BBC Reports UK-U.S. Terror Plot Foiled

j823777 was one of several readers to point out a BBC report that "A terrorist plot to blow up planes in mid-flight from the UK to the U.S. has been disrupted, Scotland Yard has said. It is thought the plan was to detonate up to three explosive devices smuggled on aircraft in hand luggage. Police have arrested 21 people in the London area after an anti-terrorist operation lasting several months. Security at all airports in the UK has been tightened and delays are reported. MI5 has raised the UK threat level to critical — the highest possible." spo0nman adds a link to the Associated Press's coverage. Update: 08/10 12:57 GMT by T : Several readers have pointed out new restrictions imposed as a result of this plot on passengers' carry-on luggage. In the UK, nearly all possession (including laptop computers) must be carried in the cargo hold; while their rules don't yet go quite as far, U.S. airlines are stepping up their enforcement of carry-on-restrictions, including banning substances like toothpaste.

Re:Wonderful

[RobotRunAmok]

I wonder if the mousse in my hair will get me a trip to gitmo...

Not if your airplane breaks the time barrier and lands in 1986.

Why oh why

[kahei]

WHY do these terrorists specifically hate those of us who are scared of flying??

Re:TSA just anounced the new restrictions on

[Anonymous Coward]

They better ban snakes too

Re:No hand luggage...

[Anonymous Coward]

Try reading a book.

Maybe you'll get smart, but I doubt it.

Security

[Ed Almos]

Security at airports is not 'tightened' it's fucking impossible. Anyone travelling from the UK to the USA will find that it's quicker to walk.

Ed Almos

Re:Questions

[geoffspear]

One can only wonder how long it will take some bright airport security guard to realize that blood is a liquid and insist that all passengers be cryonically frozen before boarding.

I believe

[Anonymous Coward]

Critical isn't the highest possible panic rating. I think at least "the end is near" and "rapture" are higher.

Re:No hand luggage...

[mgblst]

As for sex, most of us don't find it all that difficult you know...
 
I joined the half-mile high club. It is like the mile high club, but has half as many people.

Seriously, I heard that they were not even allowing books - that would be shit. Having to actualy watch those stupid emergency announcements.

nightmare scenario

[Bazman]

friends of mine are flying home from UK to Australia soon. With two small kids. And under the restrictions, no kids toys. 18 hours with two kids and nothing to keep the occupied.

I suspect the rest of the plane would prefer a terrorist attack.

New Security System

[jeillah]

Make everyone who boards an airplane eat a big greasy slice of bacon!!!

So...

[Anonymous Cowtard]

Wonder what they were planning to use? Pop Rocks and soda or the new hotness of Mentos and soda?

The Scottish Home Secretary

[Flying pig]

Announces that us liberal left wingers just don't get it on terrorism. Judges refusing to convict without evidence, evidence which they are not allowed to see because those lefty judges are themselves security risks. Ridiculous human rights legislation that prevents him from simply locking up anybody he feels like. Over-zealous government agencies that want to investigate how the police came to shoot an unarmed man sitting harmlessly in a train and then spread FUD about it afterwards. The same idiot left wing liberals who think that perhaps if we had a more even handed and rational policy in the Middle East we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place.

At the risk of being accused of covert racism, it's perhaps worth pointing out just how much of the UK government is controlled by Scots, from the Prime Minister down. The Scots have something of a reputation for violence and aggression, and if you want to point out that the Rt Hon Anthony Blair, MA, Barrister-at-Law is an upper class Scottish lawyer, it was just such an upper class Scottish lawyer that organised the Glencoe massacre, for his own advantage.

Actually, I think our police and security services on the whole do a pretty good job, especially outside London (where there is a lot of institutional corruption.) But they deserve better politicians.

Re:Threat Level?

[Patrik_AKA_RedX]

Monday: The thread level has been raised to level 5

Tuesday: The thread level has been raised to level 12.

Wednesday: The thread level has been raised to level 25.

Thursday: The thread level has been raised to level 148.

Friday: The thread level has become a super-sayan.

Re:Flag

[TaGirl_Keri]

UK 52nd state. (After Israel of course)

But what I wanna know...

[Equis]

Did they also find Mr. X [wikipedia.org]???

Now, THAT would be impressive, what with his 2x and Black Tickets and all...

Re:Hmm.

[Ihlosi]

Does this (no formula) mean kids can't ride and there won't be any screaming brats on our flights? (God can only hope)

No. It will mean that all infants on board will be screaming non-stop. Ever heard a hungry (no, not cranky, _hungry_) baby cry ? You better bring earplugs. And hearing protection.

... oh, wait. They won't let you board with any of that. Looks like you're screwed.

Re:Latest

[Anonymous Coward]

A book, heh? I bet I can kill someone with, say, a book of Umberto Eco, either by hitting the person on the head with it, or by reading it out loud. Now all I need is a terrorist organisation. Hmm.. does the front for the liberation of the Judean people exist already?

Re:Latest

[onion2k]

- 1 book
- 1 newspaper
- wallet
- passport
- bomb
- ???
- profit.

That's 7. :)

Re:Good work

[Forge]

This is REALLY depressing.

I landed in Haiti yesterday on a 3 month work assignment. My baggage is missing so all I have are the gadgets (including laptop) cloths (Hains Tagless shirts fold real small) and toothpaste, toothbrush, comb etc... that I carried in my hand luggage.

If these rules were in place I would be the stinkiest engineer in Port-Au-Prince.

PS: It takes 6 to 10 hours to fly from Jamaica to Haiti. KIN to MIA then MIA to PAP with enough time tacked on to clear Baggage check, Security screen, customs and immigration... Twice.

Re:Latest

[cap0ne]

The only thing left for the terrorists will be explosive clothing. They'll find a way to weave C4 right into their shirts in a visually pleasing plaid pattern. But instead of actually carrying out their mission of martyrdom, they will simply mail a sample to CNN, have Bin Laden make a vague recording about it.

I can picture the result now: planeloads of people sitting wide-eyed and paranoid while shivering in little paper gowns - the kind with the backsides missing like you get at the hospital. The terrorists will not be able to stop laughing.

Re:This is how terrorism is fought against

[Anonymous Coward]

You can kick over snowmen all day long - they'll keep popping because anyone can make them. However, remove the supply of snow and there will be no more snowmen.

They're trying, why do you think the US government refuses to lower its carbon emmisions?

Re:Good work

[brainburger]

I think the problem there is that we have been at level 'severe' for some time. The danger is believed to have gone up, and they need to show this.
Perhaps there aren't enough steps in the scale.
We need 'like, really severe', and 'almost critical -no really!' as well.

Re:Just in time for U.S. Mid-Term Elections

[Anonymous Coward]

Strange that they planned to use soft drink bottles. Every time I've gone through security at Logan and other major airports over the last 5 years, I've had to open any drink bottle I had with me and take a sip. I thought I was in trouble the first time it happened because I was on vacation and had a litre Coke bottle filled with Captain n' Coke. Mostly Captain. Mostly.

Re:Good work

[NSIM]

> Makes you wonder where they'll be trying to hide explosives next. Every time I take my shoes off going through security I'm reminded how grateful I am that it was the "shoe bomber" not the "underpants bomber"

Re:Propaganda

[Anonymous Coward]

there ARE people who will kill you because they don't like your GOD or covet what you have or have been taught since childhood to hate you out of existence

And some want to kill you just because you roll into their country and blow shit up. Jerks.

Re:Good work

[AGMW]

Perhaps there aren't enough steps in the scale.

What we need is a scale that goes all the way up to eleven. You see previously they'd be at level 10 and thinking they need a little bit more but with no where to go ...

No but I slept in a Holiday Inn Express last night

[mosel-saar-ruwer]

I'm just here for the Bud Light.

Right.

[Philip K Dickhead]

Trumped up nonsense, generatetd by our "gurdians".

And the U.S. will have t' do without toothpaste, emulating the dental characteristics that make us in the UK world famous. :-)

Re:Why oh why

[andphi]

all cargo is shipped seperately via UPS

At least it would get to the right place in a timely fashion....

Re:Some numeric speculation

[absinthminded64]

Then it won't come as a surprise that 300 people seems too much while you're on the plane as well.

Re:No, it's a good thing (for us)

[Jah-Wren Ryel]

Come now. Are you so tweeked that a particular news outlet will find the prevention of hundreds of deaths to be a good thing that you're willing to ignore that it's a good thing for everyone that hundreds of people didn't get killed?

Its a damn fine thing that no brazilians were killed this time.

As for the hundreds of others who were not killed, they are going to have do better than a press campaign.

Re:I would LOVE to see carry-on luggage banned

[Dachannien]

Perhaps seat 12C's cold drink is Binary Part A (which is reasonably safe to drink) and seat 20D's cold drink is Binary Part B (which is also reasonably safe to drink, although it tastes worse than Part A).

Terrorist A: Praise Allah! Are you ready to do this?
Terrorist B: God is great! Yes, I'm ready. Bring on the virgins.
Terrorist A: (pours a bottle of green liquid into a large cup) Okay, pour yours in here, too.
Terrorist B: ...
Terrorist A: What's the matter?
Terrorist B: ...
Terrorist A: Dammit! You weren't supposed to drink the whole thing!

Re:nightmare scenario

[stephenbooth]

Or just duct tape their mouth shut and put them in a dog costume then ship them in the hold.

Stephen

PS I don't like children

PPS Actually doing the above may be illegal, check with the airline first

Re:No hand luggage...

[Lars T.]

Toys for the kids, baby food, medicine...

People who bring kids onboard a plane still aren't considered terrorists?

MOD PARENT UP

[MoneyT]

Mod parent +60, Graduated College and Thinks Criticaly Rather Than Assuming Everything is a Government Plot to Get His Weed

Terror Level is Incorrect...

[EnglishSteve]

I thought the British threat level scale was as follows (in descending order):

• Make Tea - The highest level possible - causes power blackouts due to 60 million kettles being turned on at once
• Stiff Upper Lip - Severe - But we won't let our concern show
• Extra Queueing - Includes extra loud coughing when someone jumps the queue
• Makes a Change From Moaning About The Weather - glad I brought my brolly

Re:Why oh why

[carpe_noctem]

That's not why they don't target Greyhound.

Actually, I heard it was because the last terrorist bomb plot sent via Greyhound ended up somewhere in Alabama two weeks after the target time, and didn't detonate because a bum pissed on it.

Re:Good work or Alzheimer's myths

[WillAffleckUW]

Alzheimer's patients, sociopaths, serial killers and others are all clinically insane, yet we can and do predict their actions on a regular basis. What's so different about predicting how terrorists behave?

Um, sorry, Alzheimer's disease is a progressive disease, and they're not always insane from a clinical viewpoint - it depends on the exact manifestation and the progression of the disease.

As to sociopaths, be careful what you say about our President. We have laws about that.

Re:Good work

[mrs clear plastic]

And everyone must board nude under a clear plastic raincoat

Re:completely secure!

[giafly]

<sarcasm>Of course, terrorists don't drink unhealthy substances in the last hours before a suicide attack.</sarcasm>

Proof: "Suicide bomber Hasib Hussain ate a last meal at McDonald's before blowing up the No. 30 bus on 7 July, killing 13 people." - Bus bomber stopped for a Big Mac [independent.co.uk]

Re:Good work

[pianophile]

Nobody's asking you to drink a big foamy glass of piss here.

Please don't change the subject. We're talking breast milk, not American beer. ;-)

and thats...

[crabpeople]

"The reason they exist is for the purpose of violently pushing an agenda. "

And thats how i learned to stop worrying and love the bomb.

Re:Why oh why

[zimus]

My bad. For some silly reason I simply assumed the Madrid bombings [wikipedia.org] took place in Madrid, SPAIN - not Madrid, Iowa [wikipedia.org]. And yes, I even again naively assumed the London bombings [wikipedia.org] took place in London, ENGLAND not in London, Kentucky. [wikipedia.org]

So thank you my STUPID-ASS friend for correcting my naive point-of-view.

Re:Hmm.

[tbannist]

Notice that we are enemy #2 (sandwiched between Israel and the UK), but of these, we've had the fewest terrorist acts in our country since 9/11. That means we are stopping attacks.

Congratulations, Homer.

Homer: Not a bear in sight. The Bear Patrol must be working like a charm.
Lisa: That's specious reasoning, Dad.
Homer: Thank you, dear.
Lisa: By your logic I could claim that this rock keeps tigers away.
Homer: Oh, how does it work?
Lisa: It doesn't work.
Homer: Uh-huh.
Lisa: It's just a stupid rock.
Homer: Uh-huh.
Lisa: But I don't see any tigers around, do you?
[Homer thinks of this, then pulls out some money]
Homer: Lisa, I want to buy your rock.

Re:completely secure!

[raehl]

If it will burn their esophagus out on the spot and cause them to cough up blood on the screener, that might just be a clue for the screeners that the substance isn't really toothpaste.

Apparently you're not using a very good toothpaste. You wouldn't believe how white my teeth are. (My gums are a little red though.)

Re:Good work

[HTTP Error 403 403.9]

It looks like most of those arrested are Pakastani's so I am guessing the U.S. will be bombing Iran shortly.

Getting Things Banned

[Hoi Polloi]

It seems that everytime someone tries something bad they ban it from flights. So all I have to do is design exploding underwear (nitrocellulose?) and convince someone to try to carry it on. I'd drop a dime on them before they got on of course. Then just hang out at the airport watching security guards confiscate everyone's undies.

Amtrack Did It!

[Hoi Polloi]

I suspect that Amtrack is behind all of this. By making flying as miserable and as shitty an experience as possible they'll convince everyone to start taking the train.

Good thing we have those troops in Iraq

[saltydogdesign]

I thought we were fighting them over there so we didn't have to fight them here. What ever happened to that?

Re:People are 70% liquid - OMFG!! Everyone PANIC!!

[diablomonic]

you watch too much old batman