'Plot To Blow Up Planes' Foiled

[fruittbatt]

The embassy in London recommends Thais refrain from gathering in public places, he said.

The British arrests were made after security sources decided that plans to explode liquid bombs on airliners flying from the United Kingdom to America could have been executed within 48 hours.

Paul Stephenson, the Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner, said: "This was intended to be mass murder on an unimaginable scale."

It is believed that the plan was for different passengers to carry peroxide-based liquid explosive in drinks containers and detonators disguised as everyday electronic devices and combine them on board.US officials said the airlines to be attacked were United, American and Continental, which fly to New York, Washington and California, and that the alleged plot bore some of the marks of al-Qa'eda. It is thought that the terrorists planned to blow up the aircraft in three simultaneous waves, possibly over major cities to cause maximum loss of life

bbc news..

thanks to the diligent workings of the police and military in the usa , the uk and pakistan , this plot has been foiled.

long may the war on terror continue .

so far no actual "device" has been found, though 24 people have been arrested and countless thousands grounded ...now just IMAGINE there was not a "plot" but maybe just a bunch of young jihadists talking on the net or the phone about what they would LIKE to do IN RESPONSE TO the "war on terror" = war on Muslims....I'm certainly not suggesting this is the real scenario, but it bears thinking about.

Even Google News is mentioning that Bush has made a lot of political capital from this alleged "plot". Even CNNNNNN News has raised some doubts...

[taxexile]

i agree that politicians will make capital out of events like these , but that's the nature of politics and most people are not fooled by it , especially when its mouthed by bush.

and as for a war on muslims you are wrong.

not all muslims are terrorists by any means but all terrorists are muslims , a fact obvious to all , including regular muslims ashamed and stigmatised due to the antics of a few of their brethren.

[fruittbatt]

i agree that politicians will make capital out of events like these , but that's the nature of politics and most people are not fooled by it , especially when its mouthed by bush.

and as for a war on muslims you are wrong.

not all muslims are terrorists by any means but all terrorists are muslims , a fact obvious to all , including regular muslims ashamed and stigmatised due to the antics of a few of their brethren.

"all terrorists are muslims"

Perhaps according to your definiton, but in MY book if I take your definition as correct that would make Bush, Blair, Howard & the entire coalition of oil-warriors ...Muslims

[meadish_sweetball]

i agree that politicians will make capital out of events like these , but that's the nature of politics and most people are not fooled by it , especially when its mouthed by bush.

and as for a war on muslims you are wrong.

not all muslims are terrorists by any means but all terrorists are muslims , a fact obvious to all , including regular muslims ashamed and stigmatised due to the antics of a few of their brethren.

I'll make sure to tell Seamus next time I'm down the pub that contrary to his own beliefs, he is in fact a Muslim and not a Catholic. And next time I'm in the pyrenees I'll greet the ETA fighters 'Salaam Walaikum'.

Either way, we would rather not have this entire thread evolve into a commentary on 'The War of Terror' as that is not really what Thaivisa is all about.

[taxexile]

seamus put down his bombs a while back , and so, i believe did the eta.

it is , however politically incorrect it may be to mention it , muslim fundamentalist these days who are blowing up commuters and travellers.

[sriracha john]

19 suspects in British terror plot ID'd

By ROBERT BARR, Associated Press Writer

1 minute ago

Five Pakistanis have been arrested in Pakistan as suspected "facilitators" of the plot, a government official said, in addition to two Britons arrested there about a week ago.

The Bank of England said it had frozen the accounts of 19 people arrested Thursday. The men, ranging in age from 17 to 35, had names of Muslim origin, many of which are common in Pakistan.

British police have arrested 24 people suspected of involvement in the plot. Investigators, describing a plan on the scale of the Sept. 11 attacks, said the attackers planned to use common electronic devices to detonate liquid explosives to bring down as many as 10 planes.

The bombs were to be assembled on the aircraft, apparently with peroxide-based solution and everyday carry-on items such as a disposable camera or a music player, two American law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because Britain asked that no information be released.

A federal law enforcement official in Washington said that at least one martyrdom tape was found during raids across England on Thursday. Such a tape, as well as the scheme to strike a range of targets at roughly the same time, is an earmark of al-Qaida.

British Home Secretary John Reid said Britain was grateful for Pakistan's cooperation and that officials believed the main suspects were in custody. However, the threat level in the U.K. remained at "critical," the highest level.

Agents in Pakistan arrested at least seven people, including two British nationals of Pakistani origin who provided information on the terror plot, a senior government official said Friday. The arrests were made in the eastern city of Lahore and in Karachi, the official said on condition of anonymity because he did not have the authority to speak formally on the issue.

Two were Britons arrested about a week ago, he said. The five Pakistanis were arrested on suspicion that they served as local "facilitators" for the two Britons, the official said. It wasn't clear when they'd been detained.

The Guardian newspaper, citing unidentified British government sources, said that after the arrests a message was sent to Britain telling the plotters: "Do your attacks now." That message was intercepted and decoded earlier this week, The Guardian said.

A U.S. congressman briefed by intelligence officials, who did not want to be identified because of the sensitivity of the investigation, said U.S. intelligence had intercepted terrorist chatter.

Many of the 24 suspects arrested in Britain were said to be British Muslims, and neighbors said at least two of those arrested were converts to Islam.

Airline passengers faced a second day of disruptions and disappointment as airports struggled to restore flight schedules.

"It is going to be another difficult day today, both for airports and for passengers, but there is cause for optimism that we will get more flights off today," said Stephen Nelson, chief executive of British Airports Authority, which runs Britain's major airports.

At Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, around 70 percent of flights were running Friday, but many passengers turned around and headed home after an early morning announcement that a raft of flights had been canceled, including British Airways services to San Francisco and Los Angeles.

"I quite understand all the checks. I know why they have got to do it," said Elaine Loman, who was hoping to catch a flight from Heathrow to Barcelona, Spain.

The threat of liquid explosives led to a ban on carrying nearly any kind of fluid aboard an aircraft. Mothers tasted baby bottles in front of airport security guards to prove it contained milk or formula — not a component of an explosive.

The raids in Britain on Thursday followed a months-long investigation, but U.S. intelligence officials said authorities moved quickly after learning the plotters hoped to stage a practice run within two days, with the actual attack expected just days after that.

The test run was designed to see whether the plotters would be able to smuggle the needed materials aboard the planes, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Targeted were United, American and Continental Airlines flights from Britain to major U.S. destinations, which counterterrorism officials said probably included New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said the individuals plotted to detonate liquid explosive devices on as many as 10 aircraft.

A British police official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation, said the suspects were "homegrown," though it was not immediately clear if all were British citizens.

Tariq Azim Khan, the Pakistani minister of state for information, said "these people were born and brought up in the United Kingdom. Some of them may have parents who were immigrants from Pakistan."

Raids were carried out at homes in London, the nearby town of High Wycombe and in Birmingham, in central England. Searches continued throughout the day, and police cordoned off streets in several locations. Police also combed a wooded area in High Wycombe.

Neighbors identified one of the suspects as Don Stewart-Whyte, 21, from High Wycombe, a convert who changed his name to Abdul Waheed.

"He converted to Islam about six months ago and grew a full beard," said a neighbor, who refused to be identified. "He used to smoke weed and drink a lot but he is completely different now."

It'd have been better if he had kept to the weed and drink.

Ibrahim Savant of Walthamstow, one of the names on the Bank of England list, was a convert formerly known as Oliver, neighbors said.

___

Associated Press

[Chang_paarp]

I wonder how Thai Air feels about their decision to manage airports in Pakistan at the moment?

Timing of the decision was unfortunate, a couple of days before this shemozzle.

[meemiathai]

The embassy in London recommends Thais refrain from gathering in public places, he said.

The British arrests were made after security sources decided that plans to explode liquid bombs on airliners flying from the United Kingdom to America could have been executed within 48 hours.

Paul Stephenson, the Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner, said: "This was intended to be mass murder on an unimaginable scale."

It is believed that the plan was for different passengers to carry peroxide-based liquid explosive in drinks containers and detonators disguised as everyday electronic devices and combine them on board.US officials said the airlines to be attacked were United, American and Continental, which fly to New York, Washington and California, and that the alleged plot bore some of the marks of al-Qa'eda. It is thought that the terrorists planned to blow up the aircraft in three simultaneous waves, possibly over major cities to cause maximum loss of life

bbc news..

thanks to the diligent workings of the police and military in the usa , the uk and pakistan , this plot has been foiled.

long may the war on terror continue .

so far no actual "device" has been found, though 24 people have been arrested and countless thousands grounded ...now just IMAGINE there was not a "plot" but maybe just a bunch of young jihadists talking on the net or the phone about what they would LIKE to do IN RESPONSE TO the "war on terror" = war on Muslims....I'm certainly not suggesting this is the real scenario, but it bears thinking about.

Even Google News is mentioning that Bush has made a lot of political capital from this alleged "plot". Even CNNNNNN News has raised some doubts...

I think, to clear the doubt, they should let people blow the planes first then catch the bad guys. Edited August 11, 2006 by meemiathai

[opothai]

british citizens even some BORN in the uk, sh+t what next.

just had the findings of a poll 25% of young muslims 16 to 30 years agree with what is going on, and sympathize with these murderers and lowlifes.

now if this had come off the termoil and hate created within the country would lead to civil unrest maybe akin to southern thailand.

now with 25% of the muslim population in the uk sympathising with the terrorist it is time to get the b+st+rds out and back to pakistan or from where they came.

these people are like a cancer and HAVE to be cut out

Edited August 11, 2006 by opothai

[britmaveric]

Luckily some good muslims snitched on em - ie told the police keep an eye on these lot. Same mosque as the london bombers attended.

[Heng]

british citizens even some BORN in the uk, sh+t what next.

just had the findings of a poll 25% of young muslims 16 to 30 years agree with what is going on, and sympathize with these murderers and lowlifes.

these people are like a cancer and HAVE to be cut out

An example of what easy/lax immigration policies can do to a country. The Thai immigration police should seize this opportunity and double/triple the hoops and fees already in place to go along with the world terror threat levels.

[AmeriThai]

Two of the suspects are alleged to have met with an al Qaeda explosives expert. After they returned to Britain, the suspects received a wire transfer of money from Pakistan. One of the 24 suspects worked at Heathrow Airport.

(CNN) -- Two of the suspects held in connection with the plot to down jetliners with explosives had contact with a Pakistani suspected of being an al Qaeda operative, U.S. and British officials said Friday.

“The officials allege that Matiur Rehman, described as an explosives expert in Pakistan who is now at large, met two of the British suspects in Pakistan.

But officials, who say the plot displays signs of al Qaeda participation but who are still investigating that angle, do not know whether Rehman was involved in the plot.

After the two people returned to Britain, they received a wire transfer of money from Pakistan, the officials said.”

“Among those arrested were a Muslim charity worker and a Heathrow Airport employee with an all-area access pass, according to Britain's Channel 4.”

“Two of the suspects left "martyrdom tapes," according to sources familiar with the details of the British investigation.”

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/08/11...plot/index.html

The 24 suspects in Britain range in age from 17 to 35 years. One of the people arrested in Britain was a woman in her 20s with a 6-month-old child. Pakistani officials have arrested 7 people: 5 Pakistanis and 2 Britons.

Oddly, the top of the article states that 40 have been arrested in Rome, but there doesn’t seem to be any information in the article about it. Anyone know what that's all about?

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14297890/?GT1=8404

[meadish_sweetball]

british citizens even some BORN in the uk, sh+t what next.

just had the findings of a poll 25% of young muslims 16 to 30 years agree with what is going on, and sympathize with these murderers and lowlifes.

these people are like a cancer and HAVE to be cut out

An example of what easy/lax immigration policies can do to a country. The Thai immigration police should seize this opportunity and double/triple the hoops and fees already in place to go along with the world terror threat levels.

Bin Laden, being the pauper that he is, sure will be devastated...

[knutisan]

british citizens even some BORN in the uk, sh+t what next.

just had the findings of a poll 25% of young muslims 16 to 30 years agree with what is going on, and sympathize with these murderers and lowlifes.

these people are like a cancer and HAVE to be cut out

what are you talking about?you are very wrong!!from Knutisan.

An example of what easy/lax immigration policies can do to a country. The Thai immigration police should seize this opportunity and double/triple the hoops and fees already in place to go along with the world terror threat levels.

what about a world without border,s

[sriracha john]

british citizens even some BORN in the uk, sh+t what next.

just had the findings of a poll 25% of young muslims 16 to 30 years agree with what is going on, and sympathize with these murderers and lowlifes.

these people are like a cancer and HAVE to be cut out

An example of what easy/lax immigration policies can do to a country. The Thai immigration police should seize this opportunity and double/triple the hoops and fees already in place to go along with the world terror threat levels.

what are you talking about? you are very wrong!!

what about a world without borders?

**post above edited, without content change, for ease of readability**

a free service brought to you by the good folks at the Bangkok Herald-Examiner

and...

Welcome to thaivisa, knutisan

[Thaising]

I wonder how Thai Air feels about their decision to manage airports in Pakistan at the moment?

Timing of the decision was unfortunate, a couple of days before this shemozzle.

Which airports, Bangladesh or Pakistan ?

[Heng]

british citizens even some BORN in the uk, sh+t what next.

just had the findings of a poll 25% of young muslims 16 to 30 years agree with what is going on, and sympathize with these murderers and lowlifes.

these people are like a cancer and HAVE to be cut out

An example of what easy/lax immigration policies can do to a country. The Thai immigration police should seize this opportunity and double/triple the hoops and fees already in place to go along with the world terror threat levels.

Bin Laden, being the pauper that he is, sure will be devastated...

Still, might catch him when he does his 90 day reporting. Let's make it 1-10 day reporting while we're at it. That'd be fun.

[fruittbatt]

A thread re increased security at Don Muang airport has been closed because it had degenerated into a discussion of the alleged London "plot", and some posters had gone way too far in making anti-semitic remarks. It is interesting that one poster on this thread who claimed that the plot is a government fabrication had his/her views dismissed as "BS" by a moderator.

I would like to point out that all views are entitled to be heard, even those that go against the prevailing - and very predictable - trend of believing in whatever monopoly media and governments choose to tell us about this alleged "plot".

Personally, I think the whole story is a bit like the WMD saga that "justified" Bush's invasion of Iraq. It is very easy to find jihadists in London and Pakistan, and it is true that some do plan terror attacks which would kill innocent people in the process of seeking revenge against the US and its allies. It is also very easy for pro-US governments to find and arrest such people and then to manufacture evidence that they actually had a much more developed and lethal plan in mind.

Anyone who believes the media and governments is a sucker. It is only by reading more widely and examining whose interests are served by news stories and the way they are told that we can begin to imagine what the truth could be. It is also helpful to look at non-European news sources such as Al-Jazeera to get another take on these "stories".

[Heng]

british citizens even some BORN in the uk, sh+t what next.

just had the findings of a poll 25% of young muslims 16 to 30 years agree with what is going on, and sympathize with these murderers and lowlifes.

these people are like a cancer and HAVE to be cut out

what are you talking about?you are very wrong!!from Knutisan.

An example of what easy/lax immigration policies can do to a country. The Thai immigration police should seize this opportunity and double/triple the hoops and fees already in place to go along with the world terror threat levels.

what about a world without border,s

These terrorists are an example of a world that is already effectively without borders. These folks should be quietly making their fortunes running mini-marts and corner sandwich shops, not disrupting world commerce through terror plots.

[knutisan]

british citizens even some BORN in the uk, sh+t what next.

just had the findings of a poll 25% of young muslims 16 to 30 years agree with what is going on, and sympathize with these murderers and lowlifes.

these people are like a cancer and HAVE to be cut out

what are you talking about?you are very wrong!!from Knutisan.

An example of what easy/lax immigration policies can do to a country. The Thai immigration police should seize this opportunity and double/triple the hoops and fees already in place to go along with the world terror threat levels.

what about a world without border,s

These terrorists are an example of a world that is already effectively without borders. These folks should be quietly making their fortunes running mini-marts and corner sandwich shops, not disrupting world commerce through terror plots.

Yes that wold be easy to do!BUT FIRST THE AMERICANS AND THEIR ALLIES MUST STOP THE TERROR BOMBING ! not to talk about what the jews and what the are doing.AND what did USA

do under the vietnam war?they drop about 500.000 tons of cluster bomb,s over Laos and that country vas not even at war !!!!!! IS THAT A STATE TO TRUST???GOD LUCK TO THE FREE WORLD

[chuchok]

GOD LUCK TO THE FREE WORLD

good luck on the forum to you old son...

[knutisan]

british citizens even some BORN in the uk, sh+t what next.

just had the findings of a poll 25% of young muslims 16 to 30 years agree with what is going on, and sympathize with these murderers and lowlifes.

these people are like a cancer and HAVE to be cut out

what are you talking about?you are very wrong!!from Knutisan.

An example of what easy/lax immigration policies can do to a country. The Thai immigration police should seize this opportunity and double/triple the hoops and fees already in place to go along with the world terror threat levels.

what about a world without border,s

These terrorists are an example of a world that is already effectively without borders. These folks should be quietly making their fortunes running mini-marts and corner sandwich shops, not disrupting world commerce through terror plots.

Yes that wold be easy to do!BUT FIRST THE AMERICANS AND THEIR ALLIES MUST STOP THE TERROR BOMBING ! not to talk about what the jews and what the are doing.AND what did USA

do under the vietnam war?they drop about 500.000 tons of cluster bomb,s over Laos and that country vas not even at war !!!!!! IS THAT A STATE TO TRUST???GOD LUCK TO THE FREE WORLD

WHO IS THE REAL TERRORIST?under the 2 world war they was call,d partisan,s and fredoomfighter,s!

[udon]

knutisan,

welcome to the forum.

Please click on the image below and study it carefully.

Thank you.

[fruittbatt]

I distance myself from the previous post by "Knutisan" as I believe the use of the word "Jews" has anti-semitic resonance...however I believe s/he is correct in pointing out that any reaction by jihadists is exactly that - A REACTION - to the US Empire and its terrorist allies who have a history of intervening in countries with resources they need or whose internal policies they happen to disagree with, or whose enemies they are supplying with weapons.

[knutisan]

knutisan,

welcome to the forum.

Please click on the image below and study it carefully.

Thank you.

Thank you for telling me!but i only use big letter,s to make my point clear at some point,s

[chuchok]

knutisan,

welcome to the forum.

Please click on the image below and study it carefully.

Thank you.

Thank you for telling me!but i only use big letter,s to make my point clear at some point,s

It's considered rude to use capitals.Try using the bold if you so wish to make another outstanding point clear.

[apalink_thailand]

As I mentioned in a previous posting, I am at wits end when it comes to these bloody terrorists. Of course, sitting here moaning about it on Thaivisa is hardly going to help. I would like to propose (for what its worth) my ideas on a solution to the overall "problem". The terrorism activity itself is merely a symptom of the problem, IMHO.

Symptom: Terrorism and radicalism

Problem: weak minds, low self esteem and impoverished backgrounds with very little future ahead for young ME people (men).

Solution:

-a- Arab countries must invest more from oil profits into education, basic and more advanced infrastructure, carreer training and anything that improves overall economic growth at the grass roots. Several of the oil rich Sultanates in the world have been very successful at this and have had no problems at all with terrorist activities.

-b- Although nearly impossible to implement, there must be a moratorium or a limitation on weapons and explosives trade to the middle east. It seems that guns and ammo are cheaper than water over there.

-c- Make Jerusalem and World Heritage site, governed not by one nation, but by the United Nations. It shouldnt belong to Isreal or any other nation. This last solution helps to relieve the centuries old feud of WHO should own the Holy city. In my opinion, since 3 of the worlds most prominant religions all seem to center on Jerusalem, shouldnt it belong to all and not one?

In my opinion, the only way to solve the Muslim radical problem is to choke off their hold on disenfranchised youth who are led to believe that dying promises a better future than living. Give the kids a reason to live. A future. Then they wont be so quick to blow themselves up.

I cant quite get my head around why UK Pakistanis are now rebelling against their own country and joining the madness. I can only surmise that with all the racial abuse that gets hurled at them in the UK, they are getting fed up and fighting back in the only way they know how. This problem must be nipped in the bud in the UK or many Muslims will feel the replrisals. The Muslim community MUST start doing more to police their own and be seen PUBLICALLY to be against terrorism and show ACTION, not just words.

[Crossy]

Thank you for telling me!but i only use big letter,s to make my point clear at some point,s

Quite possibly, but please also learn how to use these (commas), neither are required in your post

BTW The grown-up name for 'big letters' is 'capital' or 'upper case' letters

[udon]

Crossy,

let's know if the airline has bumped your luggage allowance by 7kgs or more.

Have a safe trip.

Thanks

[fruittbatt]

As I mentioned in a previous posting, I am at wits end when it comes to these bloody terrorists. Of course, sitting here moaning about it on Thaivisa is hardly going to help. I would like to propose (for what its worth) my ideas on a solution to the overall "problem". The terrorism activity itself is merely a symptom of the problem, IMHO.

Symptom: Terrorism and radicalism

Problem: weak minds, low self esteem and impoverished backgrounds with very little future ahead for young ME people (men).

Solution:

-a- Arab countries must invest more from oil profits into education, basic and more advanced infrastructure, carreer training and anything that improves overall economic growth at the grass roots. Several of the oil rich Sultanates in the world have been very successful at this and have had no problems at all with terrorist activities.

-b- Although nearly impossible to implement, there must be a moratorium or a limitation on weapons and explosives trade to the middle east. It seems that guns and ammo are cheaper than water over there.

-c- Make Jerusalem and World Heritage site, governed not by one nation, but by the United Nations. It shouldnt belong to Isreal or any other nation. This last solution helps to relieve the centuries old feud of WHO should own the Holy city. In my opinion, since 3 of the worlds most prominant religions all seem to center on Jerusalem, shouldnt it belong to all and not one?

In my opinion, the only way to solve the Muslim radical problem is to choke off their hold on disenfranchised youth who are led to believe that dying promises a better future than living. Give the kids a reason to live. A future. Then they wont be so quick to blow themselves up.

I cant quite get my head around why UK Pakistanis are now rebelling against their own country and joining the madness. I can only surmise that with all the racial abuse that gets hurled at them in the UK, they are getting fed up and fighting back in the only way they know how. This problem must be nipped in the bud in the UK or many Muslims will feel the replrisals. The Muslim community MUST start doing more to police their own and be seen PUBLICALLY to be against terrorism and show ACTION, not just words.