Al-Qaeda planned to smash jet into Heathrow (1 of the 10 terror plots? )

[Up2Late]

(So, did anyone see this "...White House issued a list of 10 Al-Qaeda plots foiled by America and its partners..." mentioned in this article?):shrug:

Al-Qaeda planned to smash jet into Heathrow

Press Trust of India (hindustantimes .com)

London, October 9, 2005

Al-Qaeda terrorists planned to hijack a passenger jet from eastern Europe and fly it into a packed terminal at Heathrow airport, a media report said on Sunday. The plot, which was taken so seriously that ministers considered shutting down the airport, reveals the reason why Prime Minister Tony Blair ordered armoured vehicles and hundreds of troops to be sent to Heathrow in 2003, The Sunday Times claimed quoting security sources.

It has now emerged that MI5, the British internal intelligence agency received detailed intelligence in February 2003 about a two-pronged plan to target Britain because of its decision to send troops in support of America's invasion of Iraq. The second element of the operation, inspired by Osama Bin Laden, involved a mortar attack on a departing passenger plane. It was organized by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the Al-Qaeda operations chief and mastermind of the September 11 attacks, the sources said.

Details of the plot have been provided by British sources after the White House issued a list of 10 Al-Qaeda plots foiled by America and its partners, including Britain. Referring to what it called "the Heathrow airport plot," the White House said that America and several partners had "disrupted a plot to attack Heathrow airport using hijacked commercial airliners."

At the time cabinet ministers, including David Blunkett, then home secretary, said they could not divulge the nature of the threat but insisted that it was "real". This weekend security sources gave fresh details of what they described as a double plot to kill hundreds of Heathrow passengers and punish Blair for Britain's role in Iraq.

<http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1513948,001301780003.htm>
(more at link above)

[NYC Liberal]

1. Funny how they happened to save these little incidents

for when Bush's poll numbers are at their lowest ever and Republicans are all turning against him.

They wouldn't pull this stuff out for political purposes....noooo, never!

[aquart]

2. I would hope that such a plot was impossible

Simply because 9/11 had taught us to secure the pilots' cabin so that terrorists could not take control. All airlines have taken care of that little problem, haven't they?

[Why Syzygy]

13. If you have a shoe bomb

you might get busted. Forget the rest. ARE YOU KIDDING?

[Up2Late]

5. Yeah, except I think this one might have been to help Tony Blair...

Because, this must not have made the U.S. Papers, because I didn't find it here in LBN or on DU anywhere.

[Up2Late]

8. Here's the link to the article from "The Sunday Times"

Same article: <http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1817244,00.html>

[LynnTheDem]

3. al Qaeda? Bullshit. Plots foiled yet not blabbed at the time? Bullshit.

Bullshit. Bullshit. Bullshit.

[Neil Lisst]

4. Another late night drunk story Bush made up ...

And then, he saved America again by stopping AQ from attacking the Statue of Liberty, and then, one time at band camp ....

About 4 days ago, Team Bush decided TERROR was their only way UP in the polls. This is part of it, and inspired today's Neil Lisst comic.


------
TERROR ALERT!
http://www.webcomicsnation.com/neillisst/

[Why Syzygy]

14. And where would we be without terrorists?

Peace? Maybe?

[tatertop]

18. The bullshit train is back again. This stuff is laughable.

[NJCher]

6. never mind those damn hurricanes

Bring back the good ole' days of fear and terr. The days when Der Fuhrer-meister could climb around on a pile of rocks with a megaphone yelling, "Can you hear me? I can hear you!"

Maybe with some more fear injections it will wipe out that awful week of images when things went totally out of control in Lousiana, reminding us all that he and the gang are incompetents after all.




Cher

[Why Syzygy]

15. wtf

He can "hear"? Could have fooled me and I DON"T BELIEVE IT FOR A NANOSECOND.

[McKenzie]

7. it'd have been shot down over the open sea

Immediately it was known that there was anything even remotely amiss fighters would have been scrambled from the nearest EU country.

[bowens43]

9. Yeah, sure........

Complete bullshit.

[ikri]

10. Unlikely

Isn't one of the hallmarks of Al Qaeda that they don't use the same type of attack twice?

How many skyscrapers have been attacked by planes since 9/11? It's not like they've not had the chance, there have been masses of reports on how easy it was post-9/11 to gain access to a plane.

How many trains have been attacked with remote controlled bombs since Madrid? (I don't count the London bombings since even though AQ claimed responsibility at most they inspired the attack rather than instigate it).

If they were to change the wording to Al Qaeda inspired attacks then I'd have less trouble believing that article, but I have serious doubts that AQ would try the same types of attack twice.

[DoYouEverWonder]

11. Notice the timing, one month before the invasion of Iraq

BushCo was just making sure that Blair's support was solid.

[Why Syzygy]

12. Does anyone realize

these people have patience? They dine in style for years, and plan a World Trade Center disaster every few. They are not in any hurry.

[LizW]

16. February 2003?

Organized by OBL and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed? Hmmmmm. I wonder why they didn't immediately tell us about this great victory against terrorism? Wouldn't it have made people feel safer to know that our leaders were protecting the world against the evildoers?

Of course it might have distracted a little bit from the war against Iraq that Bushco was about to launch in a few days.

[OneTwentyoNine]

17. LOL,If true they had to keep a lid on this one because of Iraq......

KKkarl and Bush couldn't have word floating around that those same NON-IRAQI terrorists were about to strike again when Chimp was about to invade Iraq--of course because they "played a part" in the 9/11 attacks.

Jesus...this never ends.

[Johnny_GRMI]

19. Huh?

So they've stopped 10 Plots since 911. So they've stopped 10 of the thousands of acts of terrorist that have been successeful. There numbers are pretty odd. Maybe they are only counting terror plots in certain places?

[newyawker99]

21. Hi Johnny_GRMI!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Up2Late]

20. But like I asked at the Beginning, DID ANYONE see this list of 10 that...

...the WH supposedly releases? ANYONE??? That's what I want to find!