[mojo2]

TERROR ALERT UK police say 21 people in custody after foiled terror plot

LONDON (AFX) - A senior police officer confirmed 21 people are in custody after an alleged plot to blow up aircraft en route to the US was foiled.
Deputy Commissioner Paul Stephenson, from London's Metropolitan Police, told a news conference that the police have disrupted a plot that would have caused 'untold death and destruction' and 'mass murder' by smuggling explosives onto planes in hand luggage and exploding them in flight. newsdesk@afxnews.com cw

http://www.hemscott.com/news/latest-...35450660165863

Terror alert orange

Authorities thwart British terror plot, U.S. raises threat level

Jacque Smith
Created: 8/10/2006 4:42:36 AM
Updated:8/10/2006 5:23:48 AM

Police in London have rounded up a number of suspects in what they say was a terrorist plot to blow up passengers jets on flights from Britain to the U.S.

There is no word on the identity of the suspects or the specific threat, but British officials say the arrests spring from a major covert counter-terrorist operation that has gone on for several months. Britain's home secretary says the goal was to inflict "considerable loss of life."

A statement says the plot involved smuggling explosives onto aircraft in hand luggage. In response, security has been stepped up at British airports and additional measures have been put in place for all flights.

Britain's domestic security agency has raised the national threat level to critical, reflecting the possibility of an imminent terrorist attack.

British Airways is banning all carry-on luggage, advising passengers that they can carry only travel documents, eyeglasses and a handful of other specific items. No handbags are being allowed.

The U.S. government, responding to these events, is raising the terror-threat level for flights to the U.S. from Britain to code red. That's the highest level and indicates a severe threat.

The government is also stepping up the general alert level for all flights within the U.S. and flights entering the country to code orange, the second highest category.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says the U.S. believes the arrests of suspects in the bomb plot have "significantly disrupted the threat."

However, he says the U.S. can't be sure that the threat has been "completely thwarted."

Chertoff says there is no indication of a plot within the U.S., but says travelers can still expect additional security measures at airports.


For Jacque Smith's report on this story, click the "Play Video" link
© 2006
WKYC-TV, The Associated Press

http://www.wkyc.com/news/regional/ak...?storyid=55431

[Obi Wan's Ghost]

21 terrorists. 3 terrorists per plane means 7 planes. 7 trans-Atlantic planes at this time of the year carry up to 350 passengers each means 2450 passengers in total.

That's almost the number of people murdered in the WTC. It's 20 times more than the number of people Islamists kill in Iraq every day. It's two and a half times the number of Israeli and Lebanese deaths Islamism is responsible for.

[mojo2]

U.S. raises threat level to 'red' for first time
Highest threat level issued for commercial flights from Britain to U.S.

Updated: 4:14 a.m. CT Aug 10, 2006

WASHINGTON - The U.S. government raised its threat warning to the highest level for commercial flights from Britain to the United States early Thursday in response to a terror plot disrupted in London. Multiple flights to multiple American cities were put on alert, a western counter terrorism official said.

In addition to the highest alert for flights from Britain, the alert for all flights coming or going from the United States was also raised.

“We believe that these arrests (in London) have significantly disrupted the threat, but we cannot be sure that the threat has been entirely eliminated or the plot completely thwarted,” said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff in announcing that the threat level for flights from Britain to the United States has been raised to the highest “severe or red” level.

“To defend further against any remaining threat from this plot, we will also raise the threat level to high, or orange, for all commercial aviation operating in or destined for the United States,” Chertoff said.

It is the first time the red alert level in the Homeland Security warning system has been invoked, although there have been brief periods in the past when the orange level was applied. Homeland Security defines the red alert as designating a “severe risk of terrorist attacks.”

No U.S. arrests
A statement issued by Chertoff said “currently, there is no indication ... of plotting within the United States.”

A U.S. law enforcement official said there have been no arrests in the United States connected to the plot.

A senior U.S. counter terrorism official said authorities believe dozens of people — possibly as many as 50 — were involved in the overseas plot that was unraveled Wednesday evening. The plan “had a footprint to al-Qaida back to it,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.

It was not believed to be connected to the Egyptian students who disappeared in the United States more than a week ago before reaching a college they were supposed to attend in Montana. Three of the 11 have since been found and the FBI has said neither they nor the still-missing eight are believed to be a threat.

The plan involved airline passengers hiding masked explosives in carryon luggage, the official said. “They were not yet sitting on an airplane,” but were very close to traveling, the official said, calling the plot “the real deal.”

Another Western counter terrorism official, also speaking on condition of anonymity about the highly sensitive investigation, called the investigation “very serious.”

U.S. intelligence has been working closely with the British on the investigation, which has been ongoing for months, the second official said.

Authorities have not yet arrested or detained all suspects who are believed to be involved in the plot, the official said, prompting Chertoff’s alarm.

“Consistent with these higher threat levels, the Transportation Security Administration is coordinating with federal partners, airport authorities and commercial airlines on expanding the intensity of existing security requirements,” Chertoff said.

“Due to the nature of the threat revealed by this investigation, we are prohibiting any liquids, including beverages, hair gels, and lotions from being carried on the airplane.”

He said the changes take effect at 4 a.m. local time across the United States and will be undated as warranted.

Chertoff said travelers in the United States “should also anticipate additional security measures within the airport and at screening checkpoints.”

'Usual suspects'
Multiple airlines with flights to multiple U.S. airports were at risk, according to a western counter terrorism official. Another official refused to identify the airlines because they were still being notified of the threat but referred to them as the “usual suspects.” In the past, U.S. cities with terrorism threats or plots have included Washington, New York, Boston and Los Angeles. Airlines whose planes were hijacked on Sept. 11, 2001, were United Airlines and American Airlines. British Airways has also dealt with numerous threats in recent years.

“These measures will continue to assure that our aviation system remains safe and secure,” Chertoff added. “Travelers should go about their plans confidently, while maintaining vigilance in their surroundings and exercising patience with screening and security officials.”

Prime Minister Tony Blair’s office said in London that the prime minister, vacationing in the Caribbean, had briefed President Bush on the situation overnight.

There was no immediate public reaction from the White House. Bush is spending a few days at his ranch near Crawford, Texas.

“The United States and the United Kingdom are fully united and resolute in this effort and in our ongoing efforts to secure our respective homelands,” said Chertoff.

The Homeland Security Department devised the alert system after the Sept. 11 attacks. The last time the U.S. government raised the terrorist risk here to orange, or high, was in July 2005 after the subway bombings in London. It was lowered to yellow a month later, the elevated risk status that has been the norm since the system was created.

U.S. authorities, including the Transportation Security Administration, planned a news briefing early Thursda

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14280416/

[mojo2]

Originally Posted by Obi Wan's Ghost

21 terrorists. 3 terrorists per plane means 7 planes. 7 trans-Atlantic planes at this time of the year carry up to 350 passengers each means 2450 passengers in total.

That's almost the number of people murdered in the WTC. It's 20 times more than the number of people Islamists kill in Iraq every day. It's two and a half times the number of Israeli and Lebanese deaths Islamism is responsible for.

And that's without accounting for anyone who might be killed while on the ground by falling, flaming, high speed projectiles, explosions, debris and such.

[Dork.]

This sounds fishy to me. Not the plot itself, or the discovery of it: a lot of good people put in a lot of good work to save hundreds (if not thousands) of lives, and regardless of political bent we should see this as a Good Thing.

But I'm convinced that the next time there's a major strike against the U.S., it will be through a vector that was previously unexpected, because these terrorists (assuming they're the same Al Qaeda/Islamists that have caused trouble in the past) are smart and like the element of suprise. Trying to blow up a plane (with carry-on explosives, no less) seems to me to have too high a risk of detection to be worthwhile from the terrorists' point of view. Unless they have something else going at the same time, and this is just a distraction....

[Obi Wan's Ghost]

Originally Posted by Dork.

these terrorists (assuming they're the same Al Qaeda/Islamists that have caused trouble in the past) are smart and like the element of suprise. Trying to blow up a plane (with carry-on explosives, no less) seems to me to have too high a risk of detection to be worthwhile from the terrorists' point of view. Unless they have something else going at the same time, and this is just a distraction....

Get real. They believe that a big guy in the sky writes books. They aren't smart at all, just hating and vicious against anyone not like them.

[Dork.]

Originally Posted by Obi Wan's Ghost

Get real. They believe that a big guy in the sky writes books. They aren't smart at all, just hating and vicious against anyone not like them.

OBL himself has an engineering degree (mechanical or civil, IIRC) and owned and ran several businesses in several countries before going into hiding. Dumb people generally can't do things like that, unless they have a good VP backing them up. (Edit: Wiki says he holds degrees in civil engineering, economics, and public administration....)

There are smart people in that bunch, and if they took their time and effort to do something other than kill people who aren't like them maybe their people would be better off....

[mojo2]

Originally Posted by Dork.

This sounds fishy to me. Not the plot itself, or the discovery of it: a lot of good people put in a lot of good work to save hundreds (if not thousands) of lives, and regardless of political bent we should see this as a Good Thing.

But I'm convinced that the next time there's a major strike against the U.S., it will be through a vector that was previously unexpected, because these terrorists (assuming they're the same Al Qaeda/Islamists that have caused trouble in the past) are smart and like the element of suprise. Trying to blow up a plane (with carry-on explosives, no less) seems to me to have too high a risk of detection to be worthwhile from the terrorists' point of view. Unless they have something else going at the same time, and this is just a distraction....

At a certain point, due to the length of time that the jihadists have been at war with the west, and due to the numbers of people around the world who are ready, willing and able to respond to the many calls by OBL and Zawahiri and Nasrallah and any of the others, to take action against the West, that there may be all kinds of plots being mounted without knowledge or coordination with each other.

Some may be copy cats, like these, who are using the airliners. But that doesn't mean there isn't also dozens of other plots (remember a few weeks ago when Scotland Yard said they were investigating 70 ongoing plots at that point in time?) going on where they are using completely novel methods and modes.

They are coming at us slowly now. What will we do when the numbers increase and we are hearing about plots like this every other week? Or even more frequently?

[mojo2]

Originally Posted by Obi Wan's Ghost

Get real. They believe that a big guy in the sky writes books. They aren't smart at all, just hating and vicious against anyone not like them.

Islam’s goal is to conquer the entire world, all of humankind, by force if necessary, to set up Koranic law, convert as many people to Islam as possible, and to destroy polytheism and disbelief.

[mojo2]

Originally Posted by Dork.

OBL himself has an engineering degree (mechanical or civil, IIRC) and owned and ran several businesses in several countries before going into hiding. Dumb people generally can't do things like that, unless they have a good VP backing them up. (Edit: Wiki says he holds degrees in civil engineering, economics, and public administration....)

There are smart people in that bunch, and if they took their time and effort to do something other than kill people who aren't like them maybe their people would be better off....

Islam’s goal is to conquer the entire world, all of humankind, by force if necessary, to set up Koranic law, convert as many people to Islam as possible, and to destroy polytheism and disbelief.

[Peter]

Chaos.

[Peter]

oh and : http://haecceity.clearairturbulence....pid-terrorists

The “foiled” terrorist attack looks suspiciously like an attack on the underlying system, rather than an actual attempt to blow planes up - it’s almost laughable that terrorists in this day and age could hope to get explosive devices onto planes in hand luggage.

If we decide that the terrorists aren’t stupid, the attack begins to look decidedly different. They’ve succeeded in causing absolute chaos in one of the busiest weekends in the british airline calendar, the effects of which will probably drag on for a few days. If you wanted to be really nasty, they’ve also caused a large number of people to be trapped in one place, and extremely vulnerable to attack. The BBC report says Heathrow Terminal 1 is “jam packed”.

Interesting viewpoint

[mojo2]

Originally Posted by Peter

Chaos.

And 21 arrests. These few people can have this level of impact.

No one believes EVERY Muslim is a threat. Not all Muslims have to become jihadists for them to influence our lives and lifestyles and economies and weaken us. But there are still quite a few who are ready and willing to die for Islam by killing Westerners. If only 5% respond to the Koran's call to commit jihad that would equal 80 million terrorists.

And they had the same goal in mind before 9/11 as they do today.

Islam’s goal is to conquer the entire world, all of humankind, by force if necessary, to set up Koranic law, convert as many people to Islam as possible, and to destroy polytheism and disbelief.

As some of you begin to finally understand what a small number of people have been saying all along, we welcome your numbers.

[screamingFit]

With the previous foiled terror plots, arrests and finding out the info was false, I'm holding off on making any judgements on whether this is credible or not.

[mojo2]

Originally Posted by screamingFit

With the previous foiled terror plots, arrests and finding out the info was false, I'm holding off on making any judgements on whether this is credible or not.

I will assume you are very good at what you do. But being human you probably make a small mistake occasionally.

How would you feel if people who have absolutely no interest in the things you LIVE to do and love doing and have studied to do and have a talent for, how would you feel if these people with no skill, experience or talent doubted you when you gave advice on the subject of your expertise?

[screamingFit]

Originally Posted by mojo2

I will assume you are very good at what you do. But being human you probably make a small mistake occasionally.

How would you feel if people who have absolutely no interest in the things you LIVE to do and love doing and have studied to do and have a talent for, how would you feel if these people with no skill, experience or talent doubted you when you gave advice on the subject of your expertise?

Goverment officials lie to promote their own agendas. It is imparative to NEVER take what they say at face value!! Has nothing to do with if I've held an official seat or not.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by screamingFit

With the previous foiled terror plots, arrests and finding out the info was false, I'm holding off on making any judgements on whether this is credible or not.

I concur.

[red rocket]

Originally Posted by mojo2

Islam’s goal is to conquer the entire world, all of humankind, by force if necessary, to set up Koranic law, convert as many people to Islam as possible, and to destroy polytheism and disbelief.

You do talk a lot of garbage.

[tooki]

Mojo2: please use the Political lounge for political topics.

tooki