Sunday, July 01, 2007

Fiery Attack On Glasgow Airport Has Britain Worried

Are more attacks planned that bear the hallmarks of the two vehicles discovered in the heart of London? Those vehicles, packed with gasoline, gas canisters and nails, could have caused mass casualties and significant damage.

Well, there was another attack, this time at the airport in Glasgow, Scotland. A vehicle drove into the airport, and the driver set himself and his vehicle alight. Police are searching a home near the airport and it had been rented only a month ago to two Asian men (which is the usual word the Brits use to describe Muslims jihadis).

A number of men are currently being held in connection with the attacks. The attack at Glasgow's airport sent authorities scrambling and have raised the UK's terrorist warning to its highest level indicating that other attacks are imminent. The US has not raised its terror warning level, but US airports have increased security, including the three New York area airports.
Britain’s threat level is now at “critical,” meaning another attack is considered imminent. The threat has not been as high since last year, after authorities discovered what they called a plot to attack trans-Atlantic airliners with liquid explosives.

A British security official, who like many other officials who disclosed information insisted on anonymity, said Saturday that the heightened level reflected an assessment that the London and Glasgow cases were “linked in some ways and, therefore, there are clearly individuals who have the capability and intent to carry out further attacks.”

The links relate to the way the London car bombs and Glasgow airport attack were planned, using vehicles and gasoline, the official said.

In the United States, the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement from Secretary Michael Chertoff saying there were no plans to raise the national threat level because there was “no specific, credible information” suggesting any threat to the United States.

But the federal government took a number of steps, given the events in Britain and the approaching July 4 holiday, to elevate security.

Homeland Security officials said they included additional bomb detection canine teams at airports and behavior-detection squads.

The New York City police said they were monitoring events in London and Scotland and were maintaining the heightened security that began after the discovery of the car bombs in London.

The measures include sending officers into parking garages with sensors that detect the presence of chemical, biological and radiological agents, and closely monitoring tourist areas, including nightclubs, said the department’s chief spokesman, Paul J. Browne.

Although there were questions throughout the day about whether the Glasgow vehicle crashed intentionally, by Saturday night, Sir William Rae, the chief constable of the Strathclyde area around Glasgow, said it was an act of terrorism.

Mr. Rae said one of the two men was found to be wearing a “suspicious device” at the hospital where he was being treated, and the hospital was evacuated. Mr. Rae declined to comment on reporters’ suggestions that the assailant — said to be in critical condition — had been wearing an explosive belt. A person with knowledge of the investigation, however, said that the device was a suicide belt, and also that the car contained propane canisters.

Mr. Rae said the attack at the airport, Scotland’s largest, was linked to the car bombs in London, but he did not elaborate.


Some are wondering why this group of bombers was able to evade detection. Well, there are too many jihadis and too few intel officers to track all the threats and possible threats. Officials concede that they may have had this particular group in their sights at some point, but can't say for sure.

London Mayor Red Ken Livingston goes out of his way to defend Muslims and ignores that the recent bombings and terrorist attacks in the City have been committed by jihadists, not by the IRA or other groups:
London Mayor Ken Livingstone called on Britons Saturday not to demonize Muslims after a double car bomb plot was foiled in the capital, amid fears of a Islamist terror threat.

At the same time he criticized Britain over its ties with Saudi Arabia, which he said had fuelled intolerance in the past through its Wahhabist form of Islam, creating a "major problem."

"In this city, Muslims are more likely to be law-abiding than non-Muslims and less likely to support the use of violence to achieve political ends than non-Muslims," he told BBC Radio.

"They have played a good and active and growing role in creating a multi-cultural society," he added.

He noted that terrorist acts had been carried out in London over the years by various groups including for example far-right groups. For years the British capital was wracked by violence by the Irish Republican Army (IRA).

"All I am interested in as mayor is that we try to prevent all acts of violence whether it is by a disaffected young member of the (far-right) BNP (British National Party), whether it is by an Islamist or a Wahhabist supporter," he said.
That Red Ken can say the part in bold with a straight face tells you all you need to know. That said, the British government's ties to Saudi Arabia are troubling (just as US relations are similarly troubling). The Saudi regime is as corrupt as they come and their religious views helped spur the al Qaeda movement worldwide.

The fact is that these attacks are likely spurred by the changeover from the Blair government to the Brown government. The jihadis are hoping to replicate the Spanish example. After terrorists blew up multiple bombs on Spanish trains killing 200+ people, the Spanish government withdrew its troops from Iraq.

The terrorists may have timed the attacks hoping that enough spectacular attacks could force the British to reconsider their part in the war on terror.

As usual, check Hot Air frequently for updates.

UPDATE:
Michelle Malkin also takes Red Ken to task for his comments. She also comments that Tony Blair noted that Tony Blair called the civil liberty absolutists loony as jihadis continue running around the UK preparing to commit mass murder. A fifth person has been arrested in connection with the attacks.

Thus far, no comment from Keith Olbermann and Larry Johnson, who pooh poohed the discovery of the two gas-laden vehicles on Friday. The attackers at Glasgow screamed out "Allah Allah" when being apprehended, but the media chooses to deemphasize that aspect. This conflict continues to be poorly covered by a media that refrains from shedding light on the enemy's true intentions.

James Carafano wonders whether American politicians and law enforcement will draw the wrong conclusions from the British incidents, opting to install thousands of cameras to provide surveillance throughout the country, but have shown their utility only in documenting who committed the acts after the fact. Banning stuff is another option that people will consider, but terrorists determined to carry out evil acts will find ways to obtain those materials or use alternative methods that were previously not considered threatening.

UPDATE:
Authorities have used controlled demolition to blow up a vehicle parked at the hospital where one of the terrorists is being treated for his injuries after he set himself alight.

UPDATE:
Paramedics tell of the discovery of the first bomb-laden vehicle and how their actions may have saved scores of lives:
A two-man ambulance crew, one aged 27 and the other 37, alerted police after smelling gas coming from the vehicle.

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."
US intel appears to have had some warning of an attack on the Glasgow airport.

Meanwhile, back in the US, while security has been tightened at NYC area airports, a suspicious package has led to the evacuation of a JFK airport terminal. The American Airlines terminal has since reopened, but this wont be the last of these kinds of incidents.

UPDATE:
Via EC Marm at LGF, the creepy image of the bomber at Glasgow as authorities raced to put out the flames.

UPDATE:
As usual, check out Hot Air for running updates. They've got some interesting angles worth checking out.

What's more important, however, is the fact that we've once again found that the Islamic terrorists behind the latest attacks in Britain are not the poor and wretched, but rather doctors and middle class folks. The 9/11 hijackers were all from middle class upbringings and poverty didn't even enter into their equation.

Two more doctors are being held in connection with the ongoing investigations. As Charles at LGF wonders whether it is time to cross poverty off the list of root causes behind Islamic jihad.

So, when will the obligatory whining and seething story from British Muslims come out? I give it another six hours.

UPDATE:
Well, it would seem that the terrorists planned on using the second bomb to kill and maim those responding to the carnage due to the first bomb. They were going after the rescuers.
"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."
UPDATE:
Flopping Aces (and here) has some interesting schematics and other information about the bombs, the plot, and related information.


A photo of one of the jihadis who set himself alight at Glasgow Airport (more photos of the carnage and related investigation here)

As noted above, some folks are going to try and use this failed plot to push for greater surveillance in the US. Joe Lieberman is among them. Redstate has more.

Others blogging the ongoing developments: AJ Strata, Noblesse Oblige, and Jammie Wearing Fool.

UPDATE:
The US is increasing the number of air marshals on overseas flights.

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