Heathrow Aiport closed, big security alert

Just in time for my trip to US tomorrow evening. Gawd it will be chaos at the airport !!!

'Mass Murder Terror Plot'
Updated: 10:55, Thursday August 10, 2006

There is chaos at British airports after police disrupted a plot to cause "mass murder on an unimaginable scale" by blowing up planes over UK and US cities.

The explosives would have been smuggled aboard six airliners as hand luggage - and could have been missed during x-ray screening.

Speaking at Scotland Yard, Deputy Commissioner Paul Stephenson said he was confident the police had disrupted a plot "to cause mass murder on an unimaginable scale".

He said 21 people arrested in London, Birmingham and the Thames Valley were still being held - the culmination of a covert counter-terrorist operation lasting several months.
Queues at Heathrow
Queues at Heathrow

Big queues were building up at UK airports as passengers trying to board international flights were not being allowed to carry on normal hand luggage.

Security sources believe that liquid explosives would have been used which could have been mixed during the flight into a lethal concoction.

Sky News' Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said he had been told the threat was imminent and those arrested were mainly young, British-born Asian men.

The Home Secretary John Reid said the official level of security - indicating public risk - had been raised from 'severe' to 'critical'.

The US government has also raised its threat assessment to the highest level for commercial flights from Britain to America.
Flights have been cancelled
Flights have been cancelled

Whitehall sources said the Prime Minister and President Bush had been in contact over the plot for some time.

There have been lengthy queues at most British airports with many flights hit.

British Airways cancelled all its short-haul UK and European inbound and outbound flights to and from Heathrow until 3pm.

Flights scheduled into Heathrow were cancelled - apart from those already in the air.

The British Airports Authority urged passengers not to go to Heathrow unless absolutely necessary.

Flights to Britain with Lufthansa, Iberia, Olympic, KLM and Air France were cancelled until later in the day.

:: Security experts said such an attack would have a precedent - during the 1990s, a plot was foiled to blow up 12 Western airliners simultaneously in Asia.

Sky News' Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said he had been told the threat was imminent and those arrested were mainly young, British-born Asian men.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has raised the national threat level from condition yellow to condition orange. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is advising that no liquids or gels of any kind will be permitted in carry on baggage, or carried through the security checkpoint or carried onboard aircraft. Those items are instead allowed in checked baggage, which passengers cannot access in flight. Prohibited items include all beverages, shampoo, sun tan lotion, creams, tooth paste, hair gel and other items of similar consistency. Exceptions include baby formula and medicines, which must be presented for inspection at the checkpoint.

There was alot of buzz about something on 8/22. I dont like this, too much hype and apparent information. I hope Im wrong but this could merely be a decoy to test international security..

Quote:

Sky News' Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said he had been told the threat was imminent and those arrested were mainly young, British-born Asian men.

Is it PC to mention that in the UK? Shouldn't it be something like "poor, undernourished, impoverished lads who just want to be heard"?

I think that they meant educated in the same universities as everyone else.

SierraSong wrote:

Quote:

Sky News' Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said he had been told the threat was imminent and those arrested were mainly young, British-born Asian men.

Is it PC to mention that in the UK? Shouldn't it be something like "poor, undernourished, impoverished lads who just want to be heard"?

Many of them are not poor, and are educated.

The Home Secretary, John Reid, identified them today in his news conference as British-based and of Pakistani origin. They may be British-born. They are being heard, and will be tried later.