TERROR IN THE AIR ANALYSIS ANALYSIS SEVEN-PAGE SPECIAL REPORT PART

0 Comments | Sunday Herald, The, Aug 13, 2006 | by NEIL MACKAY

THE first inkling that a plot was under way to bring down planes from Britain bound for America came just a few days after the tube and bus bomb attacks on London on July 7 last year. A call came through to the police from a Muslim member of the public that was passed on to the intelligence services.

It referred to one of the 24 British-born Muslims arrested in anti-terror raids in the early hours of Thursday morning. One has now been released - the 23 others remain in custody. Apparently, the tip-off was vague and did not specify any direct evidence that terrorist activity was under way, instead, the caller merely reported an uneasiness about the suspect who they knew slightly.

Thus began the operation which led to British and Pakistani intelligence, with assistance from the US, thwarting a terrorist strike which many in the security services believe would have been even more "spectacular" than September 11; it would have been Britain's very own 9/11.

By the time the New Year dawned in 2006, hundreds of police and intelligence officers were watching the suspects in Britain and Pakistan. If the police and MI5 are correct, the men travelled between the two countries as they developed the plot, raised money, honed logistics and hooked up with terrorist fellow-travellers. This is what the authorities believe they know: this selection of innocuous British-born, mostly middle-class young men, some fathers of young babies, planned to bring down waves of civilian aircraft - probably nine but potentially up to 12 planes - en route from British airports to a variety of US cities using liquid bombs. British intelligence believes that the planes were meant to be blown out of the sky, three at a time, over a number of hours.

The bombs were to be made with TATP - the chemical compound triacetone triperoxide otherwise known as "the mother of Satan" - constructed onboard the plane, and then set off using home-made detonators made from MP3 players and the flash mechanism of disposable cameras. The plot was, as deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Paul Stephenson said, "intended to be mass murder on an unimaginable scale". Home Secretary John Reid referred to the conspirators' intention to inflict "loss of life on an unprecedented scale".

Surveillance of internet and telephone communication has, according to intelligence sources, revealed that members of the bomb team discussed blowing up the planes in mid-air and also as they circled US airports waiting to land. Wiretaps picked up calls being placed between some of the suspects and numbers in Pakistan and America.

Scores of FBI agents have been scouring phone records desperately trying to establish who, if anyone, the UK plotters had contact with in America. It is possible, say intelligence sources, that there were a number of separate cells within the bomb team, and that not all the members would have known each other. The targeted planes were destined for New York, Boston, Washington, Chicago and Los Angeles. The bombers were intending to depart from Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester, Heathrow and Gatwick using US-owned jets.

The explosives, police say, would have been smuggled on to planes in bottles of soft drinks or in containers for shampoo, baby milk and suntan lotion.

Two or more chemicals would have had to be mixed in the plane bathrooms before being detonated. Police believe at least two members of each cell would have been on each plane - each carrying one of the ingredients. It's believed that in one scenario the liquid chemicals would have been taken on to the aircraft inside specially modified bottles of soft drinks. The bottles would have stored the liquid explosive at the bottom in a concealed compartment so the bomber could safely sip the contents while passing through airport security.

The US head of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff said: "One of the concerns that we've had is the possibility of bringing on board a number of different components of a bomb, each one of which would be benign but when mixed together would create a bomb."

One intelligence source said: "I especially like the twist of using an MP3 player as part of a detonator. These guys seem to love taking the modern or the innocent, twisting it and turning its purpose towards terror."

The same source added: "There is no doubt that this was the real thing. This was not another Forrest Gate. It was a sophisticated terrorist operation."

Faulty intelligence led to an anti-terror raid in the Forrest Gate area of London this year in which one wrongly identified suspect was shot and injured. Incidents such as this have badly damaged public trust in the intelligence service. Doubts haven't been eased by Scotland Yard admitting on Friday that, of the 1047 people arrested as terror suspects since 9/11, only 158 were ever charged.

British intelligence, however, has long feared the use of liquid explosives on planes which are almost impossible to detect by airport security. "We've fretted about all types of scenarios, " the source said. "Even the horrible possibility of someone spraying fellow passengers with lighter fuel and setting fire to them and the plane at 30,000 feet."