UK foils passenger flights bomb plot

A PLOT to blow up passenger aircraft mid-flight from the UK to the US has been disrupted by police and the Security Service on 10 August, the BBC reported. It is believed the plan was to detonate liquid explosives smuggled aboard planes in hand luggage.

Twenty-one people have been arrested in the London area and in Birmingham in connection with the plot. Police sources said all those arrested were British-born men of Asian origin. The operation is the culmination of months of covert counter-terrorism investigations. There is mass disruption at all UK airports with many flights cancelled and a restriction on hand luggage. The current terrorism threat level in the UK has been raised to 'critical', the highest level, meaning an attack is imminent. Police said the security measures in place are in case of a back-up or sub-plot, of which authorities may not be aware.

Country Affected	United Kingdom, United States
Region Affected	North America, Western Europe
Date of Event	10-Aug-2006
Terrorist/Insurgent Group Name
Terrorist/Insurgent Group Type
Terrorist/Insurgent Group Region of Origin
Terrorist/Insurgent Group Country of Origin
1 Location of Event - Region	Western Europe
Location of Event - Country	United Kingdom
Location of Event - District
Location of Event - Place Name	United Kingdom|54|-4
Location of Event - Quality
Event Type	Counter-terrorist operation
Inside Assistance
Counter Terrorist Tactic	Investigation
Scale of Attack
Number of Attacks
Event Type	Counter-terrorist operation
Inside Assistance
Counter Terrorist Tactic	Legal/Diplomatic
Scale of Attack
Number of Attacks
Event Type	Disrupted attack preparation
Inside Assistance
Counter Terrorist Tactic
Scale of Attack	Macro
Number of Attacks
Terrorist/Insurgent Attack Mode	Explosive Device
Explosive Device Size	0
Suicide Attack	Yes
Event Type	Threat, Hoax or Intelligence Report
Inside Assistance
Counter Terrorist Tactic
Scale of Attack
Number of Attacks
Type and Subtype of Target	People|Random selection
Target Ownership Country	International
Target Ownership Sector
Type and Subtype of Target	Transport|Aircraft
Target Ownership Country	International
Target Ownership Sector	Infrastructure and Transport
Non Terrorist/Insurgent Fatalities	0
Terrorist/Insurgent Fatalities	0
Total Fatalities	0
Non Terrorist/Insurgent Wounded	0
Terrorist/Insurgent Wounded	0
Total Wounded	0
Description of Injuries
Number of Hostages	0
Damage Scale
Damage Description
Notes
Source	BBC