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UK police 'foil terror plots'
17/02/2002 14:44 - (SA)
London - British intelligence agents have prevented several attacks by
Osama bin Laden including a ship-bomb in London's docklands area, a
British Sunday paper said.
Intelligence chiefs have told ministers that Britain is under
"sustained attack" by al-Qaeda extremists and is also overdue an
assault by the Real IRA, a militant splinter group of Northern
Ireland's paramilitary Irish Republican Army, the Sunday Express
said.
MI6 working with the CIA had foiled at least two attacks on
British assets in Africa, where bin Laden's terror group was blamed
for destroying two US embassies in 1998, killing 250 people, it
added.
"Al-Qaeda terrorists are active. Only good intelligence, good
fortune and the somewhat primitive nature of the preparations have
prevented a major attack that would have resulted in substantial
loss of life," a senior security source told the paper.
A tip-off before Christmas led to a raid on the MV Nisha cargo
ship in the English Channel, and although the boat was later
released, the security source did not think the threat had passed.
"The MV Nisha was not a false alarm. We have very good evidence
that there are plans for a very big bang in Docklands (east
London)." - Sapa-AFP
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