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Five Planes and the Plot to Commit Britain's 9/11

[Times-UK] Philip Webster, Sean O'Neill, and Stewart Tendler - Alarming intelligence that an attack was imminent was the trigger for police raids which captured 24 terrorist suspects, British Asian men of Pakistani descent, as well as two British converts to Islam. Counter-terrorist agencies, which had been monitoring the plotters for 12 months, said the plot was to detonate suicide bombs on five U.S.-bound aircraft in the next few days, headed for New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles on three airlines: American, Continental, and United. A second wave of attacks had been considered, with as many as 12 aircraft to be attacked. The terrorists discussed trying to blow up the aircraft as they circled above the destination cities to cause maximum death and destruction in the air and on American soil. A "martyrdom video" recorded by a would-be suicide bomber was found at one of the raided addresses. U.S. sources claimed that substantial sums of money had been wired from Pakistan to two of the ringleaders to purchase airline tickets. One report said they were planning a "dry run." Arrests were also made in Pakistan. Michael Chertoff, the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary, said the plan had many of the characteristics of an al-Qaeda operation - a terrorist spectacular aimed at multiple targets. Sources in Washington said five suspects were still at large.
2006-08-11 01:00:00
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