The Anatomy of the Foiled Plot in London

I find it ironic that Brain Ross, who is so concerned with terrorism against the US has attacked the very technologies that can protect the US from terrorism. Well done Brian!

I FIND IT VERY TELLING THAT JUST
LAST WEEK 11 FOREIGN EGYPTIAN
MEN HAVE NOT REPORTED TO A MONTANA
COLLEGE. COULD THEY BE A CELL??
HOW COME THE MEDIA DOES NOT PRINT THEIR NAMES AND PHOTOS???

Thank God for George W. Bush fighting the war against Islamists and progressives at the same time.

Bush is at the ranch again. Uh-oh

Good article and fine reporting with the exception of a small dose of PCism. What’s wrong with calling out these terrorists for what they are? Islamic Arab Muslims who should be dealt with harsely???

? And still US Democrats talk of negotiation and peace with Jihadists???.
lunacy –madness — jibberish
Joseph Lieberman is right !!

How does the fact that these terrorists were “home-grown” betray underlying problems in british society? It is rejection by their “home” society that causes immigrant youth to seek affirmation and social acceptance elsewhere. This is not simply a problem associated with being muslim. Exclusion of immigrants from their new community is a social issue, and until it is addressed it will continue to produce these outcomes–home-grown terrorists.

So now what? The Brits will take 4 years to convict the slime and spend tens of millions to do it. Then they will let them go in less than 10 years including time served so that they can turn around and try it again.
Stupid not to have execution for terrorisim.

We will finally get it after we get it again and again.

Will this get the anti-war liberals to understand why we must fight for the good of all mankind.

People need to start thinking WHY this is happening. The infalmation of the situation in the Middle East. With the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan and the support of Isreal’s oppresion of the Lebannese and Palestinian people no wonder people are trying to fight back agaisnt oppresion. Think of yourself in this position, would you not fight agaisnt this?
Terrorism is not right, I’m not saying that. But what needs to be addressed is stopping people from feeling this resentment. We need to stop this tit for tat, it will only end in the death of more innocent people.

Bush: “It is a mistake to believe there is no threat to the Unites States of America”
Amen.

Why is US government still supporting Pakistan????????
Mr.Bush please clean out your ears and hear out what Indian government has been saying atleast now………..

Thank you Britian…….

here’s the question that should be asked: by diverting the nation’s resources from the war against al-Qaeda in Afghanistan to the unnecessary war in Iraq, and by not capturing/killing bin Laden and al-Zawahri, has this president and his policies enabled this sort of thing to happen?

I’m grateful for God’s blessing on our 2 countries, and the on the labors of our counter-terrorism. Truly this is the hour we must stand together. Let us seek God to gether for His continued mercies.

Do people still think the Bush administration is doing nothing about the terror threat?? I think not…

Already the self-proclaimed “progressive” thinkers have found a way to blame Bush, Cheney and Halliburton. Unbelievable!
Why don’t you “progressives” do the world a favor and go ahead and drink the rest of the kool-aid?

How does the fact that these terrorists were “home-grown” betray underlying problems in british society? It is rejection by their “home” society that causes immigrant youth to seek affirmation and social acceptance elsewhere. This is not simply a problem associated with being muslim. Exclusion of immigrants from their new community is a social issue, and until it is addressed it will continue to produce these outcomes–home-grown terrorists.

Question: “Why wasn’t the term “Muslim” or “Islamic” used ANYWHERE in this article??
Is it because you believe there is no connection there?”
Answer: ABC Reporters Brian Ross and Richard Esposito (and their empty-suit editors) lack basic intellectual honesty, courage, or both. (Sort of like Reuters and their phony photos.)
The MSM IS the enemy within.
m. r. o’donnell

President Bush and Karl Rove don’t want to find Al Qaeda leaders; they want the “terror threats” to continue for their political gain!

What if they were Irish terrorists? Would the article say so? I think it would, or at least tell us a description indicating what their agenda was. I suppose we are to assume they were Islamo-facists.

Revelation of this plot will be another nail in the coffin of the Democratic party’s ambition to take the White House.

Do they support the Caliphate or are they searching for the 13th Imam?

“Investigated and ARRESTED…” Will wonders never cease: old-fashioned POLICE WORK saved the day (again). Too bad Bush is still rampaging through the world’s china shop with his mindless bulls, unable to prosecute or even charge more than a handful of suspects after five years of invading the privacy of American citizens.
THANKS Britain (and good recap Ross and Esposito). We can count at least on OTHER countries for a competent defense of our own when plots originate offshore — I have zero confidence in our own ability to do such police work and smart intelligence work here in the U.S. or overseas in defense of our nation. The military is a PR firm now, as are most Executive Branch agencies under the Bush/Rove doctrine of destruction which is falsely advertised as prevention.
Sounds like Scotland Yard still practices the real deal: careful, detailed, EVIDENCE-based investigation and arrest and prosecution of suspects. So far this sounds like a tremendous bit of life-saving preventive detective work. We are in their debt.

We should stop calling the Islamic Terrorists and start calling them cowards, because that is what they truly are.

All good Americans need to have a nationwide “neighborhood watch”. Keep your eyes peeled, your cell phones on, your pantries stocked, and don’t let the head-in-the-sand liberals discourage you with their political correctness or their hatred of America.

Oliver has it right – Summary execution for any and all, including any who had even one finger in the plot! Jail risks release to try again another day – liberals be dammed!

This comment that Bush doesn’t want to find Al Qaeda leaders is insane and based on the hatred of Bush that many feel. Why do you think that America has had no big terrorist incident since 9/11?
The comment seems to be based on emotion and feelings but it is not logical.

I predicted after 9/11 that the new global threats of subversive/terrorist warfare
would require a deeply troubling but necessary reassessment of our “rights” and “protections.” I also predicted that many would not be able to adjust to the new reality and would fall back into protecting their personal liberties and pursuing their political agendas once the trauma subsided. That has happened–here and in Europe. But just as the riots and murders in Europe forced some new realizations on idealistic goals of open borders and faith in diversity as a recipe for multicultural nirvana, this new unveiling of a brutal attack on
civilian passenger planes is reasserting the issues only briefly debated after 9/11′s awakening. You can hear the earthmovement rumblings–across the Atlantic–which most
assuredly have been glimpsed here–but only in their infant stages. Leeson: if the partisan proponents of absolute “protections” for First Amendment civil rights do not shift their thinking in the face of this new reality and back off the partisan opposition platform (see New York Times for example revealing classified antiterrorist war strategies under the banner “the people want to know”), they will be in danger of losing the entire body of First Amendment law along with its ideological foundations to authoritarian messengers appealing to the legitimate and illegitimate fears that unfettered “freedoms” will not and cannot quell.

I predicted after 9/11 that the new global threats of subversive/terrorist warfare
would require a deeply troubling but necessary reassessment of our “rights” and “protections.” I also predicted that many would not be able to adjust to the new reality and would fall back into protecting their personal liberties and pursuing their political agendas once the trauma subsided. That has happened–here and in Europe. But just as the riots and murders in Europe forced some new realizations on idealistic goals of open borders and faith in diversity as a recipe for multicultural nirvana, this new unveiling of a brutal attack on
civilian passenger planes is reasserting the issues only briefly debated after 9/11′s awakening. You can hear the earthmovement rumblings–across the Atlantic–which most
assuredly have been glimpsed here–but only in their infant stages. Leeson: if the partisan proponents of absolute “protections” for First Amendment civil rights do not shift their thinking in the face of this new reality and back off the partisan opposition platform (see New York Times for example revealing classified antiterrorist war strategies under the banner “the people want to know”), they will be in danger of losing the entire body of First Amendment law along with its ideological foundations to authoritarian messengers appealing to the legitimate and illegitimate fears that unfettered “freedoms” will not and cannot quell.

I’m hoping this foiled plot will open up the eyes of the liberals out there still believe “nothing is the matter”… we’re at war for crying out loud… wake up.
Thanks Great Britain for a job well done.

This is too scary. We have Muslim fanatics trying to kill us and themselves and they will not stop. Will this go on forever?
Then we have pointy headed idiots here in our own country with partisan interests and a warped sense of values actually hindering our capacity to combat these fanatics. God help us……

Great job by all parties involved in the capture of these people. The cooperation involved in this raid must have been huge. I think the coordination demonstrated by PM Blair and President Bush should not go unnoticed.

Can someone explain to me how continued American presence in Iraq is helping defeat Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism?
Why do I think that America has had no big terrorist incident since 9/11?
Increased law enforcement and intelligence, something Bush has derided, especially in the 04 election.
It’s amazing that some people still believe were are “taking the fight to the terrorists” in Iraq.

“Why do you think that America has had no big terrorist incident since 9/11?”
Why do you draw the conclusion that it’s because of some heroic work on our part? The border’s wide open and people are still making it onto planes in the states with contraband after all of our security “improvements.” We have probably foiled a small homegrown plot or two, but I believe the real cause is that Al Qaeda has not attempted a major attack on US soil since 2001. Let’s not forget it was 8 _years_ between al qaeda attacks on US soil (WTC 93, WTC ’01 ) – this is a patient adversary. That was 8 years space when nobody was paying attention to them.
Although the US developed a very pretty rainbow alert system and our administration never fails to utilize it around election time, we’ve done very little that I can see to protect our ports, borders, and airlines. Little things here and there, but not a lot of oversight, and tons of cracks to slip through for anyone who so desires.
This latest sting is largely the success of the UK’s security. I can’t help but think Al Qaeda’s a bit foolish for trying to pull off a stunt like this over in Europe, where the airline security’s a notch better than the gum-chewing, gossipping American airport security personnel who are constantly asleep at the wheel. It’s just a matter of time…

The DC snipers, the Cole bombers, the embassy bombers, the 9/11 hijackers, the Seattle shooter, Nasralla, bin Laden, Zarqawi, the Madrid bombers, the London bombers, the Canadian plotters, and on and on and on. What’s the common denominator? Do we know who are enemy is? Are we intelligent enough to pronounce it? How can you win a world war if you can’t even acknowledge who your enemy is?

SailorSam,
Read the article again. They started the roundup when the “alleged” scum began making flight reservations. Do you think the “alleged” scum do this now in order to influence our primaries?
Get beyond the politics, sammy -

Thank you Brits and thank God for a foiled catastrophy. It seems only a short time until passenger and baggage flights will be separate. Seems that would solve a lot of the risk.

“To the people insisting on labeling these monsters “muslims” or “islamic”, this is pure ignorance. Who in history goes around calling Hitler a christain Nazi? ”
This comment by Duke is indicative of the poor logic on the Left. Dear Duke: Hitler did not perform his crimes in the name of Christianity. Muslim terrorists perform their crimes in the name of Islam and of Mohammed. That, my logic-challenged dhimmified friend, is the difference.

“…not all Muslims are terrorists, but…almost all terrorists are Muslims.”–Abdel Rahman al-Rashed, Manager, Al-Arabiya TV News

Kudos to the British police and intelligence services as well as all others who helped in foiling this terrible plot. As for those who see this as a failure of the left or right in our societies, remeber that whatever your views about the politics in your countries the Islamofascists are after all of us.

Thank God for the hard work and vigilance of those who take the war on terrorism seriously, and rightly so. This world-wide, diabolical threat will take decades to (hopefully) get under control, but will never be totally eradicated. We must never again be caught slumbering while our blood enemies plot and toil.

Read the article again, folks. The Brits started their roundup AFTER the suspects started making plane reservations. The only way this could have been made to coincide with our election cycle would be if the “alleged” terrorists are trying to influence out elections.
SailorSam – watch out for those black helicopters…

You crazy “God this or God that . . . ” people are the ones causing all the problems.
I am greatful to the dedicated men and women of our police and security agencies. We owe them a big thanks. Many of them can get bigger bucks in the private sector. Be sure when votes come up to support police and fire depts that you vote to support them.

No one should “fear the day bush leaves office”. As history shows, no matter who is in office there will always be terrorists.

After 9/11 we had the world on our side, most every country in the world including our enemies were working with us to find Osama Bin Laden (who has still not been caught by the way). I agreed with going into Afganistan. I believe we should have stayed there, found Osama Bin Laden (the perpatrator of 9/11 who is still at large) and not attacked Iraq (who didn’t have anything to do with 9/11 and didn’t have WMDs). Maybe if we had stayed in Afganistan and not attacked Iraq all these militant Islamist would not be so angry with us and want to kill us. Yes this is George Bush’s fault. You say we haven’t had another attack on America since 9/11 but there are 2500 American dead in Iraq and tens of thousands of Americans wounded and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis dead. Why can’t we use diplomacy instead of blowing up stuff. Or is that all you Republicans understand?

Q: Why haven’t we caught Osama yet?
A: because we’re busy trying to conquer Iraq, where there was no threat.
That is the crime of this administration.

Bush didn’t have anything to do with foiling the plot, he is only now being briefed by British intelligence. If anything his policies probably encouraged many of the operatives to take up arms.
And I’m guessing there is no mention of the 21 suspects as being Muslim because there identities have not been revealed to the media, and it would be incredibly irresponsible to report them as being Muslim without any verification of that, even if it is a near certainty.

It seems like duke is one of the few who has a sensible head on his shoulders. These people are not islamic or muslims these are ignorant SOBs who are using a peaceful religion of islam to further their reactionary hatred towards the west. For those of you who think that these people are muslims must know that already all muslims around the world are condeming these monsters. I have a quote from the Quran 27:89 “…nations that do good to humanity and make way for peace and security, will be best rewarded”. There are other numerous chapters in Quran that talks about peace love and tranquility. For those who claims that islam is responsible for all the attrocities should read Quran to understand the true nature of peaceful Islam. Islam by definition means Peace.

A polite rebuttal to MK:
“The National Government regards the two Christian confessions (i.e. Catholicism and Protestantism) as factors essential to the soul of the German people. … We hold the spiritual forces of Christianity to be indispensable elements in the moral uplift of the German people…Never will we forget the role of the Jews in the Death of our Lord…I am now as before a Catholic and will always remain so.” March 23, 1933, Adolph Hitler, Reichstag
Being a government and politics major, I don’t believe in making accusations without fact to back it up. Also, how does me defending a religion against extremism make me a leftist? Am i led to believe that the right need this simplistic method of labeling “bad guys” and “good guys” to function?

My wife and I are planning on flying to London next week for vacation–the UK counterterrorism apparatus may have saved our lives. I cannot thank them enough…

Just so you know, the “liberals” on blogs you all probably avoid like the plauge also think the MSM is biased–right biased.
What bothers me is pure speculation on the part of the authorities about “massive death and destruction” is given first paragraph space in msm reports. It didn’t happen! Yeah, and the Sears Tower WOULD have come down if the guys they arrested in Florida actually knew how to make a bomb. Why give so much emphasis on the “could-of-happened”? The “Did Happen” is what’s news worthy, everything else is just an attempt to scare the sheep.

“Sounds like Scotland Yard still practices the real deal: careful, detailed, EVIDENCE-based investigation and arrest and prosecution of suspects.”
To those of you who think that this was a unilateral effort on the part of the Brits, think again. It has been reported on other MSM sites that this was a collaborative effort between MI5 and the CIA. Hats off to the Brits, but don’t take anything away from the Yanks pal.

If Al Qaeda is as crippled as Bush claimed them to be (back in 2003), then how could they muster the resources to plan and finance this complicated, devastating attack? Obviously, they are still a very real threat and they will continue to be as long as the US acts as the world’s bully in the Middle East. Violence begets violence. We’re better than this.

President Bush didn’t mince words when he described the culprits as Islamic Facists. Why doesn’t the news print the truth? It may not be politically correct, but it’s correct!

Bob (at 1:13 p.m.) -
Why are you so unaware, at this late stage, of the power of the SECRET court created by FISA and all the many extremely valuable monitoring abilities (with warrants and without in some cases) which that court has facilitated (in accordance with our Fourth Amendment) since its inception, including the numerous worthwhile and wise amendments made to it since 9/11 (as part of both the apparently semi-Constitutional PATRIOT Act and as part of other bills)…?
I guess I shouldn’t blame you — most Members of Congress, even those on the Intelligence Committees, seem equally ignorant of FISA’s wide-ranging, permissive, and extremely potent tools and procedures for monitoring and intercepting threats to our nation transpiring on our soil (which I’m sure match the tools available to the British in this case under THEIR laws). [And of course the media has no idea what FISA procedures allow, and makes absolutely sure that Americans are never informed of the details of its features so that the ongoing violation and abuse of FISA law and our Fourth Amendment can be painted as somehow "necessary" by you and others.]
I trust FISA and I trust the ability of American citizens – in government service and out – to defend this nation while simultaneously honoring our Constitution and its Fourth Amendment. I don’t want and I don’t need a police state like the Soviet Union, in order to feel “safe.” I know we are all safer when we have our guaranteed liberty under law, and our goverment’s police powers are carefully contained to keep them focused on the REAL threats to the nation, and not aimed wildly and randomly at the freedoms of the citizens of this country.
It now seems clear that if not for American CITIZENS on board that United Airlines Flight 93 in PA on 9/11/01, we might not have a Capitol building or a White House today. Our secretive United States Military didn’t (and wasn’t going to be able to) save us that day: heroic private citizens did, thanks to their cell phones and the free flow of information from family members watching the news on CNN.
Don’t run and hide. Stand and fight IN ACCORDANCE with our splendid and profoundly liberating United States Constitution.

Conservatives have successfully demanded that the U.S. maintain troops in countries all over the world. Predictably, like fish and friends, those troops begin to stink in the nostrils of locals after a short time and the people begin to resist. Conservatives use their resistance to justify stronger military action which leads to terrorism, which is then used to justify more money for Conservative friends in the Defense Industry, more campaign contributions, and more votes for the right wing. Everybody’s happy, except those who pay the price to keep American Republican.

If the government had any guts, there would be public executions of these pieces of scum in Picadilly.

Can I take back my vote for Ned Lamont?

AS I PERSON WHO LOST 2 FRIENDS ON 9/11 I HAVE NOT RESTED EASILY FOR THE PAST MONTH. THIS ALWAYS HAPPENS AROUND THIS TIME. I HAVE A NAGGING FEELING THAT SOMETHING ELSE WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. I MEAN..FOR 5 YEARS THIS GUY BIN LADDEN HAS BEEN SITTING IN A HOLE IN THE GROUND WITH NOTHING TO DO BUT PLOT ANOTHER ATTACK. ALTHOUGH I VERY HAPPY THAT OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN LONDON WERE ABLE TO STOP WAS WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN..HAVE THEY REALLY? OR HAVE THEY STOPPED IT FOR THE TIME BEING? THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO DIED ON 9/11 LOOKED DOWN ON US TODAY..THEY ARE THE TRUE HEROS.

About all this Islamo-Facist hubbub, remember that Islam is the most practiced religion in the world. If its practice was to result in a terrorist mindset, there would be a billion of these murderous bastards, not the small number we have seen.
In addition, fascism, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is “totalitarianism marked by right-wing dictatorship and bellicose nationalism.” I don’t see how these psycho killers fit this definition. They are neither moved by nationalism or by their desire to serve a dictator. They are just warped and happen to be under the influence of twisted faux-religious leaders. It’s like the leaders of christian identity groups, or other organizations that use the guise of religion to justify their demented world view.
Remember a guy name Timothy McVeigh (Christian & Veteran)? Remember the militia groups? Psychos come from all sorts of backgrounds.

1. Too bad the U.S. doesn’t have Britain’s intelligence operatives–9/11 might never have happened.
2. Bush says we’re “safer” now than before 9/11? No way. As long as we’re “adventuring” (can’t bring myself to call it a war, an occupation maybe)in the Middle East, get ready for anything!

I don’t think there was a mention of the citizenship or religion of the people apprehended.

To be fair, the religious persuasion of the suspects may not have been released as of yet. The early signs point to a strong probability that they are Muslim, but to say that before it is known would be premature.

People,
What is all this anti-democrat/progressive stuff? Again, these are silly, over-simplifying, devisive labels that have little or no basis in reality. I am progressive as far as abortion, gay-marriage, and separation of church and state are concerned but i own guns, believe in the death penalty, support capitalism and the war in Iraq (although i think the Bush administration has bungled it by sending too few troops in the first place). So where does that place me? Am i a progressive or a conservative? I’m neither and i think most americans would be difficult to fit into either camp as well. This infighting is simply stupid.
Remember: the ACLU protects Nazis and the KKK too!

Funny how someone mentioned had the NYT’s mentioned this story weeks ago, it would’ve been treason as it would’ve aided the terrorists.
Yet here we are, on the day the plot is revealed to be broken up, and news reports from CNN to FOX News are reporting that as many as 10 suspects are still out there, on the loose.
Do any of them have explosives? Do any of them have the potential to detonate a device in an alternate location now that the plot has been publicly disrupted?
Seems to me the right thing to do would’ve been to NOT go blabbing to the media:
“Hey Look at us! We disrupted the plot, but we haven’t gotten everyone involved. See…um…they’ve still out there and since the entire world knows the plot was disrupted, those remaining terrorists who were involved are going to get driven underground to either strike again at a later time, or worse, potentially just pick an alternate target like a bus, train, or mall to detonate the explosives.”
Yeah. And this time, it wasn’t the New York Times, but the British and US government spilling the beans.
Keeping us safer, one convenient sound bite and one Red Elmo threat level at a time.

“I attacked the United States and I got was away with it.”
-Osama Bin Laden
Thanks, Mr Bush, for making the world less safe.

Funny how this plot was foiled by intelligence, not a war, huh?

Thank God for the hard work of the British Government and thank God for George W. Bush!

“Can I take back my vote for Ned Lamont?” – Posted by: binky | Aug 10, 2006 2:44:12 PM
Only if a connection demonstrated between the Civil War in Iraq and this plot.

I wonder if they will ever tell us if the reservations that were made were for Aug 22nd? As I could see this being yet another lever being pulled by Iran.

Be afraid! Be very afraid! The baddies are going to get us!! Oh, BTW, vote Republican!

Can I vote for Ned again? Let’s get our boys and girls back to us where they belong. Iraq didn’t attack us. Where’s Osama? Isn’t he the guy that led the dudes that attacked us?

What is amazing is how the Bush apologists keep talking about the “nail in the Democrats’ coffin.” Are you kidding me? The War on Terrorism has been a joke. The Bush Administration abandoned that A LONG time ago when it let up in Afghanistan and went into Iraq, which – as has been documented time and time (and time) again – had nothing to do with 9/11. The Bush administration has botched the WOT so terribly that this is the result: The increased spread of terrorism. If you haven’t noticed, the government’s own data show that terrorist attacks have INCREASED since King George took office.
I don’t know of an American who doesn’t take the threat of terrorism seriously. The difference is in how they believe we should RESPOND to it. To those who support the administration, that means invading a country that had nothing to do with 9/11, creating a civil war, and further destabilizing an already unstable region – not to mention costing the American taxpayer hundreds of billions of dollars, while absolutely failing to take many of the essential steps to protecting “the homeland” laid out by the 9/11 commission. It also means that they are willing to give up essential liberties because of the threat of terrorism, that they are willing to look the other way as tens of billions of taxpayer dollars disappear without a trace, with no accountability.
As Wesley Clark said the other day: “Invading Iraq and diverting our attention away from Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden is not being strong on national security. Blind allegiance to George W. Bush and his failed “stay the course” strategy is not being strong on national security.”
The rhetoric from the likes of many who have commented here is so typical. The policies of the leader you have blindly followed have failed miserably. And our country – and the rest of the world, for that matter – is paying the price for it. And now, as the case should be, you are feeling the pangs of guilt for having abetted this administration’s disastrous actions. So you attack attack attack those who actually want to protect this country, instead of doing what you should be doing: blaming yourself and this administration and having the courage to take the actions necessary to mitigate the damage that’s been done.

To those of you who think this is just a big hoax, I sit here in amazement at your ignorance. I don’t know what else to say.

You can always tell when it’s election time. Remember all the red alerts in 2004? They’re back until mid November.

War is no longer army v. army. It is now an individual in Times square with explosives round their waist, it is a vehicle with a rocket launcher on it that can move quickly to another site – it is not tanks, the latest most expensive warplane – it’s about hearts and minds of millions of people who have to be convinced when they are young.
The Brits have great “feet on the ground” intelligence while we in the US largely rely on electronics to do the work for us – our ‘feet on the ground’ intelligence, I suspect, is sadly lacking.

“Pip-Pip” to the Brits for a job well done.
How in the world this somehow falls into Bush’s accomplishment column is beyond me, but “Jolly good!” to the Union Jack!
Let’s give credit where it’s deserved.

What did Bush have to do with this? Wasn’t he sleeping at the ranch when this happened? Pakistani terrorists no less, we’ll have to put them on the list after Iraq, Iran, Syria and North Korea if any of us are still alive.

Given that these terrorists were Pakistani, this plot has nothing to do with Israel, Lebanon or the middle-east. It is to do with the terrorism against India, a terrorism
that has killed more Indian civilians, women and children than all other terrorist incidents in the world combined. The al-queda affiliated Pakistan terrorist group
Lashkar-e-Toiba has repeatedly claimed through its journals and websites that its main aim is to destroy the Indian republic and annihilate Hinduism.

Why is it that Blair and Bush being in office is such a good thing only on the day a plot is foiled? It seems a few posters are happy today as some vindication of their beliefs of the Daddy Protector Figure in power.
What about all the other days with the death, destruction, lies, ineffective govt., scandals, etc.? Those things are all gone because of this!?
Hey I am very happy this is broken up, but you don’t have to be a Bush hater to see that
a) neither man nor their policies really didn’t have anything to do with it – it was the police work not the terror talk and plans here
b) Bush in particular has mostly been screwing up (Iraq, Leb-Israel, Economy, Katrina, Energy, etc.)

Why are terrorists being made in Pakistan? Isn’t Pakistan our ally, don’t its people all just LOVE George Bush?

Whoa whoa whoa.
Before we thank God for Bush and those red blooded republican heroes, please illuminate what part he played in foiling a UK plot against the US, solved extensively by English authorities? Im sure he was pleased to here as he cleared brush from his ranch on vacation. At least Tony Blair had the sense to cancel his vacation..hah.

Maybe they haven’t used the words “Muslim” or “Islamist” because it hasn’t been verified yet. It’s still a new story.

Good thing Bush was on vacation again or they might have pulled it off.

Just more evidence that the “war” on terrorism (and on muslims) is fostering and inspiring more terrorists.

Funny how the right always invoke the words “God” and “Terrorism” when they want to invoke fear and bloodshed.

Why is no one reporting the arrest of 2 men in Columbus Ohio and speculating on the link to the London arrests? Only the Druge Report has posted info.

SailorSam said:
“The timing of the arrests seems a little convenient, vis-a-vis the election cycle. Scotland Yard couldn’t have busted these guys a week ago?
There are no coincidences.”
You’re joking, right? Many people would be saying the exact same thing if this plot was uncovered even one month ago. There are coincidences, but what is the coincidence between actual people that want to blow up airplanes and primary elections?

This is the most idiotic terrorist story ever. Why the hell did they have me take off my shoes the last time I went through a check but I had 4 bottles of water in my hand carry on and no one cared? Are they not confessing to monumental incompetence once again if this possibility of people assembling a “bomb” inflight was never, ever thought of.

IF YOU PICK A FIGHT AND DUCK A PUNCH…
are you a good guy for ducking a punch?
or a bad guy for picking a fight?
dont forget “you” is much bigger
(sorry for the reductionism, but attention span is in short supply)
MORE:
on the subject of their muslimness.
to label them as “muslim” would be good but slight the greater muslim community they are “muslim fascists” at the least. Just as saying Jim Jones and his people were simply “christian” and not part of a christian CULT would slight the christian community. people dont commit suicide or murder-suicide without a good deal of breanwashing or coercion.

Good thing they read the memo “Terrorists Determind to Strike Against UK”…

Kyle, how is your life and safety dependent on making a ethnic slur?
The posts here crediting George Bush are like thanking the snowstorm for the roof over your heads… Armies don’t stop terror attacks. Police do.

It pleases me to see that the subjects of the government I assisted in founding are so eager today for what I tried so desperately to see implemented, namely, an extremely centralized and powerful federal government.
Beyond that it amuses me greatly to see many of you are craving authoritarianism. We didn’t bust our asses forming this great nation for false patriots to come along and urinate on the foundation we provided in the hopes that a new government will take shape reflecting forms intended solely to reassure the most fragile of egos and pathetic, human banality.
Beat it, ‘fraidy cats. Silly, pathetic wimps, your willingness to grant power to those you grovel before is unbecoming, and an affront to the flag you pretend to love.

You people that fear the day Bush and Blair are out of office are the most ill-advised and narrow minded people I’ve ever come across. To fear a pre 9/11 mentality?! I’d hate to not see our administration constantly spin every little article of news onto Fox so that you people can enjoy being scared. Unbelievable. You all have battered wife syndrome.

So for all the posters here who are so sure this vindicates the Presidents policies I have one question: When are you aigning up for the Army? Our forces are stretched thin and need you. If the terrorist threat is so great I don’t understand why you won’t join the Army and fight it. It’s easy to bash liberals, but it takes real guts and patriotism to actually go and fight in uniform. Get off your butts and enlist NOW!

To all of you folks saying that George Bush is some kind of savior, I have to wonder if you can truly believe that a Democratic President would somehow not be interested in fighting such attacks. You’d have everyone think that Democrats hate America or something. Shocking how quickly you folks march in the straight path that your party leaders have shown you without questioning *anything*.

So, how come we’ve been taking wine & hard liquor by the boatloads on commercial jets (my own pet peeve) for the last 5 years? A silly concern, but aren’t they a bit. . .flammable? And, wouldn’t the broken glass of a wine bottle be just as, if not more, deadly than a boxcutter?
So, today, 5 years after 9/11, Tony & George get together and, with another terror plot about to be hatched, do something about it. Finally. The heroes.
I’m supposed to think wonderful things of them? Cheer their intelligence? C’mon, folks! A two year old could have looked around a commercial jet and picked out some of this stuff. Flammable liquids are alot scarier than tweezers.
George W. Bush is doing NOTHING to make you safe. You are in your own personal New Orleans up there, flying in your jets in the friendly skies, and the only time he concerns himself is when he thinks it can reflect kindly on his, or Tony’s, poll positions. And god help you all, you eat it up, blaming Islam as a whole, Iraq instead of Al Queda, the poor guy down the street working at the gas station.
I wish there was someone with a half a brain in the white house that could deal with recognizable threats like FLAMMABLE or HAZARDOUS liquids on planes without hundreds of thousands of people being put at risk or greatly, greatly inconvienced- like they were this week. Someone that could deal with such an obvious threat BEFORE the fact.
Truly, half a brain in the white house would be better than what we’ve got.

I am a liberal. I reject terrorists, terrorism, fundamentalism, war profiteering, and authoritarianism of all stripes. I am quite willing to support all attempts to secure our fundamental rights (not provided by the state, but defended by a state that is the product the community coming together consensualy), including supporting institutions whish defend our society against those who kill civilians in the name of religion..
As a liberal (as in supporting liberty), I believe that all attempts to decree that the state stop securing fundamental rights must be necessarilly and specifically limited in time and scope.
It is our responsibility to help reproduce the liberty we enjoyed not elsewhere, but here at home, both by fighting against murderers and those who would exploit there presence to create a society that comes to see unailienable rights as mere gifts occasionally provided by whoever the authorities happen to be.
Liberals believe in Constitutionalism! Conservatives appear to believe in executive power.

The terrositism and the anti-terrorism will continue until the world is ready to accept the Pope’s new world order.

Murder is murder, whether it is by ordinary men or men in uniform. Stealing is stealing, whether by petty criminals or by a country stealing land from another country.

Come on people…isn’t it just a little suspicious that this is happening now? Just like before the 2004 election…Bin Laden re-appeared. Oh yeah, where is Bin Laden anyway? Oh, yeah, BUSH & Co. let him get away.

I’ll admit it. I’m dumb. What, exactly, do people mean by “islamic fascists”? No fair looking it up. If you are going to bandy it about, it should be at the tips of your fingers.
And what, exactly, is cowardly about blowing up an airplane in which you are travelling? Evil, despicable, heinous, frightening, and all sorts of other things, yes. Cowardly? Not really.

If liberals only had a brain…
They would be dangerous as the terrorists… unfortunately, they are allowed to vote…OUCH!

Bush: “It is a mistake to believe there is no threat to the Unites States of America” Amen
Posted by: Andy | Aug 10, 2006 12:19:11 PM
Yes, Amen oh Holy Bush. He is the largest threat to the United States!

Wow, reading through these posts it’s very disconcerting that so many people still think ol’ Propagandist George is actually doing anything to keep this country (and the rest of the world) safe.
What will it take to wake up the brain-dead sheep of this nation?
STOP WATCHING FOX AND LISTENING TO RUSH!
It’s turned your brains into mush.
5 years and $400 billion and where are we? WORSE OFF than before 9/11.
WHEEEEEE!!!!

Operation Yellow Pants is in full swing. Don’t question anything, look at the pretty changing colors and Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia.
And of course the hardy gumshoes and detectives will not get the credit, for they are not political appointees nor even folks who may be wearing our flag on their uniforms. No, the credit is given to some guy and his chuckleheads who could not even protect the citizens of a major US city from a lumbering calamity that could be seen from space.

Some of these “neener neener” and “hey liberals” posts just really shine in their lack of thought. I can all but guarantee you that the Brits:
1) used law enforcement techniques (no soldiers, Strykers, or clusterbombs), and
2) took the time to obtain proper subpoenas and authorized wiretaps
to take out these very real terrorists. They did not invade a sovereign nation. There is no war on terror.

I thought we were fighting them (the terrorists) “over there,” in Iraq, so we didn’t have to fight them here (or in Britain)?

Hats off to the Pakistani govmnt and British law enforcement. Great job. Let’s work on our relationship with the good people of Pakistan.

Another reason to throw Bush out for wasting our troops and resources on his pack-of lies war in Iraq.

It’s just funny how quickly the liberals forget that Clinton had eight years to find and catch Bin Laden too but he was a little to busy with the interns to do that. The largest recruiting period for Al-Quaida was in the 90′s I don’t think Bush was President then.

This is the first time I’ve followed comments on line from a news story.
It seemed to start off with generally
intelligent remarks but now has sunken to some idiotic blather about
hate for the government.
Do you people do this all day? Are you really all that consumed with hate for the Bush’s and Blair’s of the world?
I’m not sure which is worse, a terrorist with a bomb or you with a vote.

My, my, don’t we all have a lot to say. By reading all these posts, it would appear that I wouldn’t want to be Democratic or Republican. And the Mr. Bush is the only president to miss his chance with bin Laden (seems Clinton had his chances). Give credit to the Brits and the Pakistanis for this stop, but please keep it all in perspective. The war on terror will need the help of many countries and agencies. The US alone cannot patrol the entire world from these cowards.
Someone mentioned earlier that blowing up a plane isn’t a cowardly act. And you’re probable right except for the fact that if you are trying to eliminate an opponent, do it on a military level, not a mothers-and-babies level. These people are attacking innocent and un-armed civilians for their cause, and they die without saying anything. And please, please don’t confuse them as mondern day Kamakazies. Those guys had guts.

I thought we were fighting the Islamists “over there” so we wouldn’t have to fight them “here”. The fact that that strategy doesn’t seem to be working bothers me a great deal. As a Republican, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but why did we divert resources in Iraq (which I now believe wasn’t connected to 9?11) instead of using them to fight real terroism?

All you GW fans, why not ask this question: If this was an al-Queda plot, then why did the US goverment disban the Osama bin Laden task force? He is the leader of al-queda and I am sure he ordered this plot?
As always, GW goes after the incidents and not the source.

The fear, terrorists, war mongers, threats, political beliefs and ALL beliefs are the cause of this insanity. All of it is insanity. All please wake!

I am thankful for all the attempted measures the TSA is putting into place. There is one thing bothering me….what about body cavity searches or people swallowing things, like drug running “mules”.

Why have so many writers connected the alleged terrorists with their fellow Democratic citizens? I don’t remember any Democrat in or out of office running on a platform of “Death to Americans.”
Why do you display such vicious hatred towards your own countrymen and women: “Why don’t you “progressives” do the world a favor and go ahead and drink the rest of the kool-aid?”
Why do you so strongly advocate against the principles in our Constitution? Instead of trials to prove guilt or innocence, you call for “PUBLIC summary executions,” “execute those terrorists,” “Summary execution for any and all, including any who had even one finger in the plot! Jail risks release to try again another day.”
“Does anyone still think Gitmo should be closed? I THINK NOT!”
Instead of engaging in a discussion with people who disagree with you, you resort to taunts and name-calling: “Anyone who doesn’t understand that should go play and let the grown-ups handle this.”
Translate them into Arabic, and these seem more like the words of terrorists than citizens of a great free nation.
America is not just a bunch of people who happen to inhabit the same continent. America is an idea – freedom, equality and justice. That is what is embodied in our Constitution, our system of law, our relationships with other countries, and our national pride.
We are not winning the war on terror. We are losing. We are losing because the murderers who bombed us on 9/11 have been used by our government for political gain and power. Instead of actually catching OBL, he’s become a boogeyman used by the GOP to scare the huddled masses. And the result is the death of that idea of freedom.
You are not safer. And giving up your liberties – and mine – is not going to make you so. We will win the war on terror not by being afraid, but by being fearless.
What happened to “Give me liberty or give me death?”
What happened to “We have nothing to fear but fear itself?”
What happened to the bravery that made this country great?
You are all far more likely to be killed in a car crash than by a terrorist. America and the world can deal with the threats that these people present without sacrificing the principles that make us different from them. In the end, that is really what terrorists want to destroy.

Great job for the British Intel and the pakistanis, but what about bush? He got Ssaddam Hussein and his sons, but what really counts is Bin Laden is still free as a J-bird.
Why not first place 140,000 troops at the Pakistan, Afganistan border before grabbing for the Iraqi oil, or revenge for GWB’s father? Oh yeah, i’m too stupid ’cause if you caught bin laden and Alqueada who did 9/11, the american fear will ease, and there is no excuse to grab for oil in Iraq. dummy me, sorry.

“Why do you think that America has had no big terrorist incident since 9/11?”
Because Bush/Cheney hasn’t ordered one. Duh!

Bush: “It is a mistake to believe there is no threat to the Unites States of America.”
The implication, of course, is that somebody believes that there is not threat to the U.S. Who? Nobody. By implying that some people (Democrats) believe there is no threat, he is misleading Americans, using terrorism as a political tool.
Everytime you hear Bush say “Some say that…” or “Some believe that…,” be sure to think twice about whether anyone actually says or believes what Bush claims. You can be pretty certain that he is trying to misrepresent what his oppostion believes.

Are you all out of your minds. You think Bush is this savior that is keeping us on track and protecting us from everything. Maybe you should read up on your history. What is happening in our country right now is exactly what the founding fathers who were infinitely smarter than Bush said would happen before we returned to a sort of dictatorship monarchy. So we have the choice to Live in Fear of some people that I have never met because they are on the verge of killing us at every moment of every day or Die because we aren’t protected. I would rather die than live in fear every day of my life. We might just as easily die when we walk out into the street as we will from a terrorist attack. In Fact a Terrorist attack is much less likely to happen. Don’t just lap up whatever Fox news and the president say. They have their own agenda just like everyone else.

Don’t be fooled. Think for yourself. I hope it’s not too late when the masses realise that the terrorists operate from within.