LONDON AIRLINE PLOT ABC News Exclusive: Three Alleged Ringleaders ID'd
August 10, 2006 -- LONDON AIRLINE PLOT
ABC News Exclusive: Three Alleged Ringleaders ID'd
Three of the alleged ringleaders of the foiled airplane bomb plot have been identified by Western intelligence agencies involved in unraveling the plot. (ABC News)
Explosive Gel Was to Be Concealed in Sports Drink
The suspected terror plotters arrested in Britain had planned to conceal their liquid or gel explosives inside a modified sports beverage drink container and trigger the device with the flash from a disposable camera. (ABC News)
Airline Plot Involved Liquid Explosives
British authorities said Thursday they had thwarted a terrorist plot to simultaneously blow up several aircraft heading to the United States using explosives smuggled in carry-on luggage. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the terrorists planned to use liquid explosives disguised as beverages and other common products and detonators disguised as electronic devices. (AP)
Liquid Bomb Threat to Airliners Echoes 1995 Plot
A UK bomb plot foiled on Thursday echoed one planned a decade ago in Asia and lays bare the threats airlines still face despite heightened vigilance since the deadly hijackings of 2001, security analysts say. (Reuters)
Pakistan Arrests in Bomb Plot
Pakistan has made a number of arrests in connection with an alleged UK plot to blow up planes flying to the US. (BBC)
U.S. Boosts Marshals on U.K. Flights
The US is deploying extra air marshals on flights between the UK and the US after Britain said it had foiled a plot to blow up planes to the US. (BBC)
Five London Suspects Still at Large
Five of the suspected London terrorists are still at large and are being urgently hunted, according to U.S. sources who have been briefed on the airplane bombing plot. (ABC News)
MIDEAST CRISIS
WFP Paralysed in Efforts to Reach Suffering People of South Lebanon
As food, fresh water and fuel stocks run dangerously low in war-torn Lebanon, WFP today urged both sides to allow and facilitate desperately needed relief assistance through to hundreds of thousands of victims of the bitter conflict. (World Food Programme)
Israeli Troops Seize Lebanese Town
Israeli tanks rolled into a Lebanese border town and were occupying the outskirts of a Hezbollah stronghold but the government insisted its expanded ground offensive had yet to begin. (AFP)
Fierce Clashes in Southern Lebanon
Hezbollah claims destruction of 14 Merkava tanks in Marjayun area as Israeli tanks thrust into southern Lebanon. (Middle East Online)
Israeli Helicopter Rockets Old Radio Tower in Beirut
An Israeli helicopter fired at least two rockets at a disused radio broadcast tower in the heart of Beirut on Thursday, lightly wounding two people and damaging a number of cars, Lebanese security sources said. (Reuters)
'New Mideast' May See Stronger Extremists
The "new Middle East" being born out of the warfare in Lebanon may be one where Islamic extremists are even stronger and reformists are isolated amid widespread skepticism over U.S. promises of democracy, activists in the Arab world warn. (AP)
IRAQ NEWS
Bombing near Iraq Shrine Leaves 35 Dead
A suicide bomber detonated a belt of explosives near a highly revered Shiite shrine in southern Iraq Thursday, killing at least 35 people and injuring 122, an official said. (AP)
AFGHANISTAN
Afghan police clash with Taliban, many said killed
Afghan police and Taliban guerrillas battled in violence-racked southern Kandahar province on Thursday, with both sides claiming they had inflicted casualties, the interior ministry said. (Reuters)
SRI LANKA
Sri Lanka Rebels Say Army Offensive Kills 50 Civilians
Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels said on Thursday more than 50 civilians were killed and 200 injured in their territory in the island's east during a major army offensive to capture a disputed water supply. (Reuters)
U.N. Shocked by Kyrgyz Extraditions to Uzbekistan
The United Nations' refugee agency said it was shocked by Kyrgyzstan's extradition of five Uzbeks, adding that the decision to hand the men over to Uzbek authorities had put their lives at "grave risk." (Reuters)
JORDAN
Man Tries to Enter Qatar Plane's Cockpit
A man tried to force his way into the cockpit of a Qatari Airways flight Thursday before he was restrained and the plane returned safely to Amman, airport officials said, adding that they did not believe it was a hijacking attempt. (AP)
INDIA TRAIN BOMBINGS
'93 Mumbai Blasts: Another Wait for Victims, Verdict on Sep 12
A special court Thursday postponed its verdict on the 1993 serial bomb blasts case till Sep 12. (Times of India)
ANALYSIS & OPINION
U.K.: The Threat from the Missing Suspects in the Airliner Plot
British authorities said Aug. 10 they have arrested at least 21 people in London, Buckinghamshire and Birmingham in connection with a failed plot to bomb U.S.-bound airliners flying out of London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports. A senior U.S. counterterrorism official said authorities believe as many as 50 people were involved in the plot, which raises the possibility that some militant cells have been left intact -- and will attempt to complete their missions. (Stratfor)
Was This Meant as Next 9/11?
Its scope was ruthlessly ambitious, causing destruction officials say would have been "unimaginable." The alleged plot to take down several U.S.-bound planes with liquid explosives appears to be unlike anything the world has seen in years. (AP)
Why a Hizballah Defeat is More Important for the US than Israel
By Henri J. Barkey
As diplomats look for a way to end the conflict in Lebanon, the US has proven reticent to support an immediate ceasefire that endorses the status quo ante. What most observers have failed to see in Washington's reluctance is how important it is for the US that Israel defeat Hizballah. In fact, a successful conclusion is far more critical for Washington than it is for Israel. (Bitterlemons)
Revive Taif, as a Shiite Safety Net
By Michael Young
As debate continues in New York over a United Nations Security Council resolution dealing with Lebanon, Israel has decided what to do next. It plans to head for the Litani River, and maybe beyond. The Lebanese government must prepare for this by reworking the political context that will accompany an end to the fighting. (Daily Star)
Heading off Ankara's Nuclear Temptation
By Jon B. Wolfsthal and Jessica C. Varnum
Nothing good can come from a nuclear- armed Iran. But in case the international community needs additional motivation to head off Tehran's nuclear ambitions, states should consider that a nuclear Iran might cause Turkey - whose incentives to go nuclear have been steadily mounting - to pursue a nuclear option of its own. (International Herald Tribune)
The Insider Daily Investigative Report (DIR) is a summary of major news articles and broadcasts relating to investigative news, including international terrorism and developments in Iraq. The DIR is edited daily from foreign and U.S. sources by Chris Isham, Hoda Osman and Elizabeth Sprague of the ABC News Investigative Unit. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ABCNEWS.