Category: Scotland

Scotland: Second car bomb 'aimed at rescuers' 283 Reads

Saturday, June 30, 2007 - 09:34 PM

Sun 1 Jul 2007

RICHARD ELIAS (relias@scotlandonsunday.com)
THE terrorists who attempted to bomb central London last week deliberately placed the second vehicle to catch rescuers attending the injured from the first explosion, Scotland on Sunday can reveal.

The senior security source also said the primitive gas and petrol devices were most likely the work of determined terrorists struggling - because of the security crackdown - to get their hands on the ingredients needed to create high explosives.

Yesterday, a huge police manhunt was under way for the terrorists responsible as forensic experts continued to examine the vehicles involved for clues.

The attack was thwarted after fumes were spotted leaking from the first vehicle, parked outside the packed Tiger Tiger nightclub in London's West End in the early hours of Friday morning.

A security source said: "Make no mistake, if the people behind these bombs could have got their hands on high explosive then they would have used that.

"However, following on from recent high-profile court cases and obviously, the 7/7 attacks, the authorities have had a major crackdown on obtaining the necessary ingredients to make such devices.

"And whilst this has had major benefits as far as law enforcement is concerned, it has not put off the bombers - they have just changed their methods."

He added: "If either of these devices had been detonated, the resulting effects would have been devastating.

"Both of these bombs were designed to kill as many people as possible and the addition of the nails means that even those who survived would have suffered dreadful injuries.

"The bombers knew they were not able to get their hands on high explosive or fertiliser because this would have alerted the authorities and so they went for whatever was to hand and easy to obtain, hence the gas canisters, the nails and the petrol."

The alert over the first device was raised only after an ambulance crew, dealing with a drunk girl outside Tiger Tiger, spotted smoke billowing from the Mercedes parked just feet away.

Police called to the scene evacuated the area after noticing a mobile phone on the back seat which is believed was to be used to detonate the device.

The second bomb was only discovered when the car, also a Mercedes, was taken to an underground lot after being removed for being illegally parked. Staff there called police when they were overcome by a smell of petrol coming from the vehicle.

The make-up of the bombs led some initially to believe it was just a crude attempt to maim and injure but this was disputed by the expert.

He added: "It may have looked simple but it was the best they could do and was by no means amateurish in its attempts.

"This is a classic situation which the armed forces and people of Iraq face every single day across the country. However, it is the first time that such a device has been used on a British street.

"Whilst Haymarket itself is quite a wide street, the position of the car, which was parked directly in front of the entrance to Tiger Tiger and an alleyway, meant the blast would have been funnelled right into the club and all the people coming out. Make no mistake, these people knew what they were doing."

The second car bomb had been left on Park Lane, a busy thoroughfare around the clock. The expert said: "The car was parked far enough away not to immediately raise suspicion but close enough to be in the vicinity of ambulance, fire engines and police cars attending the first blast.

"Also, because it is a main road, there would have been a very strong possibility that other passers-by would have been caught up in the chaos too when that one detonated.

"It is only by the grace of God that both of these devices were discovered but the authorities know that there will almost certainly be others."

Police search for London four
POLICE investigating two attempted car bomb attacks in London are keen to rule out of their inquiries four men who absconded from control orders imposed under anti-terror laws.

The men - three of them believed to be from North Africa and described by former Home Secretary John Reid as "dangerous" - have been on the run for some months.

Algerian brothers Lamine and Ibrahim Adam, and Cerie Bullivant have been missing since May. A fourth man, Zeeshan Siddiqui, a former London Underground worker, went missing last year.

On Friday, two car bombs - packed with petrol, gas cannisters and nails - were found in London, prompting new fears that the UK is about to face a fresh wave of terror attacks.

Police believe the bombs to have been part of an "al-Quaeda inspired" attack on London nightclubs, which could have killed large numbers of revellers. The design of the devices left near Tiger Tiger, say experts, sis imilar to bombs used by insurgents in Iraq.

Police sources have said they are keen to speak to the four men in connection with the London car bomb attempt to rule them out of their inquiries.

When the two Adams and Bullivant absconded, Reid said they were not a "direct threat" to people in the UK but added they were dangerous.

Lord Carlile, who has reviewed British anti-terrorist laws, said of the same three: "These...men were the subject of solid intelligence that they intended, not to cause damage in the UK, but that they intended to damage our national security by going as insurgents to kill British and other allied troops abroad, in Iraq for example.

Another Adams' brother, Anthony Garcia, is serving life for plotting explosions. Garcia was one of five men jailed earlier this year over a plot to target the UK with a giant fertiliser bomb.

Meanwhile, London Ambulance Service have released a statement concerning the paramedics who discovered the first car bomb in London's West End in the early hours of Friday.

The two-man crew, one aged 27 and the other 37, were also on duty on July 7, 2005, when four suicide bombers killed 52 people on the underground system.

The 37-year-old, who was not named, said: "As we pulled up outside Tiger Tiger, we came to a stop behind a Mercedes car, which was parked rather badly, about three feet from the kerb.

"We thought it was a bit odd and that led my crewmate, who was driving, to pull around the car and park just in front of it.

"As we got out and walked past the car we realised it had its lights on but the engine was off.

"I thought I saw a jet of smoke coming out from between the front seats and my crewmate also noticed there was a funny smell of gas.

"At that stage our priority was to find and help the patient we had been called to.

"Once inside, we treated a man who had suffered minor head injuries after a fall. He did not need to go to hospital so we sorted him out quite quickly and headed back outside to our ambulance.

"We can't have been inside for more than a few minutes and as soon as we got outside we smelt gas again.

"Then we saw the jet of smoke was still there so we got straight on the radio to our control room and asked them to call the police and the fire brigade.

"We just did what any ambulance crew would have done - we noticed something we thought was odd and we acted on it. I am just glad that we managed to do that before it was too late."

Russell Smith, London Ambulance Service's deputy director of operations, said he thought the actions of the crew saved "many people".

"We are immensely proud of the part our crew had to play in alerting the police to the suspect vehicle and genuinely believe that their vigilance and prompt action helped saved the lives of many people in London," he said.

"This is a great example of the part we as individuals can play in helping to keep each other safe."

Scotland Yard officers have been continuing to examine hours of CCTV footage in an attempt to identify the people who planted the cars although they have refused to comment on reports that they had already identified a "crystal clear" image of the driver of the first car.

A spokesman said: "Many lines of inquiry are being followed by detectives.

"Painstaking trawls of CCTV footage to establish the circumstances leading up to the events in the early hours of yesterday morning, and those responsible, are being carried out.

"Forensic experts are continuing examinations of the two cars which contained the devices. This is an extremely complex process."

NICHOLAS CHRISTIAN

http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=1027252007

Scotland: 'His whole body seemed to be on fire… I knocked him down' 285 Reads

Saturday, June 30, 2007 - 09:33 PM

JEREMY WATSON AND MURDO MACLEOD

IT WAS a routine afternoon at Glasgow Airport with hundreds of families and other passengers preparing to fly off to the sun at the start of the summer holidays. Others were returning to Scotland from abroad, bemoaning the torrential rain that greeted their arrival.

But at 3.15pm yesterday, shockwaves spread through the main terminal as a Cherokee Jeep crashed in through the main doors and burst into flames.

Dramatic mobile phone footage captured the moment of horror as a fireball erupted onto the pavement outside the building.

To many of the hundreds of passengers queuing for check-in, it appeared that the airport was under terrorist attack.

There were astonishing stories of members of the public and taxi marshals grappling the driver, whose clothes were on fire, to the ground. There were reports of the two men in the vehicle punching police officers, throwing petrol bombs around and spilling more petrol around the car and setting light to it.

Then, as police swooped in force, passengers fled for the exits as black smoke began to pour from the vehicle. Moments later it exploded, but by that time most of the immediate area had been cleared.

But as the airport was shut down with the suspension of all flights, passengers already on planes waiting for take-off were left stranded.

According to some witnesses, the incident started when a 4x4 vehicle raced down a road used exclusively by taxis and then veered off into the Terminal 1 building.

Lynsey McBean, 26, from Erskine, Renfrewshire, was due to fly out to Canada and witnessed the incident from yards away.

She said: "We got there about 3pm, just as it happened. My boyfriend was unloading golf clubs and we saw a green Cherokee drive straight into the front door of the airport, but it got jammed.

"They were obviously trying to get it further inside the airport, as the wheels were spinning and smoke was coming from them.

"One of the men, I think it was the driver, brought out a plastic petrol canister and poured it under the car. He then set light to it. At that point a policeman came over. The passenger got out of the car and punched him. At that point I began to run away.

"But when I looked back, several people had run over to try and stop the men, who were Asian.

"I could see that one of the men was on fire."

Stephen Clarkson, who rushed forward to tackle the men, said: "I saw a Jeep crashed into the glass doors at the main terminal and a man, an Asian man in flames, jumped out of the car. The Jeep was on fire as well.

"The Asian man, his clothes were burning and he came out and was shouting. His whole body seemed to be on fire. I don't know what he was saying, it sounded like gibberish to me.

"I fought with him and knocked him down, he was pretty strong and then four policemen came and wrestled him to the ground.

"They then took him away in handcuffs. There was another guy with him who went into the terminal and then went out again. The police took him away with them and they took them both into custody.

"Then the police told everyone to move back and go away from the Jeep, and then it exploded. A lot of people could have been hurt in the explosion if they had been closer to the car. But by the time it went off, everyone had been moved away."

Witness Helen Hughes said that she was sure the car travelled down the airport road that is normally restricted to taxis.

Passenger James Edgar said the driver was trying to get through the terminal's main doors.

"He was trying to get through the main door frame, but the bollards have stopped him from going through," said Edgar.

"If he'd got through, he could have killed hundreds."

Taxi driver Ian Crosby said that, in his opinion, there was no doubt that this was a terrorist attack on the airport.

"The car went inside the terminal and had to accelerate to get where it was," he said. "I think it was a deliberate terrorist attack.

"These people knew what they were doing. They were intent on taking lives and causing damage. That's why they were attacked by a member of the public who risked his own life to tackle them.

"What astonished me is that after these two attacks in London, it looks like the police had no inkling that this sort of thing might happen. The time has come to arm policemen at airports."

Scott Leeson was waiting to pick up a colleague when he witnessed the Jeep smashing into the airport building.

He said: "The car came speeding past at about 30mph. It was approaching the building quickly.

"Then the driver swerved the car around so he could ram straight into the door. He must have been trying to smash straight through.

"Luckily he did not get the car too far in. He just managed to get the nose of the Jeep inside.

"I spoke to an airport official who seemed to think it was not an accident. He was very angry. He said the men in the car got out and started throwing petrol about - that must be how it caught fire. Luckily my colleague and his family were delayed, or they could have been coming out of that door at exactly that time."

Crosby said prior to the vehicle crashing into the terminal he saw a small explosion which looked like it was coming from the back of the vehicle.

Gillian Skimming said she was also under the clear impression that the airport was under attack.

"The taxi marshal at the airport told me he had helped wrestle one of the men to the ground. People definitely thought they were under attack," she said. "No one thought it was an accident."

Another eyewitness, Margaret Hughes, said people were screaming and running towards the exit shortly after the explosion. "As soon as I left the building there was black smoke gushing out where the car had obviously been driven into the airport," she said.

She added that the man who had been on fire appeared very calm as he was led away by police.

"He seemed fairly composed, you could say almost in a state of shock," she said.

"He was quite a large man... and very heavyset. Very dark hair and dark colouring."

As ambulances and fire services rushed to the scene, hundreds of frightened passengers huddled together in the rain after the evacuation of the terminal.

Other passengers and airport visitors tried to leave the area, but only succeeded in clogging perimeter roads.

A police cordon was set up 200 yards around the building, but it was later moved back, with all roads around Scotland's busiest airport shut down.

Passengers already on their flights had no choice but to wait in their aircraft.

BBC cameraman Monty Johnston was sitting in a plane waiting for takeoff when the car struck the building.

He said: "We could see black smoke coming from the terminal. Later, an announcement was made that we would not be taking off and that the airport would be closed until 9pm at the earliest."

Passengers face delays for days as flights suspended
THE closure of Scotland's busiest airport is set to cause days of misery for travellers.

Thousands of travellers were left stranded in the Glasgow rain as all flights to and from the airport were suspended.

Around 35,000 passengers were expected to be affected by the closure, which came on the first day of the school holidays, one of the busiest weekends of the year.

Flights were diverted to other airports, such as Edinburgh and Prestwick, and the resulting changes will have a dramatic knock-on effect on timetables.

David Learmount, of Flight International, said: "Air travel, like all systems of transport, are subject to domino effects. They end up in the wrong places and that leads to subsequent delays and problems, and it can take some days to get things back to normal.

"My advice to travellers would be to check your details again and again. Don't just check the day before, check two hours before you would normally depart for the airport, and be prepared for delays.

"I would point out that I am going to Brussels next week and despite having worked with the aviation industry for many years, I am taking the train."

He added: "It's important to point out that this is less about aviation than the fact that terrorists want to target areas where they will find lots of people.

"They attack airports because there are lots of people there; they could just as well be attacking a nightclub or a train station."

The incident is having a knock-on effect at Edinburgh, Prestwick and Newcastle airports, which are all popular for Scottish holiday flights.

Travel by car was being restricted at Edinburgh Airport last night, and many flights in and out of Newcastle were subject to cancellation.

The authorities were advising that travellers should not try to get to Edinburgh Airport by car, and should instead travel by taxi or bus.

Further south, John Lennon Airport in Liverpool was closed and police shut set-down roads in front of the terminal building at Birmingham International Airport until further notice as a precautionary measure.

Sussex Police said it was stepping up patrols at Gatwick Airport, which is one of Britain's busiest airports.

If your flight is delayed or cancelled due to a terror alert then airlines will offer an alternative or later booking, but will normally not pay for an alternative such as the train.

However, if you want to cancel your holiday because you simply do not want to go abroad any more, or because the delays mean that your holiday may no longer be worthwhile, you are unlikely to be covered under your travel insurance.

Some travel insurance policies have exclusions which rule out cover for acts of terror. However, the question of delays and cancellations which are caused by the knock-on effect of problems elsewhere would probably be covered, although a traveller would be more likely to be offered an alternative flight than given their cash back.

Flights and holidays bought using credit cards are covered by an extra insurance policy, and they may offer some cover depending on the small print of the policy.

Those considering taking the train as an alternative to the plane should bear in mind that some Anglo-Scottish services are affected by the aftermath of last week's flooding in England.

GNER services between London King's Cross and Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central are now able to operate on their normal routes. However, they are subject to delays of up to 40 minutes.

More than 40 airlines fly from Glasgow to around 90 destinations, including many charter holiday flights.

Travel firms Thomas Cook, Thomson and First Choice all operate out of the airport.

MURDO MACLEOD

http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1027322007

Scotland: Glasgow airport attack linked to London car bombs 270 Reads

Saturday, June 30, 2007 - 09:31 PM

By Alistair Bell
GLASGOW, Scotland (Reuters) - Two men rammed a petrol-filled, four-wheel-drive vehicle into Glasgow airport on Saturday in what police called a terrorist attack linked to a car-bomb plot foiled in London the previous day.

"I can confirm that we believe the incident at Glasgow airport is linked to the events in London yesterday," the chief constable in the Glasgow area, Willie Rae, told reporters.


Police guard an entrance to Glasgow airport in Glasgow, Scotland June 30, 2007. Two suspects rammed a petrol-filled, four-wheel-drive vehicle into Glasgow airport on Saturday in what police described as a terrorist attack linked to a twin car-bomb plot foiled in London. (REUTERS/Nigel Roddis)
"There are clearly similarities and we can confirm that this is being treated as a terrorist incident."

Rae said the vehicle, a green Jeep Cherokee, was driven at speed into the main, glass door entrance to the airport terminal and then exploded in flames. Two men were arrested after the attack, one of whom was taken to hospital in critical condition.

Rae said the badly burnt man was found to have a "suspect device" hidden on his body, but he would not confirm it was a suicide vest. The hospital briefly had to be evacuated while the device was inspected.

The attack, which Scotland's first minister described as a "terrorist incident", came barely 36 hours after police thwarted a possible al Qaeda plot in London in which two cars loaded with fuel, gas canisters and nails were left on a busy street in the centre of the capital poised to detonate.

Britain's Home Office announced it had raised the national security alert level to "critical", the highest ranking and one which indicates further attacks are expected imminently.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown, in office for just four days and already facing a series of security threats, convened a meeting of Britain's top security committee.

Afterwards he said: "I want all British people to be vigilant and want them to support the police and all the authorities.... I know the British people will stand together united, resolute and strong."

After Saturday's attack, security sources cautioned about further incidents.

There are "people out there who've got the capability and the intent to launch further attacks", a security source said.

Security personnel at sites such as rail terminals, airports, stadiums and shopping centres would be looking to step up protection as a result of the raised alert, he said.

U.S. SECURITY TIGHTENED

In Kennebunkport, Maine, the United States announced it was boosting security at airports nationwide, although the overall U.S. terrorism threat level would remain the same.

In Glasgow, where one member of the public was injured trying to wrestle the two suspects to the ground, witnesses described those arrested as Asian men and said the car had charged furiously towards the airport entrance.

"It raced across the central reservation and went straight into the building," said taxi driver Ian Crosby outside the terminal, who said a stocky Asian man had got out of the car and was quickly wrestled to the ground by bystanders.

Another witness said the occupants had got out of the vehicle after they crashed it into the building and taken out cans of petrol that they then used to douse the car, before it went up in flames.

The airport was shut down following the incident.

In London, police scoured hours of CCTV footage and extra squads were deployed on the streets after Friday's scare.

An intensive counter-terrorism investigation was launched after the discovery in the early hours of Friday of the vehicle packed with up to 60 litres of fuel, several gas canisters and a large quantity of nails.

A mobile phone, which security experts believed might have been a detonation device, was left inside the fume-filled car.

A second Mercedes packed with gas and nails was later found to have been parked just a few hundred yards from the first.

Police said the two vehicles were clearly linked. Both bombs were quickly defused but, had they gone off, would have caused significant injuries and deaths, police said.

The foiled plot came to light two years after a coordinated attack by suicide bombers on London's transport system killed 52 commuters. It appeared to have similarities to an earlier plot in which an al Qaeda militant planned to blow up gas-filled bombs inside limousines in London and another where a major night club was one of a range of targets.

(Additional reporting by Luke Baker, Mark Trevelyan and David Clarke)

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/7/1/worldupdates/2007-07-01T035302Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-282608-11&sec=Worldupdates