asa rat
Loves people...
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2003
- Posts
- 150
Customs caught this one.
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/02/14/uk.gatwick/index.html
New terror arrests near UK airport
Friday, February 14, 2003 Posted: 9:28 AM EST (1428 GMT)
LONDON, England (CNN) – British police say they have detained four
more terrorism suspects near Heathrow airport, where the army
has deployed hundreds of troops because of fears of an attack.
It is unclear if the arrests are connected to the discovery of a grenade in a
Venezuelan man's luggage at London's second airport, Gatwick.
Police refused to give details about the latest suspects or to say if any weapons
were found. They declined to say whether the arrests were connected to the
security alert at Heathrow and in the London area since Tuesday.
The latest four people were arrested on Thursday directly under the flight path
into Heathrow airport, at Langley, Buckinghamshire, officers said on
Friday. They are being held under anti-terrorism legislation.
Meanwhile on Friday, Heathrow's Terminal 2, which deals mostly with
flights to and from Europe, was evacuated -- and later reopened -- while
a suspect package was examined. British anti-terrorist police also continued
to question the Venezuelan man to find out how and why he flew halfway across
the world to London with the grenade.
He was arrested at Gatwick on Thursday after his luggage was searched by
Customs officers. He had just stepped off a British Airways flight that took off
from the Venezuelan capital Caracas and stopped off in Colombia and Barbados en route to London.
It was unclear where the 37-year-old man boarded the BA flight 2048, a Boeing 777
with 125 passengers on board.
British police, already on a heightened state of alert following reports of an imminent
terror attack, closed the airport's north terminal and evacuated hundreds of
passengers.
The terminal remained closed for more than four hours, wreaking havoc at Britain's
second busiest airport and forcing hundreds of travellers to sleep in the south
terminal or find hotel rooms.
"We've had to cancel 32 flights in all, which would probably affect around 2,500
passengers," a British Airways spokesman said, adding that the delays were bound
to drag on through Friday morning. Other airlines were similarly affected.
BA re-routed its scheduled Friday flight to Caracas, saying the plane would fly only to
Colombia and Barbados.
The BA spokesman said the measure had been taken "as a precaution" and added
that the airline was conducting its own investigation into how the grenade passed
undetected through South American security checks.
British police have been on a state of alert since Tuesday when they warned that al
Qaeda, the network headed by Osama bin Laden and blamed for the September 11,
2001 attacks on U.S. cities, might use the Muslim Eid religious festival as a symbolic
time to attack.
Britain has been U.S. President George W. Bush's closest ally over the war
against terror and forcing Iraqi disarmament and many in the UK have
voiced fears the country might be targeted by terrorists -- especially if Britain and the
United States attack Iraq.
Armed police and soldiers in tanks were patrolling London's Heathrow airport for a
fourth consecutive day on Friday as part of the largest security operation ever
mounted by Britain's Metropolitan police force.
Two men were arrested near Heathrow on Thursday although detectives stressed
the arrests were precautionary and did not appear to be significant.
About 1,700 extra police officers were at Heathrow and other key London sites and
security was also beefed up at Manchester airport, including spot checks by armed
officers.
The Ministry of Defence has refused to comment on reports that military jets were
patrolling the skies over the capital.
UK government ministers were treading a fine line between informing the public of
what they describe as a serious and genuine terror threat, and urging people to stay
calm.
Prime Minister Tony Blair, who was due to travel to Scotland for a speech to a
conference of his Labour Party on Saturday, said on Thursday it was vital "to do
absolutely everything we can to root these terrorists out."
A Home Office (Interior Ministry) spokesman, giving the other side of the
government's message, said: "It is not uncommon for people in airports to be
discovered with some form of weaponry. It doesn't mean they are all al Qaeda
terrorists."
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/02/14/uk.gatwick/index.html
New terror arrests near UK airport
Friday, February 14, 2003 Posted: 9:28 AM EST (1428 GMT)
LONDON, England (CNN) – British police say they have detained four
more terrorism suspects near Heathrow airport, where the army
has deployed hundreds of troops because of fears of an attack.
It is unclear if the arrests are connected to the discovery of a grenade in a
Venezuelan man's luggage at London's second airport, Gatwick.
Police refused to give details about the latest suspects or to say if any weapons
were found. They declined to say whether the arrests were connected to the
security alert at Heathrow and in the London area since Tuesday.
The latest four people were arrested on Thursday directly under the flight path
into Heathrow airport, at Langley, Buckinghamshire, officers said on
Friday. They are being held under anti-terrorism legislation.
Meanwhile on Friday, Heathrow's Terminal 2, which deals mostly with
flights to and from Europe, was evacuated -- and later reopened -- while
a suspect package was examined. British anti-terrorist police also continued
to question the Venezuelan man to find out how and why he flew halfway across
the world to London with the grenade.
He was arrested at Gatwick on Thursday after his luggage was searched by
Customs officers. He had just stepped off a British Airways flight that took off
from the Venezuelan capital Caracas and stopped off in Colombia and Barbados en route to London.
It was unclear where the 37-year-old man boarded the BA flight 2048, a Boeing 777
with 125 passengers on board.
British police, already on a heightened state of alert following reports of an imminent
terror attack, closed the airport's north terminal and evacuated hundreds of
passengers.
The terminal remained closed for more than four hours, wreaking havoc at Britain's
second busiest airport and forcing hundreds of travellers to sleep in the south
terminal or find hotel rooms.
"We've had to cancel 32 flights in all, which would probably affect around 2,500
passengers," a British Airways spokesman said, adding that the delays were bound
to drag on through Friday morning. Other airlines were similarly affected.
BA re-routed its scheduled Friday flight to Caracas, saying the plane would fly only to
Colombia and Barbados.
The BA spokesman said the measure had been taken "as a precaution" and added
that the airline was conducting its own investigation into how the grenade passed
undetected through South American security checks.
British police have been on a state of alert since Tuesday when they warned that al
Qaeda, the network headed by Osama bin Laden and blamed for the September 11,
2001 attacks on U.S. cities, might use the Muslim Eid religious festival as a symbolic
time to attack.
Britain has been U.S. President George W. Bush's closest ally over the war
against terror and forcing Iraqi disarmament and many in the UK have
voiced fears the country might be targeted by terrorists -- especially if Britain and the
United States attack Iraq.
Armed police and soldiers in tanks were patrolling London's Heathrow airport for a
fourth consecutive day on Friday as part of the largest security operation ever
mounted by Britain's Metropolitan police force.
Two men were arrested near Heathrow on Thursday although detectives stressed
the arrests were precautionary and did not appear to be significant.
About 1,700 extra police officers were at Heathrow and other key London sites and
security was also beefed up at Manchester airport, including spot checks by armed
officers.
The Ministry of Defence has refused to comment on reports that military jets were
patrolling the skies over the capital.
UK government ministers were treading a fine line between informing the public of
what they describe as a serious and genuine terror threat, and urging people to stay
calm.
Prime Minister Tony Blair, who was due to travel to Scotland for a speech to a
conference of his Labour Party on Saturday, said on Thursday it was vital "to do
absolutely everything we can to root these terrorists out."
A Home Office (Interior Ministry) spokesman, giving the other side of the
government's message, said: "It is not uncommon for people in airports to be
discovered with some form of weaponry. It doesn't mean they are all al Qaeda
terrorists."
