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

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

August 11

Nineteen of the 24 suspects arrested have their assets frozen and are named by the Bank of England on the orders of Chancellor Gordon Brown, following advice from police and the security services.

Throughout the day, flights from the UK continue to be delayed, with British Red Cross volunteers and staff turning up to help hundreds of stranded passengers at Heathrow and Glasgow airports.

In the evening one unnamed suspect, arrested the day before, is released. The Pakistani authorities reveal they are questioning seven men in connection with the alleged plot, two of whom are British.

Britain's threat alert remains at critical.

August 12

Further details emerge about one of the British men being questioned in Pakistan. Officials say Rashid Rauf . . . believed to be the brother of a suspect being held in the UK, Tayib Rauf . . . is a "key player" with links to al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.

Flights begin to return to normal, but British Airways blasts Heathrow airport for being unprepared for higher levels of security and causing the airline to cancel flights.

Despite the ban on taking hand luggage aboard the aircraft, travellers are told that they can purchase duty-free items and take them on board.

The threat level remains critical.