British counter-terrorism August 10, 2006
According to police, Scotland Yard thwarted what was believed to be a major terrorist attack through the British counter-terrorism campaign on August 10, 2006 . Suicide bombers wanted to use liquid explosives to detonate several aircraft en route from Great Britain to the United States and Canada . Several suspects have been arrested in the UK. In response, security measures were increased worldwide, especially for flights to the United States, in particular the regulations for items allowed in hand luggage were tightened.
Events
Notes on the terrorist plans
British Home Secretary John Reids said that British police, in collaboration with British domestic intelligence agency MI5, have thwarted several terrorist attacks on planes that are reportedly departing from the UK for the United States, according to a statement made by the Metropolitan Police Service's news service and then should be detonated in midair. Six planes were about to be blown up, according to Sky News , including United, American and Continental Airlines flights to New York, Washington and California, according to CNN.
The explosives of unknown origin were supposed to be smuggled onto the aircraft as hand luggage. According to CNN, these attacks were thwarted in a large anti-terrorist action by the police and secret services that had been prepared “for months”, although it is not clear how much contact and influence the secret services had on the planned one in the 8-month ( Reuters ) action Actually had the stop.
The thwarting
25 suspects were arrested on the night of August 9th to 10th. At two o'clock in the morning the police working group for the analysis of terrorist threats (Joint Terrorism Analysis Center) ordered the terror warning level to be set to the highest level: "Critical", which means that there is an acute risk of terrorist attacks. Immediately afterwards, the security precautions at the airports were strengthened: hand baggage is - by order of the British government - no longer allowed on flights to and from Great Britain until further notice; Laptops, cell phones, glasses cases and MP3 players are also no longer allowed to be taken on board. Even baby milk and food must be tried by the passengers in front of the security officers.
The airport Heathrow was partially closed. The British police therefore warned of serious disruptions in air traffic, but asked the population to go about their normal daily business.
Arrests
25 suspects were arrested on the night of August 9th to 10th, but four of them were released a short time later. The remaining 21 people were arrested, according to police, mainly in London, but also in Thames Valley and Birmingham . The American secret service said that up to 50 people were involved in the attempted attack.
After the police raids, the Bank of England froze accounts of up to 19 suspects, their names and ages were also published, they all live in the UK. All suspects are Muslim . The majority are of Pakistani nationality, but grew up in the UK as a middle class. Two of the suspects are, however, British Islam - converts .
According to media reports, there is a leading al-Qaida leader among those arrested .
International cooperation
When the suspects were arrested, the British police spoke of cooperation between British and foreign police organizations and secret services.
Worldwide reactions
Security measures worldwide
The security measures at German airports were further increased by the Federal Ministry of the Interior. What this meant was not explained, but travelers were encouraged to arrive at security checkpoints early.
In addition, increased controls were carried out in many countries.
Consequences for air travelers
In the morning, Deutsche Lufthansa suspended all flights to Great Britain until 2:00 p.m. Ryanair suspended around 100 flights. Lufthansa later announced that all flights from Germany to London's Heathrow Airport would be canceled until 8 p.m. According to a Lufthansa spokeswoman, 33 flights of the airline with 5,000 passengers were affected in Germany in the afternoon. Other European airlines also canceled flights to the United Kingdom. In other countries, too, many flights have been canceled without replacement.
At the same time, the Eurostar sold 2,300 tickets within a very short time.
carry-on baggage
Until August 14, 2006, air travelers in Great Britain were only allowed to carry essential items such as travel documents or purses in hand luggage. According to this, only one piece of hand luggage per person was allowed until January 7, 2007.
In the European Union, new regulations for hand luggage also came into force. Liquids may now only be carried in containers that hold a maximum of 100 ml. These containers must be transported in a transparent, resealable 1 liter plastic bag. Medicines and baby food are excluded from the regulation; these have been checked with a special detection technology since January 31, 2014.
Effects on the economy
The stock exchanges reacted to the news of the planned terrorist attacks with short-term price drops. Shares in British Airways and other UK tourism companies were particularly hard hit by the devaluations.
criticism
Critics complained that even without liquids in hand luggage other scenarios of a terrorist attack were conceivable and questioned the security gain of the measures introduced. In particular, the fact that you can often buy high-proof alcohol or sharp and pointed objects (letter openers) in the duty-free shops after the security checks have led to criticism of the security policy at airports. This criticism intensified when it became known that a 12-year-old boy could bypass security and get into an airplane without a passport or flight ticket.
Other critics complained that the information provided by the secret services was not verifiable for the general public. As a result, it is not possible to determine with certainty how great the threat really was.
First trial against the suspects
Ultimately, charges were brought against 8 men in connection with the planned attacks. The trial began in London in April 2008. Prosecutors charged the men with planning suicide bombings on several transatlantic flights. Seven defendants pleaded guilty to attempted public offense. They had shot videos in which they threatened the "West" with suicide bombings. Three of them also pleaded guilty of actually planning an attack, but said their aim was to detonate an explosive device at Heathrow Airport without any intention of killing people.
On September 8, 2008, after more than 50 hours of hearing, the jury announced their decision: One of the accused, the leader of the terrorist cell according to the prosecutor, was acquitted on all counts; the jury was unable to reach a verdict on four defendants; The jury did not believe the other three that there should have been no human victims in the attack and found the men guilty of attempted murder, but on the other hand, the jury saw it as unproven that the targets of the attacks were actually aircraft should have acted.
Unofficial British sources state that early access enforced by the US resulted in unsatisfactory evidence.
Second trial against the suspects
In a second trial at Woolwich Crown Court on September 7, 2009, three of the suspects were found guilty of attempted murder using liquid explosives against passenger aircraft. The pronounced prison terms ranged from 32 to 40 years.
The jury failed to reach a verdict on four other defendants. However, one of these suspects is charged with attempted murder on another point.
In a hearing on October 5, it will be decided whether the remaining three should be tried again.
An eighth defendant was acquitted on all counts.
In July 2010 Ibrahim Savant, Arafat Khan and Waheed Zaman were found guilty and sentenced in Woolwich Crown Court to life imprisonment for conspiracy to murder. You must serve at least 20 years in prison to qualify for release.
See also
- List of attacks on commercial aircraft
- Terrorist attacks on July 7, 2005 in London
- Terrorist attacks in the UK in the summer of 2007
According to the British security forces, four terrorist conspiracies have been foiled since July 7, 2005.
swell
- ↑ Bank of England : Bank of England: Terrorist Financing , August 11, 2006
- ↑ BBC . 'Air plot' suspects: Names released , August 11, 2006
- ↑ BBC : At-a-glance: UK airports , August 11, 2006
- ↑ BBC : One-bag air travel rule relaxed , November 14, 2007
- ↑ Federal Police: Liquids on board: you have to pay attention to that
- ↑ Focus Online : 12-year-old arrives in a plane without a passport , August 16, 2006
- ^ Would-be suicide bombers jailed for life . In: BBC News , July 12, 2010. Archived from the original on February 21, 2011.
