' Mr Gonzales said. The U.S. administration raised the threat level for flights from Britain to 'red', meaning a severe risk of terrorist attacks. It banned drinks, hair gels and lotions from flights, saying only that liquids had emerged as a risk from the UK investigation. The impact of the plot was felt across the financial markets with British Airways shares slumping 5 per cent, wiping around GBP200 million off the value of the company. Ryanair and easyJet were both down 2per cent. Additional reporting: BEN TAYLOR HOW IT COULD HAVE UNFOLDED 1. The terrorists are thought to have been working in two-man teams. They have chosen one of Britain's smaller airports - such as Birmingham, Manchester or Glasgow - to avoid the heavier security at Heathrow or Gatwick but will change planes in London for a U.S. flight. Their liquid chemicals, disguised as sports drinks are not detected by either sniffer dogs or airport scanners. 2. At a prearranged time, both men visit the toilet. The first bomber leaves a quantity of chemicals to be found by his accomplice. 3 It is thought that the bottles could have contained drain cleaner, bleach and the nail varnish remover acetone - separately they are harmless, but mixed together they become triacetone triperoxide, better known as TATP. Nicknamed the 'Mother of Satan', it has become the explosive of choice for suicide bombers across the world. Acid, such as a splash of lemon juice, may be added as a catalyst. 4 The highly unstable mixture can be detonated by the electronic pulse of a key fob or even the flash from a camera . 5 Police believe the gang targeted flights to five major American cities. The idea was that the planes would be hit in a simultaneous 'spectacular'. |