"Intelligence officials beat a retreat on airport scare"

Saturday, August 7, 2004

Intelligence officials beat a retreat on airport scare 
The New Zealand Herald


It began with tales of a "terror alert in the United States and Britain"
and culminated in a "plot to bomb Heathrow". 

In the past few days, anyone following the American and British media or
listening to US security chiefs would be in little doubt that the two
countries were facing an imminent attack by al Qaeda. 

But information is emerging that calls into doubt the level of threat.
British counter-terrorist sources deny they uncovered a specific plot to
attack Heathrow or any other British airport. 

The source of the alarming stories appears to be four-year-old
information about Heathrow held by an al Qaeda computer expert arrested
in Pakistan, where officials said Mohammed Naeem Noor Khan, arrested on
July 13, had stored photographs of the airport as well as underpasses in
London. 

But these images are understood to have been non-specific, several years
old, and not include plans of any attack. 

At this stage they are considered to be general material held by al
Qaeda, who favour targeting airports, aircraft and financial
institutions. 

Khan was under investigation by MI5 before his arrest and it was his
links with suspected al Qaeda supporters in Britain that led to the
raids in London and the Home Counties this week. 

Khan, 25, has visited Britain several times and some of his contacts
have been under MI5 surveillance. 

The 12 men of Asian origin who were arrested are still being questioned
by anti-terrorist detectives in London. 

Ten of the arrested men, all in their 20s and 30s, are British citizens.
All 12 are being detained on suspicion of being involved in the
commission or preparation of terrorism. 

Police did not find any bomb-making equipment or chemicals in the raids
but removed documents and computers. 

It is reported that among those detained is senior al Qaeda member Abu
Eisa al-Hindi, otherwise known as Abu Musa al-Hindi, who uses the
codename Bilal. 

Scotland Yard accelerated plans to arrest the suspected al Qaeda cell
after news of Khan's arrest was leaked this week. 

News of the latest threat first emerged on Sunday night when
intelligence officials in Washington briefed journalists on what they
said was a "treasure-trove" of fresh information. 

But the next day officials were forced into a partial retreat and
admitted that the information predated the September 11 attacks. 

To confuse matters, officials now insist that it was new intelligence -
some of it based on information provided by one of the suspects - that
persuaded officials to raise the terror alert on Sunday. 

Meanwhile, Britain's First Sea Lord, Sir Alan West, issued a fresh
warning, saying intelligence showed that merchant navy ships were
regarded as prime targets. 

"They've realised how important it is for world trade in general, they
understand the significance."


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