Major Terror plot foiled against U.K.-U.S. bound flights

[gtalum]

Anyone think this is just a phony recycled Yusef plot from 1995 being used to drum up fear?

I'd be more suspicious if the British weren't involved. They're not known for emotional overreaction and fearmongering.

[Audrey2Katrina]

This sounds a lot like the Bojinka plot. They could also put explosives inside a terrorist. That's the answer. We should ban people from planes.

What it sounds like is irrelevant... but to quote Clinton (in an askance manner)... what it is.... IS.

A2K

[stormtruth]

Anyone think this is just a phony recycled Yusef plot from 1995 being used to drum up fear?

I'd be more suspicious if the British weren't involved. They're not known for emotional overreaction and fearmongering.

True, but not necessarily but the British or U.S. govt but just leaked by the terrorists to make the governments go nuts.

[x-y-no]

Yeah see I would hope that even if they can not detect explosive liquids in the cargo they would x-ray to find anything that looks to be a detonator. I would assume anything being detonated in this fashion would have to be metal.

All the large airports have scanning equipment related to CAT Scanners which can detect explosives by their chemical compostion (all high explosives are related in chemical structure, and all are nitrogen compounds).

Unfortunately, it's impractical to have this equipment for carry-on baggage as it's very large.

I've also read that for some reason, much of the third party cargo (as opposed to checked baggage) doesn't go through this scanning. I don't know it that's true or not, or why that would be so.

[Brent]

Apparently one of the suspects already in custody WORKED at Heathrow.

[Audrey2Katrina]

The terrorists, including still at large Bin Laden, are smart and they are proud now.

Please tell me why the need to mention UBL?? Sort of smacks of bringing back that political ax-- while it has all the earmarks of an Al-Qaeda effort... the "terrorists" we're interested in here are not in Afghanistan (or Pakistan, or where-have-you)... they're in the UK... and they're being sought out. Let's try to stick to that!

A2K

[x-y-no]

This sounds a lot like the Bojinka plot. They could also put explosives inside a terrorist. That's the answer. We should ban people from planes.

What it sounds like is irrelevant... but to quote Clinton (in an askance manner)... what it is.... IS.

A2K

Actually, I'm not at all surprised to see al Qaeda (and I presume this was al Qaeda) recycling the basics of the Bojinka plot. The idea was sound. I've rather been expecting them to try it again (as obviously have MI5).

[nystate]

What part of this don't you understand? Moving liquids from the cabin to the cargo hold does NOTHING to prevent explosives from being detonated. Remote detonation is extremely easy.

The new restrictions are thus 100% completely ineffective against this threat. So my alternative is to let people on the plane with their toiletries. In the long run, we can keep rushing the installation of explosives sniffers to get as many flights as possible covered.

Not true. The bombs uncovered here had to be detonated physically...therefore, if they are in the hold they can't be detonated. It would take further modification to assemble a remote bomb (which means more time), and therefore the immediate concentration of the authorities is on liquid bombs that must be physically detonated.

[Audrey2Katrina]

Even though it didn't destroy any planes it will make people less likely to fly because of the crazy restrictions.

Yup... it's those CRAZY restrictions... I say we drop 'em all!

A2K

[stormtruth]

The terrorists, including still at large Bin Laden, are smart and they are proud now.

Please tell me why the need to mention UBL?? Sort of smacks of bringing back that political ax-- while it has all the earmarks of an Al-Qaeda effort... the "terrorists" we're interested in here are not in Afghanistan (or Pakistan, or where-have-you)... they're in the UK... and they're being sought out. Let's try to stick to that!

A2K

How in the world is terrorism not related the UBL? You've got to be kidding?

[Lindaloo]

The terrorists, including still at large Bin Laden, are smart and they are proud now.

Please tell me why the need to mention UBL?? Sort of smacks of bringing back that political ax-- while it has all the earmarks of an Al-Qaeda effort... the "terrorists" we're interested in here are not in Afghanistan (or Pakistan, or where-have-you)... they're in the UK... and they're being sought out. Let's try to stick to that!

A2K

Because that is their way of getting around our political rule. But, not going to happen.

I do not care if they are proud or not. They were stopped, that is all that matters to me. If it looks like a rat, smells like a rat, it probably is a rat.

[Skywatch_NC]

Apparently one of the suspects already in custody WORKED at Heathrow.

And who knows...he may have had some flight training there as well.

[stormtruth]

The terrorists, including still at large Bin Laden, are smart and they are proud now.

Please tell me why the need to mention UBL?? Sort of smacks of bringing back that political ax-- while it has all the earmarks of an Al-Qaeda effort... the "terrorists" we're interested in here are not in Afghanistan (or Pakistan, or where-have-you)... they're in the UK... and they're being sought out. Let's try to stick to that!

A2K

Because that is their way of getting around our political rule. But, not going to happen.

I do not care if they are proud or not. They were stopped, that is all that matters to me. If it looks like a rat, smells like a rat, it probably is a rat.

Sorry, didn't realize Osama Bin Laden is political now.

[nystate]

Allowing people to carry-on toothpaste isn't going to bring planes down over teh Atlantic.

Intelligence and law enforcement did a good job busting up this ring. Rather than burden ourselves with useless restrictions, let's just have them keep doing their jobs.

They arrested 21 people. They believe up to 50 may be involved. What if just 1 out of those 50 is in an airport with his liquid bomb ready? Solution-ban all liquids and electronics and bada-bing, the problem is solved.

Anyone think this is just a phony recycled Yusef plot from 1995 being used to drum up fear?

No. I think you are in denial of the obvious though...

[stormtruth]

Airports in Chaos. Top of MSNBC http://www.msnbc.msn.com/ People are losing bottles of wine, gifts, everything.

[Audrey2Katrina]

How in the world is terrorism not related the UBL? You've got to be kidding?

You're real good at putting words in peoples's mouths; but it ain't gonna work with me. I didn't remotely suggest that terorism isn't related to UBL now did I? I asked what relevance it had to what was being discussed here--and asked that we stick to that, without bringing up peripheral issues that just might let us slip in a political sideswipe. I suspect Linda has hit the nail on the head!

No Kidding!

A2K

[nystate]

Airports in Chaos. Top of MSNBC http://www.msnbc.msn.com/ People are losing bottles of wine, gifts, everything.

Believe me, if this plot had succeeded the entire country would be in chaos, not just a few airports.

[gtalum]

But the plot didn't succeed. And we put the airports in chaos anyway.

[x-y-no]

Airports in Chaos. Top of MSNBC http://www.msnbc.msn.com/ People are losing bottles of wine, gifts, everything.

Believe me, if this plot had succeeded the entire country would be in chaos, not just a few airports.

Not just this country. The entire western world. The presumption would have to be that they could target international flights pretty much anywhere.

[Skywatch_NC]

But the plot didn't succeed. And we put the airports in chaos anyway.

You have to remember that not ALL the *whatevers* involved in this plot have been arrested...