Trackbacked at The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler, The Jawa Report, MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy:
Updates as I hear them:
Terrorists were planning to blow up planes leaving the UK using devices smuggled on board in hand baggage. Sky News has been told the plan was to hit around a dozen planes over UK and US cities.
There are two enemies in the war on terror: (1) al Qaeda and (2) complacency. The Globar War On Terror is clearly far from over.
Scotland Yard announces that 21 people have been arrested in connection with the terrorist plot to blow up aircraft in mid-air. The majority of the arrests were in London with some in the Thames Valley and Birmingham.
Once again an attack against innocent civilians was about to be done by the hands of followers of Islam, not Presbyterians.
Good, actionable intelligence — both foreign, like tracking financial transcations, and domestic, like the terrorist surveillance program —is still our first line of defense. Those that complain against such measures as the Patriot Act are asking the US to drop our first line of defense. Organizations such as the New York Times, that publically reveal techniques of tracking financial transcations and maintaining terrorist surveillance and data gathering, are working against the safety of US citizens.
Political correctness is already in full motion. Sky News’ Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said those arrested were mainly young, British-born Asian men. Shiznit. It’s being reported that they are, so far, Muslim men from Pakistan. The media absolutely refuses to use the word “Muslim” even though all are Muslims. Muslims are the “new” blacks, the über-protected group from all criticisms no matter what they do.
A number of foreign carriers announce that they are suspending flights to London, including German carrier Lufthansa, Spanish airline Iberia and Greek carrier Olympic.
Offensively and actively taking the fight to the terrorists, and not waiting for their first action, is our best defense.
Fox News is saying that the Feds are putting extra marshals on all U.S. flights.
A senior congressional source said it is believed the plotters, operating in teams, were to mix a “British version of Gatorade” with a gel-like substance. The source said they may have planned to use an MP3 player or a cell phone to trigger the explosives.
US Secretary of Homeland Defense Michael Chertoff said this morning at a televised press conference that the plot was “well advanced.” He also said the plot was “getting very close to the execution phase.” He also said the restrictions reflected the belief of investigators that the plotters planned to bring liquids on board, “each one of which would be benign, but mixed together could be used to create a bomb.’’
Will the almighty UN issue another of their “stern condemnations”?
Lord Stevens, the former Met Commissioner, says such drastic steps would not have been taken unless there was an “absolute need”.
Tony Blair has recently come under fire at home and abroad for following the U.S. lead and refusing to call for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Lebanese Hizbollah guerrillas. So, according to the Muslim mind, is Tony Blair responsible for having commericial aircraft blown out of the skies? Only a true Moonbat could even think this way.
From Daily Kos: “Today, we can see again what Britain gets for being a staunch ally of Bush. They get home-grown terrorists, bombings, and more terrorist plots.” Yeah, it’s not the terrorist’s fault, it’s Britain’s fault for siding with Bush against worldwide terrorism. Amazing.
It will be interesting to hear what the Liberals have to say about this today. Probably, “Rove planned this in Crawford to to divert attention from Iraq, Israel-Lebanon, or as a way for Republicans to retain power in November’s elections influence the fall elections.”
John Reid, the UK Home Secretary, says the alleged plot was “very significant” and was designed to “bring down a number of aircraft through mid-flight explosions, causing a considerable loss of life”.
If the plot had succeeded the death toll might have exceeded that of al Qaeda’s attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Ten Boeing 747 airliners easily carry far more than the 3,000 people who died in New York, Arlington and Pennsylvania. Remember that on Dec. 21, 1988, Libyan terrorists used explosives to bring down Pan Am flight 103, flying from London to New York. The aircraft fell onto Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 aboard as well as 11 persons on the ground.
This new plot is almost identical to al Qaeda’s foiled 1995 Operation Bojinka, part of which involved a massive, multi-plane terror attack on US-bound airplanes abroad.
This may not be the last of terror plots meant to occur on or near the fifth anniversary of 9/11. While there are those that are pleased with the Cut-And-Run victory of Lamont others realize that guarding against and attacking Islamic terrorists wherever they may be is still of utmost urgency.
