|
|
 |
|
#1
08-10-2006, 01:39 AM
|
||||
|
||||
Frightening news from the BBC
10 August 2006, 05:24 GMT 06:24 UK
'Plot to blow up planes' foiled A major terrorist plot to blow up planes in mid-flight has been disrupted, Scotland Yard has said. It is thought the plan was to detonate explosive devices smuggled on aircraft in hand luggage, with flights from the UK to the US being targeted. During the night, police arrested a number of people in London after a counter-terrorist operation they said had lasted several months. Security at all airports in the UK has been tightened and delays are expected. Scotland Yard said in a statement: "We would like to reassure the public that this operation was carried out with public safety uppermost in our minds. "This is a major operation which inevitably will be lengthy and complex." The Department for Transport set out the details of the security measures at UK airports. Transparent bags Passengers will not be 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. BBC journalist Joe Lynam encountered the increased security measures at Gatwick airport. "I was handed a piece of paper saying that pretty much nothing could be taken on board the plane," he said. "Everything had to be checked in and that includes mobile phones, ipods, wallets - even spectacle cases had to be checked in." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4778575.stm 
|
|
#2
08-10-2006, 02:02 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
__________________
"Always be yourself...unless you suck!"
|
|
#3
08-10-2006, 02:11 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
The key to a lot of this is intelligence and it will take time to allow our agencies to reinfiltrate. But a great job done by the British.
As a science aside... I am very curious to find out what compounds they were mixing and how they got them into a form stable enough not to blow themselves up. Looks like people taking flights for the next few weeks (at least) will have to leave the KY jelly at home. Kev will not be able to take his hair coloring shampoo for the ladies. And what to do with the various scents needed to attract women.
|
|
#4
08-10-2006, 03:25 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
First, from what I've heard, the training came from Pakistan, not Iran.
Second, Pgardn, as you know...napalm can be made pretty easily with gasoline and a petroleum gel (vasoline). The other explosives use peroxide (for the O2 release) and other easily available nitrogen based compounds. I'm not giving out the formulas. They are already on the net, and for someone that is intent on building explosive devices, the information is not too hard to find, unfortunately.
|
|
#5
08-10-2006, 04:02 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
*note to self...lock bathroom door to keep Patrick out...nosy f*cker* 
|
|
#6
08-10-2006, 05:33 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
From Times Online.....
Foiled transatlantic bomb plot 'was ready to go in days' By Stewart Tendler, Crime Correspondent, Jenny Booth and Adam Fresco An alleged terrorist plot to "commit mass murder on an unimaginable scale" by exploding up to 12 aircraft in mid-flight between Britain and America using liquid explosive was just days away, senior sources said today. The plan bore all the hallmarks of an al-Qaeda plot, senior British and US sources said. So far 24 suspects - believed to be British citizens, many of Pakistani origin - have been arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 in overnight raids in London, the Thames Valley and Birmingham. The number of people “processed into custody” was three more than the 21 announced earlier today, the Metropolitan Police said tonight.. A spokesman added that there were no new arrests during the day. British security sources said that all the main targets had been arrested. The huge international surveillance operation to monitor the meetings, movements, travel, spending and the aspirations of a large group of people, began in December last year but senior officials only decided to make the raids in the last 24 hours. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke, the Metropolitan Police's head of anti-terrorism, said: "Last night the investigation reached a critical point when the decision was taken to take urgent action to disrupt what we believed was being planned," said Mr Clarke. It is believed that the raids were triggered by intelligence received from abroad. So sudden was the decision that Andy Hayman, assistant commissioner in charge of counter-terrorism at the Metropolitan Police, had to hurry home from a holiday abroad. Michael Chertoff, the US Homeland Security Secretary, said that the would-be terrorists planned to carry the explosive material and detonating devices on to aircraft disguised as drinks and electronic devices. He suggested they could have used liquids that were innocuous on their own but could be potentially deadly when mixed. "This operation is in some respects suggestive of an al-Qaeda plot," he told a press conference in Washington DC and said the plan was "well advanced" and "really quite close to the execution phase". "They had accumulated and assembled the capabilities that they needed and they were in the final stages of planning for execution." Officials in the US said the airlines allegedly targeted were United, American and Continental, which fly to major airports in New York, Washington and California. They are sending US air marshals to the UK to provide increased security on flights bound for America. Detectives in Britain are currently searching a number of business and home addresses. Buildings in Walthamstow, East London, and in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire were among those cordoned off by police tape and guarded by uniformed officers. A police spokesman said that several items of interest had been found. John Reid, the Home Secretary, said that the terror threat to the public was unprecedented, the biggest that Britain had ever faced. Police said that the alleged plot had a global dimension, and that the security services were co-operating with foreign security agencies. Mr Reid said that that although it was believed that the main suspects had been rounded up, police have not ruled out further arrests. Both Britain and America have raised their terrorism security alert to the highest level. Mr Chertoff said that the alleged plot resembled the infamous Bojinka plan hatched by the 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, to bring down 11 airliners over the Pacific in 1995. Meanwhile scenes of chaos were unfolding at British airports, as draconian security measures were put in place from the early hours to prevent explosives being carried on board in hand luggage. Among the extra security measures announced by the Department of Transport was a ban on carrying any liquids on board. America imposed a similar ban. Queues of holiday and business passengers snaked outside airport terminals, as many flights were cancelled and Heathrow announced that it was closed to all incoming and outgoing short-haul flights until at least 3pm. Stansted and Gatwick were also very congested, with full passenger halls and planes backed up on the runway. The British Aviation Authority warned passengers not to go to the airport unless absolutely necessary. British Airways cancelled all short haul flights for the rest of the day and easyJet said that no flights would operate out of Luton, Stansted and Gatwick today. The disruption is expected to last several days. Mr Reid said that the scale of the alleged terror plot was potentially bigger than the September 11 attacks. "Had this plot been carried out, the loss of life to innocent civilians would have been on an unprecedented scale," he said. "The decision to take action was an operational matter, but was taken with the full knowledge of the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Transport, as well as myself. The Prime Minister has been briefing the President of the United States on the operation, and the Transport Secretary and I have been in close contact with the US Homeland Security Secretary and the US Transport Secretary. "While the police are confident that the main players have been accounted for, neither they not the Government are in any way complacent." The Prime Minister paid tribute to the "immense" effort made by the police and security services in thwarting the planned terror attacks. Speaking from his Caribbean holiday after being briefed on the latest developments, Tony Blair said: "I thank them for the great job they are doing in protecting our country." The leaders of both UK Opposition parties had also been kept informed and were also fully behind the Government and the security services, Mr Reid added. He said that he had chaired two meetings of Cobra, the Cabinet's emergency liaison committee with the police and the security services, which had lasted much of the night. President Bush, who has been on holiday at his ranch in Texas, said that the arrests were a "historical reminder that this nation is at war with Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our nation". He said that he wanted thank the "government of Tony Blair and officials in the UK for their good work in busting these plots". Deputy Commissioner Paul Stephenson of the Metropolitan Police said in a briefing today: "We are confident that we have disrupted a plan by terrorists to cause untold death and destruction and, quite frankly, to commit mass murder. "We believe that the terrorists' aim was to smuggle explosives onto aeroplanes in hand luggage and to detonate these in mid-flight. We believe the target was flights between the United Kingdom and the United States of America. "There are 21 people who remain in custody, but the operation is ongoing. We believe we have been very successful in arresting suspects, but this is a very early stage of a very extensive and complex operation. It is a very, very serious plot... Put simply, this was a plot to commit mass murder on an unimaginable scale." Senior police sources told The Times that they believed up to 12 flights to the US were going to be attacked. Meanwhile police chiefs and John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, have spoken to community leaders to keep them in touch with the investigation. Mindful of the outrage amongst the Muslim community when Met anti-terror officers raided a house in Forest Gate last month, Mr Stephenson was careful to stress that Muslims were not being targeted by the police. "This is not about communities: it is about criminals, murderers, people who want to commit mass murder. This is about people who might masquerade in the community, hiding behind certain faiths, but who want to commit acts that no right-minder person would want to applaud," he said. Airports banned all hand baggage on board planes except essential travel documents and small wallets, carried in clear plastic bags. Liquids were banned, except for baby formula and prescription medicines, and travellers were being told to be prepared to show that these were harmless by tasting them at the security gate. All passengers were being body-searched, their shoes X-rayed and their pushchairs, walking sticks and belongings were being screened. Only airport wheelchairs were being allowed past security. Passengers for the US were being searched again at their boarding gate. As the number of cancelled flights began to mount, passengers who had already checked in their suitcases containing all their personal belongings - including their car keys and phones - were facing hours more delays in retrieving their bags so that they could make their way home. Others, in transit from other countries, were hunting for hotels with onward travel very unlikely today. Peter Neumann, director of the Centre for Defence Studies at King’s College, London, said that the 1995 Bojinka plan involved blowing up 11 planes using nitroglycerin mixed in contact lens solution and a battery powered detonator hidden in a shoe. The banning of liquids on board planes, and the searches of air passengers' shoes, point to the fact that similar methods may have been involved in the plot uncovered today.
|
|
#7
08-10-2006, 05:43 PM
|
||||
|
||||
The civilised world is under attack from the clandestine forces of evil! Anyone not clear on what the stakes are, and who should be victorious has no business sharing in the fruits of the civilised nations!
|
|
#8
08-10-2006, 06:53 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
So, I know this is silly...but I have to fly in and out of Heathrow to get home a few times each year...and I often fly to the airports with routes that might have been targeted...and I'm a little freaked.
Naturally, my family's coming to visit in a few weeks, too. Yay. I'm starting to appreciate how people felt growing up in the Cold War...I just hope we keep our wits about us. The Brits are doing a fantastic job over here of being quintessentially British (e.g., if they're worried about this or feel like the country's always under threat, you sure can't tell by the public statements, so that should frustrate the heck out of terrorists). What a world we live in...U2's "Peace on Earth" is running through my head right now. It's sad and a little cynical, which is exactly how I'm feeling.
|
|
#9
08-11-2006, 05:12 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
I used to do a demonstation involving a dust explosion using a mold powder. It is very easy to set up. But very difficult to get just right to cause a good pop. I did it in a 5 gallon container and sometimes I would get a big arse fireball and a the lid would go right into the ceiling tiles, teachers from other rooms would come running into my room... other times... puffffff. Just the right amount of O2 per mold spore that had become airborne inside the container. Had a big shield so I could only hurt myself. WARINING:Dont try this at home. Only supervision with an expert like myself that has already burned his eyelashes and eyebrows off. Then I had the waterfall of fire... for some reason kids looked forward to demonstration day. They like manning the fire extinguisher. Sorry dont mean to make "light" of what could have been a very evil deed, but we like to play around. So I am curious how they would get this just right. BTW: If anyone ever has a rat infestation I am the man to call. I had a ghostbuster like reputation in my neighborhood one year.
|
|
#10
08-11-2006, 05:22 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
And DTS...
I did not assume that Iran was behind this. There are actually very large violent Muslim groups in Pakistan and Indonesia. This I thought was a separate issue from Israels conflict with Hezbollah. But... The radical Islamic world has been allowed to fester too long. The British will play this properly and do their best not to alienate the Pakistani's that had nothing to do with this. The best information comes from a friend of a friend... etc... The worst thing we or any other country could do would be to alienate the peaceful Muslims just trying to make a living in their country. Intelligence from peaceful moral people will be very important in these situations which will continue to occur.
|
|
#11
08-11-2006, 05:40 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Pat,
I'm not giving out explosive formulas here. From what I've seen on the cable news, one that they looked at was peroxide for O2 and silver. Another had a water bottle with a false bottom under the label to keep the two clear "ingredients" separate. Then there's always the nitro-glycerine. Security was guessing they would mix it up in the "sterile" area before boarding, not in the plane's bathroom. This after they went through "security". As far as rats are concerned...there seem to be more than enough running around on the planet. Have at 'em! W
|
|
#12
08-11-2006, 07:37 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
from what i read today, the ingredients would be kept separated, and maybe mixed in the sink of the plane. ignition could come from a cell phone battery. so no laptops, cells, ipods allowed on british flights as of now. no liquids of any kind. laptops, etc, will be allowed on u.s. domestic flights--for now.
oh, and surely they would make an exception for the ky that heats up....i mean, come on now!!
__________________
Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren't very new at all. Abraham Lincoln
|
Linear Mode
