'G8 nonchalant about security'

2005-06-19 21:58

London - A security alert was sparked by the leak of a secret plan to protect leaders of the Group of Eight industrial countries gathering at next month's summit in Scotland, a British newspaper said Sunday.

The details, which included assessments of the chances of a chemical or biological attack during the July 6-8 summit, were handed to the Independent on Sunday by an intelligence source who claimed ministers had become complacent.

The newspaper stopped short of disclosing the operational details, drawn up under Operation Sorbus, but it stated that the plans included a list of vulnerable areas of the summit venue at Gleneagles, in Perthshire, Scotland.

The details also revealed maps showing reinforced fencing to keep out potential protesters and suicide bombers and aerial photographs of the venue marking likely terrorist targets, the newspaper said.

The whistleblower, described as a member of the intelligence community, said he leaked the plans to shock ministers who had taken security arrangements at the summit for granted.

"I have increasingly been appalled by the air of complacency surrounding this event, particularly as displayed by ministers," the source told the newspaper.

"The release of a portion of non-operational material is intended as a wake-up call before that complacency becomes truly dangerous."

The leaked plans also reportedly contained the location of a special forces base, the placing of troops and a wrangle between Britain and the United States over the deployment of surface-to-air missiles.

The Independent on Sunday said all the security material handed to it had now been destroyed.

Willie Bald, the assistant chief constable for Tayside Police, which is responsible for security around Gleneagles, dismissed as "nonsense" any suggestion that the leak might have upset security preparations for the summit.

"We can see no reason why someone genuinely concerned about security plans for the summit would see any benefit in speaking to the press," he added.

"No such concerns have been raised with Tayside Police and to say ministers, or indeed anyone involved in the preparations for the summit, are approaching the event with complacency could not be further from the truth."

Bald expressed confidence in the "comprehensive security operation" for the event.

Following the leak, the opposition Conservative Party said the home office must "reappraise all aspects" of G8 security.

- AFP