'Plot to blow up planes' foiled

Moriarty

BBC News wrote:

'Plot to blow up planes' foiled

A terrorist plot to blow up planes in mid-flight from the UK to the US has been disrupted, Scotland Yard has said.

It is thought the plan was to detonate explosive devices smuggled on aircraft in hand luggage.

Police have arrested about 18 people in the London area after an anti-terrorist operation lasting several months.

Security at all airports in the UK has been tightened and delays are expected. MI5 has raised the UK threat level to critical - the highest possible.

According to MI5's website, critical threat level means "an attack is expected imminently and indicates an extremely high level of threat to the UK".

Scotland Yard said in a statement that their investigation into the alleged plot was a "major operation" which would be "lengthy and complex".

"We would like to reassure the public that this operation was carried out with public safety uppermost in our minds."

Home Secretary John Reid confirmed that there had been a plot "to bring down a number of aircraft through mid-flight explosions".

The Department for Transport set out the details of the security measures at UK airports.

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."

David Learmount from Flight International Magazine said he expected passengers to be searched much more carefully.

He added: "This is the first time this measure has actually been taken. Certainly I've never seen hand luggage banned."

I don't much fancy flying from the UK to the states today..

liamo

They've just cancelled all short-haul flights. That's destinations with a flight-time of less than 3 hours.

I don't think I'd want to be flying to the UK today anyway!

Kudos to the security forces for catching this one. Of course, there have been other alerts in the past that were politically convenient. But perhaps my cynicism hasn't kicked in yet today, I happen to believe them on this one.

Sleipnir

They arrested 18 people and managed not to shoot one of them?
Excellent!

ednwireland

am i just being cynical or is this level of disruption really neccessary or do the anti terrorist people and tony blair need this level of disruption to maintain their war on terror and their erosion of civil liberties.
what happened to sniffing the bags as they used to on the way into dublin airport, seems like a very knee jerk reaction surely things as above could have been put inplace before grounding the uk flight network ?
or maybe i'm being simple
hope its over before i ffly to mexico through the uk at the end of the month

daveg

Don't see anything as yet about cancelling short haul flights. Have you a link (not on BBC news website anyway).

Gordon

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4778575.stm Moriarty linked to it in the OP.

I think you're being overly cynical ednwireland.

I wonder if there are any more people with explosives left that the police haven't caught. And if there are some left will they just end up bombing buses instead now.

liamo

daveg wrote:

Don't see anything as yet about cancelling short haul flights. Have you a link (not on BBC news website anyway).

No, I heard it on Morning Ireland at about 7:45.

Bluetonic

Ryanair have cancelled a lot of flights.

Delayed won't be too bad at the moment but the knock on effect will get worse and worse as the day goes on.

http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/fltinfo.php?

liamo

Gordon wrote:

I wonder if there are any more people with explosives left that the police haven't caught. And if there are some left will they just end up bombing buses instead now.

Yes, I imagine that a possible Plan 'B' attack is foremost in the minds of the security forces. Having said that, I heard an interview with the British Transport Minister this morning and he didn't mention anything about any other type of transport. Of course, until and unless they have specific information they probably don't want to grind the country to a halt by adding to the concern already out there.

Kalashnikov_Kid

ffs Im departing from Dublin to Gatwick at 3:45 today. Last year my flight to London was scheduled for the day after the failed bombings of July 21st. However I do not believe this is a knee jerk reaction, next time how close are these terrorists gonna get to harming myself or any of my extended family living overseas?

Despite Aer Lingus chief executive advising people not to fly to UK today unless absolutely necessary (morning Ireland), like last year we're going ahead anyway, although Heathrow airport is expected to be closed til at least noon and a BBC journalist has reported a hand luggage ban this morning at Gatwick. I'll be expecting heavy delays this afternoon as the knock-on affect kicks in. Indications so far suggest only trans-atlantic flights have been targeted but they're not taking any chances.

dathi1

cue.. armoured cars and tanks outside Heathrow and Mancheter. cue..release some or all of those detained.

Tchocky

This is brilliant :-/
It means that I'll have to go through Irish, British & American security next week, and they'll all be nervous as trigger-happy kittens....

.....but of course, if I've done nothing wrong, I've got nothing to worry about......:rolleyes:

Sgt. Sensible

I'm very sceptical about this but on the other hand given yo blair's unstinting support for the US it's only a matter of time before there's another terrorist attack in the UK.

sovtek

Like Sensible I'm dubious whenever they have claimed to "foiled a plot".
So far the only real plot to be foiled has been that highly effective genius of a terrorist Richard Reid.
In other words the Anglo American "security" services don't know their arse from a whole in the ground.
I await to be convinced in this case as well.

Gillo

Michael O'Leary's wet dream isn't it. You can't take hand luggage but you have to pay a premium for "booked in" luggage.

It's very hush hush as far as teh news is concerned, no one really seems to know what is happening?

BossArky

Aren't those cynics above pleased that planes won't be falling out of the air today? It is easy to be skeptical right now only hours after claims to have foiled a plot with no hard proof.

However, if we were in a parallel universe and planes did start falling out of the air wouldn't you be complaining about the lack of security, etc, etc

That being said, yes, it is a pain for all those travelling today.

ircoha

gillo wrote:

Michael O'Leary's wet dream isn't it. You can't take hand luggage but you have to pay a premium for "booked in" luggage.

It's very hush hush as far as teh news is concerned, no one really seems to know what is happening?

wet dream indeed, just got a text from a ryanair passenger 5 stg for water on plane

GrumPy

Sgt. Sensible wrote:

I'm very sceptical about this but on the other hand given yo blair's unstinting support for the US it's only a matter of time before there's another terrorist attack in the UK.

I'd imagine if it went to plan, the plains would be detonated in mid flight/not long before landing in America, so if anything, its an act of terrorism on America than the UK.

coffee_cake

I'm a little cynical, and yes I'm glad planes aren't dropping but if the cynics are right, there might well not have been planes dropping anyway.

gillo wrote:

Michael O'Leary's wet dream isn't it. You can't take hand luggage but you have to pay a premium for "booked in" luggage.

Are they actually making them pay extra for the luggage they're not allowed to carry ? That's messed up, isn't it?

tchocky wrote:

This is brilliant :-/
It means that I'll have to go through Irish, British & American security next week, and they'll all be nervous as trigger-happy kittens....

.....but of course, if I've done nothing wrong, I've got nothing to worry about......

Heh good luck.

sharkman

bluewolf wrote:

I'm a little cynical, and yes I'm glad planes aren't dropping but if the cynics are right, there might well not have been planes dropping anyway.


Are they actually making them pay extra for the luggage they're not allowed to carry ? That's messed up, isn't it?


Heh good luck.

Michael O'Leary has announced that Ryanair are voluntarily waiving all baggage charges for flights originating in the UK today (and as long as the current alert lasts).

coffee_cake

Ah, that's some relief then

sharkman

Stansted - Ryanair flights cancelled
Ryanair flights leaving London Stansted airport between 9.35am and 12.05pm have been cancelled.

Kalashnikov_Kid

Ryanair list of delays and cancelled flights as of 0930hrs:

http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/notices.php?notice=gops&code=060810-SECURITY_DELAYS_UK_3-GB

flights fr114 and 115 to Gatwick are already cancelled. My flight 116 is next on the list. If O'Leary is feeling so generous i wonder if he'll forfeit the difference in price Ill have to pay for my original flight today (99c incl. tax) to god knows how much it will cost me for a flight tomorrow :rolleyes:

Not looking good Heathrow is now closed til 3pm still i would rather not give the benefit of the doubt before second guessing the legitimacy of any threat. Its very easy to jump on the bandwagon and say that security are either doing too much or not doing enough so which one is it gonna be?

sovtek

sovtek wrote:

Like Sensible I'm dubious whenever they have claimed to "foiled a plot".
So far the only real plot to be foiled has been that highly effective genius of a terrorist Richard Reid.
In other words the Anglo American "security" services don't know their arse from a whole in the ground.
I await to be convinced in this case as well.

You are right to be a tad skeptical and cautious etc.

That said, if they blew up busses and undergrounds a year ago,I'll understand British security being cautious on our behalf aswell.
These home grown UK terrorists are ruthless mindless people in my opinion.

Stopping hand luggage is a good idea,who needs it anyway.Whatever it is can wait untill landing.

That said,I'll miss my ipod in 2 weeks when I'm supposed to be flying to the west coast of the states via heathrow.
I doubt I'll be going now,I'll probably postpone for a while.

damnyanks

What about laptops ? Don't fancy sticking that in the hold!

gandalf

I hope they actually explain where they got the intelligence for this, because alot of people are getting skeptical and if they cry wolf too many times then people will see their intentions as a cynical attempt to ramp up the fear to justify the "war on terror" and the erosion of personal liberties.

Tchocky

gandalf wrote:

I hope they actually explain where they got the intelligence for this, because alot of people are getting skeptical and if they cry wolf too many times then people will see their intentions as a cynical attempt to ramp up the fear to justify the "war on terror" and the erosion of personal liberties.

A positive aspect is that if the intelligence turns out to have been faulty, the security services will take the heat for it. In the US there would, I imagine, instead be bluster and blowhardiness about defending freedom, omelettes/eggs, and safe/sorry equations.

Dirk Gently

gandalf wrote:

I hope they actually explain where they got the intelligence for this, because alot of people are getting skeptical and if they cry wolf too many times then people will see their intentions as a cynical attempt to ramp up the fear to justify the "war on terror" and the erosion of personal liberties.

Yup, I've been in that cynical group for a while now. Last time they had the Army out in their tanks surrounding the airport. A lot of these high profile security alerts looked designed to keep the public convinced of the need to keep the "war on terror" going. I hope it turns out that they have some rock solid intelligence / evidence for the security scare and it doesn't turn out to be some ambiguous wooly threat which can never be proved one way or another.

As a cynic I think the below quote is exactly the kind of response that a deliberately false security scare would be designed to get.

someone on afterhours wrote:

I hate these extremist fcukers and i'm starting to hate the people they come from.
The fcukers are making me racist.

I hope to see some concrete evidence for this alert as previous alerts were very ambiguous which leads me to think the way I do. The U.S. colour coded terror alert has gone up too which will increase support in both countries for the need to fight "terrorists" and also increase support for any other country seen to be coming down hard on "terrorists".
*cough* Israel *cough*

Ciaran500

They have raised the threat incase there is a sub plot that could go into operation now the main plot has been foiled. Surely they will just wait a few days till airport security is scaled back.

The_Scary_Man

Maybe I'm getting overly cynical but I'll believe this when I see some hard evidence. After all the bogus "Terror Plots" that have been thrown at us in the last couple of years Forest Gate, Sears Tower etc. my trust has been severely eroded.

It seems a little coincidental that John Reid was giving a speech to a think tank yesterday knocking the terror critics who question the governments war on terror saying that "they just don't get it". He also hinted at new anti-terror laws that would require the public to "modify some of our own freedoms in the short term in order to prevent their misuse and abuse by those who oppose our fundamental values and would destroy all of our freedoms in the modern world" [it could almost be a white house press release]. It would seem the political landscape has been suitably primed to smooth the introduction of these new laws.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,,1841132,00.html

AS far as this is concerned;

I hate these extremist fcukers and i'm starting to hate the people they come from.
The fcukers are making me racist.

The media have a lot to answer for in this mass shift to the right but then again they couldn't do it if we weren't happy to remain asleep.

Kalashnikov_Kid

Yeah Im sure its all one big conspiracy :rolleyes: Dont think Metro police would want to damage their already quite tarnished reputattion by arresting 18 asians based on a fcuking whim

there is some basis behind these developments and thats enough for me cos im gonna chance it and fcuk it down the M1 to the airport dont want any doubts on security looks like my flight is goin ahead *touches wood*

clown bag and co i would wonder if you would all be so sceptical if you had to spend the next 5 days in London city as opposed to speculating in front of a computer screen

ciao