British authorities yesterday smashed a cunning terror plot that within days would have used carry-on liquid explosives hidden in bottles to simultaneously blow up 10 planes flying to the United States – in an attack that could have been bigger than 9/11.
Police arrested 24 alleged co-conspirators – believed to be the “main players” behind the frightening scheme – following a lengthy investigation, and were still searching for other participants today.
Officials believe that as many as 50 people may have been involved – and police were urgently hunting as many as 10 suspects. One of those in custody last night was just 17 years old. Some shaved their heads recently, possibly to prepare for “martyrdom.”
American investigators praised Britain for preventing a catastrophe.
“If this plot had actually occurred, the world would have stood still,” said Mark Mershon, head of the FBI office in New York.
President Bush called the foiled attack a “stark reminder” that our “nation is at war with Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our nation.”
The suicide plot – two of the cell members even left chilling “martyrdom” videos – entailed assembling the bombs on the jets while passengers slept.
The bombers, ranging in age from 17 to 30, planned to sneak a peroxide-based solution on the planes in sports-drink bottles – to be detonated by a power supply from a camera or an iPod.
Teams of two or three men were to be assigned to each of the flights, whose schedules the plotters had researched on the Internet, a U.S. counterterrorism official said.
The bombers hoped to stage a dry run within two days to see if the materials could be smuggled aboard the planes. The actual attack would have followed within days.
British officials moved in when they learned the men had bought tickets for the trial run, ABC and MSNBC reported. An undercover British agent infiltrated the group, giving authorities details about the diabolical plan, CNN said.
The scheme targeted U.S. carriers – American, United and Continental Airlines – and had all the hallmarks of an al Qaeda operation, said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.
“It was sophisticated, it had a lot of members and it was international in scope. It was, in some respects, suggestive of an al Qaeda plot,” Chertoff said.
Had the plot been successful, the toll could have been catastrophic – killing as many as 4,000 people, which would have surpassed the 2,976 killed on 9/11, officials said.
“We think this was an extraordinarily serious plot and we are confident that we’ve prevented an attempt to commit mass murder on an unimaginable scale,” said Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Stephenson of the London Metropolitan Police.
The arrests set off a stunning series of events on both sides of the Atlantic:
* Officials in Washington for the first time raised the terror threat level to Red on flights from England to the United States and to Orange for all other flights. Britain raised its alert level to critical and closed Heathrow Airport to most flights from Europe.
* Fallout from the thwarted attack led to flight cancellations and staggering lines at some U.S. airports – including JFK, La Guardia and Newark – as officials banned travelers from carrying anything containing liquids, such as shampoo and water bottles, in their carry-on luggage.
* Politicians sparred over what the foiled plot meant to the war in Iraq. Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, who’s running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary to an anti-war foe, said withdrawal now would be “a tremendous victory” to the plotters.
* Mayor Bloomberg said city officials were made aware of the investigation in England months ago, but there was no indication of a New York tie to the plot.
“To the best of our knowledge, there are no members of this group here. They were all in the U.K.,” he said.
* Officials said they tracked the plotters for months before catching wind that an attack was imminent and raiding numerous homes in London and Birmingham.
Of the 24 alleged plotters in custody, at least one was a white Muslim convert, and another was only 17 years old, The Times of London said.
Authorities also seized a “martyrdom video” – apparently recorded by someone planning to become a suicide bomber – at a home raided by police, the paper reported. CNN said a second tape had been found.
Although British authorities would not identify any of the suspects, France’s Interior Ministry said most “appear to be of Pakistani origin.” Sources in England said the suspects were “homegrown.”
British media identified one of the men as Don Stewart-Whyte. ABC named three others: Rashid Rauf, Mohammed el-Ghandra and Ahmed al Khan.
Two of the men are believed to have traveled recently to Pakistan and later had substantial sums of money wired to them, purportedly to buy airline tickets. Several arrests were also made in Pakistan, which had a role in unearthing the plot. MSNBC said the ringleader remained in Pakistan.
With Post Wire Services
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Wicked scheme (map graphic)
* Officials monitored the group for several months before British police arrested 24 alleged plotters yesterday.
* At least two of the plotters traveled to Pakistan and had money wired to them to buy plane tickets.
* A dry run in two days was set to see if explosive chemicals could be smuggled onto planes.
* If successful, the actual attack would have followed in a matter of days.
* The plot targeted 10 U.S.bound United, Continental and American airliners, and might have killed up to 4,000 people.
* Two “martyrdom tapes” were recovered.
* Arrests were also made in Pakistan.