If such a plot was carried out, it would almost certainly have been Britain's
worst terrorist attack, with the potential to cause more deaths than the suicide
attacks of July 7, 2005, when 52 people were murdered.
Massive Islamic attack on the UK has been averted.
Obama is bringing these "nationals" in en masse under new Immigration relaxations in diversity visas and religious visas. These jihadis exploited the the student visa system - "the major loophole in Britain's border controls". The US suffers this "loophole" as well and the Obama administration is opening up the floodgates to student visas. On diversity visas las month alone the US took in 20,800 immigrants from Europe 20,800 (in large part its Pakistanis, Moroccans, and Algerians traveling on the Euro travel visas). In April alone, we allowed 17,400 from Egypt 15,700 from Ethiopia , 9,900 from Nigeri. April alone. a and 17,400 from Asia
Obama say, respect those bombs!
Hillary announced a major expansion of this program in ............. Gaza. Remember?
An al-Qaeda cell was days away from carrying out an "Easter spectacular" of co-ordinated suicide bomb attacks on shopping centres in Manchester, police believe.
Sources told The Daily Telegraph that the arrests of 12 men in the north west
of England on Wednesday were linked to a suspected plan to launch a devastating
attack this weekend.
Some of the suspects were watched by MI5 agents as they filmed themselves
outside the Trafford Centre on the edge of Manchester, the Arndale Centre in the
city centre, and the nearby St Ann's Square.
Police were forced to round up the alleged plotters after they were overheard
discussing dates, understood to include the Easter bank holiday, one of the
busiest shopping weekends of the year.
"It could have been the next few days and they were talking about 10 days at
the outside," one source said. "We had to act." Police are now engaged in a
search for an alleged bomb factory, where explosives might have been
assembled.
If such a plot was carried out, it would almost certainly have been Britain's
worst terrorist attack, with the potential to cause more deaths than the suicide
attacks of July 7, 2005, when 52 people were murdered.
A plan to arrest the suspects in a series of co-ordinated raids yesterday
morning had to be hastily brought forward to Wednesday afternoon after the
country's most senior anti-terrorism officer, Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick,
of the Metropolitan Police, was photographed going into Downing Street carrying
a briefing paper with top secret details of Operation Pathway in full view.
Yesterday morning, Mr Quick resigned after he was told by the Jacqui Smith,
the Home Secretary, that he had lost her confidence and that of MI5.
As a result of his blunder, hundreds of police officers had to be scrambled
to arrest the suspects, who were being monitored round the clock.
Former police chiefs pointed out that rounding up suspected suicide bombers
in public places in Liverpool, Manchester and Clitheroe, Lancs, had put other
people at risk and could also have compromised the operation.
Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, described the alleged plot as "very big"
and said investigators were looking at links with Pakistan.
Mr Brown said: "We know that there are links between terrorists in Britain
and terrorists in Pakistan. That is an important issue for us to follow through
and that's why I will be talking to President Zardari about what Pakistan can do
to help us in the future."
All but one of the men arrested were Pakistani nationals who came to Britain
on student visas. This suggested a possible new tactic by al-Qaeda, which had
previously used British-based extremists who travelled to Pakistan for
training.
The issue of student visas represents a potential security nightmare for the
police and MI5. There are 330,000 foreign students in Britain and around 10,000
such visas are issued every year to Pakistanis alone.
Phil Woolas, the Immigration Minister, has described the student visa system
as "the major loophole in Britain's border controls".
Several of the suspects who were being questioned last night, were from the
al-Qaeda heartlands in Pakistan's border area with Afghanistan.
Peter Fahy, chief constable of Greater Manchester, said police had been
forced to act to protect the public. Asked about al-Qaeda involvement, he added:
"We know what is the nature of the threat to this country and where it comes
from."
But he sought to reassure shoppers, and added: "I would like to say I would
have no hesitation, or any of my family, in using any of those locations that
have been mentioned."
The security services suspect that several of the men arrested were trained
at religious schools in Pakistan and sent to launch suicide attacks on the
West.
They were suspected to have Continued on Page 5 Continued from Page 1 chosen
Easter as the most significant Christian holiday for an attack.
Police believe the suspects may have smuggled bomb-making equipment into the
country and were ready to launch their attacks.
Yesterday, searches focused on a property in Highgate Street, Liverpool,
although nothing "significant" had yet been found.
Sources said police had arrested the man they suspected was the ring-leader,
Abid Naseer, 22, at an address in Galsworthy Avenue in Cheetham Hill,
Manchester.
He is said to be from the tribal areas of Pakistan where the Taliban and
al-Qaeda have established their base.
The alleged members of the cell had signed up for a range of student courses,
while two were employed as security guards at a new Homebase store in Clitheroe,
Lancs.
Among the locations raided on Wednesday afternoon was the Cyber Net Café in
Cheetham Hill, where it is thought the men communicated using emails.
Security sources suspect they received their instructions from al-Qaeda
commanders in Pakistan.
The leader of the Pakistan Taliban is Baitullah Mehsud, who last week claimed
responsibility for an attack on a police compound in Lahore and promised to
attack the West. At least one of the arrested men is from Mehsud's heartland of
South Waziristan, sources in Pakistan said.
The same guy that took responsibility for Binghamton massacre which contrary to corrupt media reprots was not the act of a lone gumman. There is a lot more to that story. More on that later