Did Anyone Hear What Happened About The Airport Today?

Question

I was at work and missed it all everyone telling me to look at the news buy I have to get myself ready for work tomm. TGIF!!!

Answer 1

Here you go:

"British foil plan to blow up jetliners

British police said Thursday they thwarted a terrorist plot, possibly just days away, to blow up U.S.-bound jetliners over the Atlantic and kill thousands. Chilling accounts leaked by investigators described a plan on the scale of 9/11 that would use common electronic devices to detonate liquid explosives concealed in sports drink bottles to bring down as many as 10 planes in a nearly simultaneous strike.

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 ongoing 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 authorities arrested 24 people based partly on intelligence from Pakistan, where authorities detained up to three others several days earlier. More arrests were expected, the official said. The suspects were believed to be mainly British Muslims, at least some of Pakistani ancestry.

The Bank of England froze the assets of 19 people early Friday and released their names, saying they had been arrested on Thursday. All had Muslim names, many of which are common in Pakistan. The youngest person was 17, the oldest 35.

A senior U.S. counterterrorism official said the suspects were looking to sneak at least some chemicals on the planes in sports drink bottles. Teams of at least two or three men were assigned to each flight, the schedules for which they had researched on the Internet, the official said.

Two other U.S. officials said British, American and Pakistani investigators were trying to trace the steps of the suspects in Pakistan and were seeking to determine whether a couple of them attended terrorist training camps there. Two Britons of Pakistani origin were arrested in Pakistan about a week ago and provided investigators information, a Pakistani official said.

American investigators praised Britain for preventing a catastrophe. "If this plot had actually occurred, the world would have stood still," Mark Mershon, assistant director of the FBI, told the AP in New York.

Terror threat levels were raised to some of their highest levels and hundreds of flights were canceled worldwide. Passengers stood in line for hours and airport trash bins bulged with everything from mouthwash and shaving cream to maple syrup and fine wine. Governors in at least three U.S. states — California, New York and Massachusetts — ordered National Guard troops to help provide security.

"We want to make sure that there are no remaining threats out there, and we also want to take steps to prevent any would-be copycats who may be inspired to similar conduct," said U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

Experts said the nature of the plot could herald a new age of terrorism where attackers have access to explosives that are easy to carry and conceal. Emergency security measures quickly implemented on Thursday provided a stark vision of the possible future of air travel.

Mothers tasted baby food in front of airport security guards to prove it contained no liquid explosives. Liquids and gels were banned from flights. Travelers repacked their luggage in airports, stowing all but the most necessary items in the hold.

Although plots to blow up airliners using liquid explosives are not new — such an attempt was foiled more than a decade ago — the U.S. government has been slow to upgrade its security equipment at airport checkpoints to detect explosives on passengers.

U.S. authorities did not say how long the security measures would last. "We are taking the step of preventing liquids from getting into the cabin to give us time to make adjustments," Chertoff said.

The raids in Britain on Thursday followed a monthslong 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.

"This nation is at war with Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our nation," President Bush declared.

In Pakistan, a senior government official said two British nationals of Pakistani origin had been arrested, one in Lahore and one in Karachi, about a week ago. The two provided information on the terror plot, the official said on condition of anonymity because he did not have authority to speak formally on the issue.

The plane bombings could have come just ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks carried out by al-Qaida. The terror group's leader Osama bin Laden and his No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahri, are believed hiding along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and have repeatedly issued tapes threatening new attacks.

"In terms of scale, it was probably designed to be ... a new Sept. 11," said Jean-Charles Brisard, a French private investigator who works with lawyers of many Sept. 11 victims. "It involved the same tools, the same transportation tools and devices."

The close call also shifted attention once more to Britain's Islamic community just over a year after the London transit attacks. Three Britons of Pakistani descent and a Jamaican convert to Islam carried out those deadly bombings with a peroxide-based explosive that trained operatives can make using ordinary ingredients such as hair bleach.

In Pakistan, an intelligence official said the arrest of an Islamic militant near that border several weeks ago played a role in "unearthing the plot." The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said some suspects arrested in Britain were linked to al-Qaida. However, authorities stopped short of accusing al-Qaida directly for the plot.

A senior Pakistani government official, also speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the matter, said "two or three local people" suspected in the plot were arrested a few days ago in the Pakistani cities of Lahore and Karachi.

French Interior Minister Nicholas Sarkozy said the group "appears to be of Pakistani origin," but did not give a precise source for the information. Britain's Home Office refused comment.

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. He said authorities were working with Britain's large South Asian community.

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.

Hamza Ghafoor, 20, who lives across the street from one of the homes raided in Walthamstow, northeast of London, said police circled the block in vans Wednesday and that they generally swoop into the neighborhood to question "anyone with a beard."

"Ibrahim didn't do nothing wrong," Ghafoor said, referring to a suspect. "He played football. He goes to the mosque. He's a nice guy."

The British government raised its threat assessment to its highest level — critical — which warns that a terrorist attack could be imminent. The U.S. government, following suit, raised its threat assessment to red alert, also its highest level, for commercial flights from Britain to the United States."

"U.S. posts code-red alert; bans liquids

The Bush administration posted an unprecedented code-red alert for passenger flights from Britain to the United States and banned liquids from all carry-on bags Thursday, clamping down quickly after British authorities disrupted a frightening terror plot.

The heightened restrictions triggered long lines at airports across the country, and governors in at least three states ordered National Guard troops to help provide security.

"This was a well-advanced plan," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told reporters as British authorities announced the arrests of 24 alleged plotters. "In some respects suggestive of an al-Qaida plot."

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said as many as 10 flights had been targeted.

Other officials said the plotters had hoped to bring the planes down in a cascade of horror over the Atlantic Ocean, possibly within days. They said the plan involved the use of a peroxide-based solution, flammable when sparked by innocent-appearing small electronic devices. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitive nature of the subject.

Targeted were United, American and Continental Airlines flights from Britain to major U.S. destinations, which officials said probably included New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

A senior U.S. counterterrorism official said the suspects, whose ages ranged from 17 to the mid-30s, were looking to sneak at least some chemicals on the planes in sports drink bottles. Teams of at least two or three men were assigned to each flight, the schedules for which they had researched on the Internet, the official said.

Two other U.S. officials said British, U.S. and Pakistani investigators were trying to trace the steps of the suspects in Pakistan and were seeking to determine whether a couple of them attended terrorist training camps there.

A 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 and British intelligence helped thwart the plot through undercover work.

In brief remarks from Green Bay, Wis., President Bush said the events showed the nation "is at war with Islamic fascists."

The red alert for flights from Britain was the first since the color-coded warning system was developed after the 2001 terror attacks. The decision to ban nearly all liquids from passenger cabins was reminiscent of the stringent rules imposed when planes were allowed back in the skies for the first time afterward the Sept. 11 attacks.

"No liquids or gels will be allowed in carry-on baggage," Chertoff said. "There will be exceptions for baby formula and medicines, but travelers must be prepared to present these items for inspection at the checkpoint, and that will allow us to take a look at them and make sure that they're safe to fly."

That meant water containers, soft drinks, coffee cups and more had to be shed by passengers waiting to board their flights.

Women travelers surrendered bottles and jars of creams and lotions from their makeup kits.

At Dulles, one passenger fished a bottle of Tequila from a carry-on bag. It joined the rest of the newly classified contraband in a trash container.

It was not clear how long the restrictions would remain in effect. One lawmaker, Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., said the situation "eliminates the days of carry-on baggage."

The plot quickly became grist for the midterm election campaign.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said events reinforced the need to implement the recommendations of an independent 9/11 commission, a reminder of one of her party's main campaign promises.

In Ohio, Republican chairman Bob Bennett accused the Democrats' senatorial challenger of voting against funds "for the very types of programs that helped the British thwart these vicious attacks."

Homeland Security deputy Secretary Michael Jackson said his agency had known for several days of the unfolding plot but waited for a signal from the British to announce it.

The decision to raise the terror level for flights from Britain indicated a severe risk of terror attacks. The "code red" change requires airlines to provide the government with an advance list of passengers aboard affected flights. Previously, passengers names had to be provided within 15 minutes after takeoff.

All other flights to and within the United States were put under an "orange" alert, one step below red, but an escalation from the "yellow" status that had been in effect.

Administration officials sought to reassure the traveling public at the same time they imposed heightened security restrictions.

"Today, air traffic is safe, and air traffic will remain safe precisely because of the measures we are adopting today," Chertoff said.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California deployed 300 Guard troops to at least three large airports — in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland — where direct flights from Europe were scheduled to arrive.

In Massachusetts, Gov. Mitt Romney announced he would activate Guard troops for airline security duty for the first time since the terror attacks of 2001, and New York Gov. George Pataki said Guard troops would be used there, as well.

White House spokesman Tony Snow said Bush had been briefed in advance of the events and had approved raising the alert to red on flights from England.

Senior lawmakers also had received advance word. Several said they had been briefed by Homeland Security or CIA officials as early as Monday.

Officials said the plotters had been planning a test run within two days to see whether they could smuggle the equipment they needed aboard the flights. The actual attack would have occurred within days.

Chertoff, interviewed on CNN, did not challenge the account.

"It's not uncommon that these kinds of plots almost always have a dry run or a casing element before the actual plot is carried out," he said.

The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, "had dry runs as well," he said.

Rep. John Kline (news, bio, voting record), R-Minn., was the only lawmaker to attend a closed-door briefing in the Capitol.

"This was a very close call," he said of the aborted plot."

Answer 2

basically~ the police in england thwarted a major terrorist plot.
they arrested 24 (& are still seeking out more) english citizens of pakistani descent, who had planned to blow up 9 or 10 planes (w/passengers) in mid flight, over the atlantic ocean. they (the terrorists) were going to do it by taking 2 liquid substances onboard and mixing it in flight and detonating it with an electronic device (ie: a camera flash) of some sort. very simple but sophisticated crap.
so the terror alert has been raised on all flights everywhere, and no one can take any liquids or gels onboard any flights for the time being anyway.

Answer 3

candy, i'm hoping you're actually not severe. Your a school graduate for Christs sake. despite the fact that in case you won't be able to tear your self far flung from the laptop, you are able to visit Yahoo information and verify international affairs.......And on a facet word, congratulations on your graduation from UNO. your loved ones could be very proud. i comprehend it is going to have been puzzling what with Katrina and all. good success in life.

Answer 4

They arrested some people in England for trying to enter the US and blow things up. England raised security to red alert. The US raised to orange alert. No fluids were allowed on board planes, laptops, or electrical devices that could be turned into detonators.

Answer 5

they're believed to be pakistani in origin, but all are british citizens. american, united, and continental airlines targeted. wanted to explode 10 planes leaving the UK headed for the US over the ocean. held up hundreds of thousands of people at airports today. no liquids or gels allowed on planes now, as they were planning to do it by use of liquid explosives. would have been a bigger/as big an attack as september 11th.

Answer 6

dude it was aaaalllll over da news ya u cant bring liquids of any types like no lip gloss beverages deoderant or any electronics like ipods on the airplane no more cause of a terror plot like in britan or sumthin there was som kind of liquid bomb thing well ya good night u kan c it on the news tomorow,...

Answer 7

Just more Muslims trying to kill Americans with bombs. They tried to sneak on to ten planes with liquid bombs. The british stopped them. 21 in all.

Answer 8

yes more "peace loving"muslims planning to blow up 12-15 planes to kill a lot of people "peacefully"

Answer 9

No, I live in a cave.