UPI : 12 in custody for British terror plot

12 in custody for British terror plot

April 10, 2009

MANCHESTER, England, April 10 (UPI) -- Police in the English city of Manchester say 12 suspects are in custody in an alleged terror plot to bomb local shopping centers.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said 11 of the suspects are Pakistani nationals and one is a Briton. He also said 10 homes were searched for clues to suspected terror attacks planned for Easter weekend, The Daily Telegraph said Friday.

The suspects were all arrested Wednesday.

"It could have been the next few days (for the suspected attacks) and they were talking about 10 days at the outside," one unidentified source said. "We had to act."

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he intends to open a line of communication with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari regarding potential terror attacks.

"We know that there are links between terrorists in Britain and terrorists in Pakistan," Brown said. "That is an important issue for us to follow through, and that's why I will be talking to President Zardari about what Pakistan can do to help us in the future."

© 2009 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Mail : Brown clashes with Pakistan over terror suspects handed student visas by Home Office

Brown clashes with Pakistan over terror suspects handed student visas by Home Office

By David Williams and James Slack | April 10, 2009

The scandalous exploitation of Britain's lax student visas rules by a suspected Al Qaeda cell erupted into a huge diplomatic row today between Gordon Brown and Pakistan.

The Prime Minister declared that Pakistan 'has to do more to root out terrorist elements in its country' in the wake of the revelation that 11 of the 12 suspects had travelled to Britain from the country.

But at least 10 of the 12 were allowed to enter by the Home Office after successfully applying for student visas.

As security forces in Britain carried out a desperate search for the terrorist bomb factory, Pakistan's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom said it was the UK that was guilty of not doing enough to carry out security checks on foreign students.

Wajid Shamsul Hasan said Pakistani authorities could help carry out background checks on student visa applicants but were not allowed to.

He said: 'It is at your end you have to do something more. Every day we are raiding people, we are arresting people, we are arresting suspects wherever we find them.'

The row will leave Mr Brown red-faced amid increasing concerns the Government has ignored repeated warnings about the dangers of both the student visa rules and bogus colleges.

Government figures showed 42,292 student visas were issued to Pakistani students between April 2004 and April 2008.

At the same time, it appears a supposed 2007 crackdown on bogus colleges - which charge foreign students thousands of pounds for fake academic courses - failed to detect the suspects seized this week in the North-West of England.

Only one is understood to have been studying at a reputable institution. Officials also believe they lied about their financial resources to evade a Home Office test of their ability to pay for their studies.

Immigration Minister Phil Woolas insisted today that foreign national students were checked against watchlists of criminals and suspects from other countries.

'It's naive to think that we don't check, we do work very closely with the Pakistan authorities, indeed we've been criticised for doing so,' he said - only a week after he said student visas were 'the major loophole in Britain's border controls'.

He told BBC Radio 4's PM programme today that there were 285 million people coming in and out of the country every year, including nearly 400,000 issued with student visas.

'We do have these systems of checking these people to the best of our ability and we are acknowledged in international police circles as being one of the best in the world,' he went on.

Mr Woolas said he had no detail of the arrests from this week but 'the fact of the matter' was that the individuals had been identified.

'But the serious point that the opposition parties and other commentators must address is that if they continue to oppose our electronic borders system, then not only will there be loopholes, there will be a gaping chasm and we would not be able to protect the public.'

He added: 'We do under the new tougher points-based system of course have paper checks and people have to provide documents, but we also use intelligence from our own services and from overseas countries in a targeted way exactly as has been suggested by the High Commissioner and David Blunkett.'

The Home Office stressed yesterday that all students are checked against terror 'watch lists' and must be sponsored by a registered university or college.

The most notorious terror 'students' was Dhiren Barot, said to be Osama Bin Laden's 'UK general', who was jailed in 2006 for planning terrorist attacks.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling warned last night: 'Given these latest revelations, we need to urgently step up monitoring of applications from parts of the world where we face terror issues.'

The search for the terrorist bomb factory is being concentrated on a rundown block of flats east of Liverpool city centre, The Times has reported.

The terror suspects were being questioned last night amid reports that they had planned a massive bomb attack within days, possibly as soon as Easter Monday.

Some had been seen by surveillance officers filming shopping centres in Manchester, which would be packed on a Bank Holiday.

Sultan Sher was arrested at the Cyber Net cafe in the Cheetham Hill area of Manchester, alongside a man known as Tariq.

Abid Naseer was arrested at a house in the same area, while one of his housemates, Hamza Shenwari, was arrested on the nearby M602.

Abdul Khan was arrested in Liverpool, as was John Moores University student Muhammad Adil, who was later released.

The 14 raids, in Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside, had to be brought forward after police anti-terror chief Bob Quick was photographed holding a secret document detailing the targets.

Mr Quick, 49, resigned yesterday but will walk away with an index-linked pension worth £110,000 a year - or £85,000 a year plus a lump sum of about £520,000.

Exploiting the student visa loopholes would be a frightening new tactic for Al Qaeda.

Students from abroad require a bank statement showing enough cash to pay fees of £10,000 or more a year, plus £6,000 living costs.

With the Pakistanis all believed to originate from poor tribal regions, there are suspicions that funds may have been provided directly by Al Qaeda or the Taliban.

Far from studying, at least four of the men had been working as security guards. One had told neighbours he was attending a college which has actually closed.

Patrick Mercer, head of the Commons anti-terrorism sub-committee, last night demanded an urgent investigation.

Police are said to have moved in on the suspects after uncovering coded emails and internet 'chatter' indicating that the suspects were close to an attack.

They had been seen photographing or filming at four possible targets in Manchester - St Ann's Square, the Arndale Centre and Trafford Centre shopping complexes, and the Birdcage nightclub.

A Manchester police official said: 'Even though specific targets were never mentioned in their email chatter, these men were no tourists, and taking these pictures was highly suspicious.'

Greater Manchester Chief Constable Peter Fahy said: 'They were a highly credible threat. Several dates listed on emails indicated a strong chance they may have moved in the next ten days. We had to take action'

Anti-terror investigators believe some of the men, whose ages range from teenagers to 41, received training in the terrorist camps of Kashmir and the Pakistan tribal areas.

Officials believe the cell represents a major change in the threat to Britain.

The July 7 suicide bombings and other recent foiled plots have all involved British-born terrorists. But most of those currently held are from Pakistan.

Investigations are said to be going on in Pakistan where officials said yesterday they had given British authorities the names of 36 of their citizens suspected of having trained in terror camps and now being in the UK.

The list is said to have been compiled by the ISI, Pakistan's intelligence service.

The suspects are believed to have been trained in South Waziristan by the radical group Jaish e Mohammad.

The group was linked to the British terror suspect Rashid Rauf, believed to have been killed in a U.S. missile strike.

The revelation that the suspected terror cell was imported into Britain by an apparently legal route is a huge embarrassment for ministers.

Any migrant wanting a visa is supposed to undergo rigorous checks. They are also checked against terror watch lists.

But there have been a series of warnings, dating back to at least 2005, that checks are not sufficiently robust.

The Al Qaeda suspects who pose as security guards

Members of the suspected Al Qaeda cell may have been working as security guards to make it easier to access high-profile targets, it emerged yesterday.

At least four of them were employed as security men, two at a large hardware store where the gang would have had access to potential bomb-making materials.

Last night, staff at the new branch of Homebase in Clitheroe, Lancashire, said they had been ordered to carry out a stock check.

It was focusing on materials such as fertiliser and flammable household liquids which could have been used for a bomb. The two men were staying at a local bed and breakfast, which was also searched.

They were employed by a Newcastle-based company called Sky Interserve UK, acting as a sub-contractor for the Essex firm Manpower Direct

Two suspects arrested in a house in the multi-ethnic Manchester suburb of Cheetham Hill also worked as security guards, neighbours said.

They were also believed to be studying the Koran and worshipped five times a day at a nearby mosque, the Al-Falah Islamic Centre.

Neighbours said they were Pashtuns, originally from Afghanistan, and aged around 30 and 40.

One Muslim woman living nearby said they had criticised her for not wearing a full veil, telling her she was 'immodest'.

Another neighbour, Mohammed Ashraf, said he knew the older man.

He said: 'He works as a security guard but he also travels around a lot - here, Birmingham, London. He runs market stalls selling fruit and vegetables.'

Telegraph : Terror plot: Baitullah Mehsud profile

Terror plot: Baitullah Mehsud profile

By Dean Nelson, South Asia Editor | April 10, 2009

Baitullah Mehsud, leader of the Pakistan Taliban, is a "terrible man" according to President Obama's special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke.

Which is why the US state department last month offered a $5 million dollar reward for information leading to his capture.

The reward was a rite of passage for Mehsud, reflecting his rise from a small tribal leader in North Waziristan, close to the Afghan border, to the leader of all Taliban forces in Pakistan, and now allegedly the greatest individual threat to Pakistan's survival.

He emerged as a leader in 2004 when he launched a series of attacks against the Pakistan Army and gangsters who had been terrorising local tribesmen.

He was formally appointed 'Emir' of Waziristan by Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar, to whom he has pledged allegiance, and in 2005 pulled off a spectacular coup by forcing the Pakistan government to sign a peace deal.

The government paid $500,000 as 'compensation' to Mehsud's commanders, knowing it would be used to repay debts to al Qaeda.

The deal quickly collapsed, but it allowed al Qaeda's leadership to rebuild its global headquarters in tribal areas under Mehsud's control, and gave him space to extend his reign of terror.

Although his 'justice' is brutal, many of his actions were also popular, including the murder of criminals who were hung from lamp-posts. Opponents were sent 1,000 rupee notes and a needle and thread for it to be stitched into their funeral shrouds, and within 24 hours many were dead.

He now has more than 20,000 fighters, and Osama bin Laden's son has trained as a commander under his wing. In December 2007, he was accused of assassinating Benazir Bhutto, which he has denied.

Since President Obama came to power, a number of his senior commanders have been killed in US drone attacks. He has threatened tto launch two suicide bomb attacks every week and strike inside the United States if they do not stop.

Telegraph : Terror plot: Neighbours surprise that 'such nice ordinary lads' had been arrested

Terror plot: Neighbours surprise that 'such nice ordinary lads' had been arrested

By Nigel Bunyan, Paul Stokes, Nick Britten and Caroline Gammell | April 10, 2009

The suspects in the alleged terrorism plot include two security guards, an English language and three accountancy students.

Of the dozen men detained, eleven of them are Pakistani and arrived in the UK on student visas at different times in the past six months.

Some of the suspects, whose ages range from their late teens to 41, were said to speak fluent Pashto, the language of the Pashtun people of Afghanistan, and another had alleged links to Yemen.

Pakistani intelligence sources said that one of the men held had confirmed links to the Waziristan area of Pakistan, a Taliban stronghold on the frontier with Afghanistan.

As often seen with massive police raids, local residents were shocked at the implication that there were terrorism suspects in their midst on the terraced streets of Manchester, Liverpool and Clitheroe, Lancs.

The Daily Telegraph can disclose the names of six of those held.

:: Sultan Sher was arrested at a cyber net café in the Cheetham Hill area of Manchester, alongside a man called Tariq.

:: Abdul Khan, 26, an English language student was arrested in Liverpool, where a student known as Adil was also detained.

:: Abid Nazeer, 22, the alleged ring-leader of the group, who was born in Pakistan and lived with two others arrested in Cheetham Hill, including Hamza Shinwari.

Neighbours said the men moved in around September last year, during the festival of Ramadan.

Bushra Majid 33, said she had heard the two men speaking on mobile telephones in Pashtun dialect used by Afghans.

She also described the men as having the appearance of Afghans, with darker colouring and longer beards than most Pakistanis.

Mrs Majid, a housewife with four children, said that they worshipped at the nearby Al-Falah mosque every day.

“They were very nice neighbours, they were very religious to the extent that, out of respect, they would not look me in the eye,” she said.

Two suspects were arrested at the Clitheroe branch of Homebase, where they worked as security guards, having checked into a local guest eight days ago (April 2).

The pair, both Pakistanis, paid £30-a-night for rooms at the Brooklyn Guest House. Each morning they walked the quarter of a mile to Homebase where there job was to sign staff in and out as they stocked shelves in readiness for the store’s official opening yesterday.

“They both just seemed like nice, ordinary lads in their late twenties,” said a Homebase source. “One spoke relatively good English, the other not too well. I was amazed to hear they’d been arrested.”

All dozen suspects appeared to have kept a low profile in the areas they lived. Neighbours and landlords said they knew very little of them and had contact with them only on an occasional basis for mundane reasons, such as when they needed a faulty washing machine to be fixed.

The Pakistani accountancy students were at Liverpool John Moores University and had started renting a property three weeks ago. They paid cash up front for six months.

Businessman Ali Shalash, whose rented the flat to them spoke of his surprise.

“They spoke good English and just said they were students. I think they said they were doing accounting.

“I have been in the flat many times in the last few weeks to do things like fix the washing machine.

LMK: “There was nothing about them that was suspicious in any way. They are very nice people, gentle and polite. Let’s see what happens. “Maybe it’s a mistake.”

Safwa Mohamed, 26, who is studying nursing at John Moores University and lives in Wavertree, Liverpool, where three men were arrested, said she used to travel on the same bus as the men into college.

“They would stay as a group and they would wander around together – they were pretty quiet,” she said. “They would get the 86 into town and then walk to the university. I used to see them walking on the road.”

One neighbour of the group said: “Loads of men live there, they are all Yemeni and I used to talk to them because my husband is also from Yemen. I was very shocked when I heard they had been raided by terror police.”

Three other students were arrested in Cheetham Hill and are believed to be at Manchester University.

At a property raided Manchester police sealed off a grey MG Rover ZR, which contained on the driver’s seat a copy of the English-speaking newspaper from Pakistan called “The News”. The headline read: “Taliban blamed for sectarian suicide attack on Mosque”.

On the vehicle dashboard in front of the gearstick, there was a small paper cut-out of a foreign military figure holding a machine gun.

Telegraph : Al-Qaeda terror plot: searches continue over alleged plan to bomb Easter shoppers

Al-Qaeda terror plot: searches continue over alleged plan to bomb Easter shoppers

By Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent | April 10, 2009

Police investigating an alleged al-Qaeda plot to carry out an "Easter spectacular" of co-ordinated suicide bomb attacks on shopping centres in Manchester are continuing to search a number of addresses in Liverpool.

Eleven Pakistani nationals and one UK-born Briton were still being questioned at various locations in the UK in connection with the alleged plot.

The men, ten of whom hold student visas, can be detained for up to 28 days.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: "Twelve suspects remain in custody in various locations across the country.

"A further address on Highgate Street, Liverpool, is also being searched, bringing the total number of addresses being searched to ten."

The police statement came as Downing Street revealed that Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, had spoken with the President of Pakistan about the threat from terrorism.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "The President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Gordon Brown spoke by telephone last night.

"They agreed that the UK and Pakistan share a serious threat from terrorism and violent extremism, and committed to work together to address this common challenge."

Mr Brown said: "We know that there are links between terrorists in Britain and terrorists in Pakistan. That is an important issue for us to follow through and that's why I will be talking to President Zardari about what Pakistan can do to help us in the future."

Sources told The Daily Telegraph that the arrests of 12 men in the north west of England on Wednesday were linked to a suspected plan to launch a devastating attack this weekend.

Some of the suspects were watched by MI5 agents as they filmed themselves outside the Trafford Centre on the edge of Manchester, the Arndale Centre in the city centre, and the nearby St Ann's Square.

Police were forced to round up the alleged plotters after they were overheard discussing dates, understood to include the Easter bank holiday, one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year.

"It could have been the next few days and they were talking about 10 days at the outside," one source said. "We had to act." Police are now engaged in a search for an alleged bomb factory, where explosives might have been assembled.

If such a plot was carried out, it would almost certainly have been Britain's worst terrorist attack, with the potential to cause more deaths than the suicide attacks of July 7, 2005, when 52 people were murdered.

A plan to arrest the suspects in a series of co-ordinated raids yesterday morning had to be hastily brought forward to Wednesday afternoon after the country's most senior anti-terrorism officer, Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick, of the Metropolitan Police, was photographed going into Downing Street carrying a briefing paper with top secret details of Operation Pathway in full view.

Mr Quick resigned after he was told by the Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, that he had lost her confidence and that of MI5.

As a result of his blunder, hundreds of police officers had to be scrambled to arrest the suspects, who were being monitored round the clock.

Former police chiefs pointed out that rounding up suspected suicide bombers in public places in Liverpool, Manchester and Clitheroe, Lancs, had put other people at risk and could also have compromised the operation.

All but one of the men arrested were Pakistani nationals who came to Britain on student visas. This suggested a possible new tactic by al-Qaeda, which had previously used British-based extremists who travelled to Pakistan for training.

The issue of student visas represents a potential security nightmare for the police and MI5. There are 330,000 foreign students in Britain and around 10,000 such visas are issued every year to Pakistanis alone.

Phil Woolas, the Immigration Minister, has described the student visa system as "the major loophole in Britain's border controls".

Several of the suspects who were being questioned last night, were from the al-Qaeda heartlands in Pakistan's border area with Afghanistan.

Peter Fahy, chief constable of Greater Manchester, said police had been forced to act to protect the public. Asked about al-Qaeda involvement, he added: "We know what is the nature of the threat to this country and where it comes from."

But he sought to reassure shoppers, and added: "I would like to say I would have no hesitation, or any of my family, in using any of those locations that have been mentioned."

The security services suspect that several of the men arrested were trained at religious schools in Pakistan and sent to launch suicide attacks on the West.

They were suspected to have Continued on Page 5 Continued from Page 1 chosen Easter as the most significant Christian holiday for an attack.

Police believe the suspects may have smuggled bomb-making equipment into the country and were ready to launch their attacks.

Sources said police had arrested the man they suspected was the ring-leader, Abid Naseer, 22, at an address in Galsworthy Avenue in Cheetham Hill, Manchester.

He is said to be from the tribal areas of Pakistan where the Taliban and al-Qaeda have established their base.

The alleged members of the cell had signed up for a range of student courses, while two were employed as security guards at a new Homebase store in Clitheroe, Lancs.

Among the locations raided on Wednesday afternoon was the Cyber Net Café in Cheetham Hill, where it is thought the men communicated using emails.

Security sources suspect they received their instructions from al-Qaeda commanders in Pakistan.

The leader of the Pakistan Taliban is Baitullah Mehsud, who last week claimed responsibility for an attack on a police compound in Lahore and promised to attack the West. At least one of the arrested men is from Mehsud's heartland of South Waziristan, sources in Pakistan said.

CBN : Terrorists Arrested for U.K. Easter Attack Plot

Terrorists Arrested for U.K. Easter Attack Plot

CBNNews.com | April 10, 2009

CBNNews.com - A dozen members of an Al-Qaeda cell have been arrested in England.

According to the Daily Telegraph the alleged terrorists were only days away from carrying out suicide bomb attacks over the Easter holiday.

The men were overheard discussing plans to launch the devastating attack in Manchester, England.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown described the alleged plot as "very big."

Security sources suspect the men got instructions from commanders in Pakistan.

Eleven of the men are Pakistani nationals in Britain on student visas.

ABC : Easter Bomb Plot: Terrorists Targeted England Hot Spots

Easter Bomb Plot: Terrorists Targeted England Hot Spots

Fundamentalist Bombers Used Student Visas to Enter Country

By JIM SCIUTTO and RICHARD ESPOSITO | April 10, 2009

With terror attacks planned for as early as this symbolic four-day Easter holiday weekend in England, Muslim fundamentalist bombers who used student visas to enter the country had identified crowded shopping malls and nightclubs as likely targets as they sought to maximize casualties, according to counter-terrorism sources.

Police sources confirmed for ABC News British media accounts that those possible targets included the Birdcage nightclub in downtown Manchester and the Trafford Center shopping complex, which can have as many as 140,000 shoppers on a weekend.

The use of student visas is the latest wrinkle in the continued campaign of Pakistani-linked terrorists to strike in England. That terror campaign in its most lethal attack killed 52 transit riders on July 7, 2005, and injured several hundred more.

The current Easter Bomb Plot case, dubbed Operation Pathway by authorities, was a long-term police operation, according to senior intelligence officials, and the alleged plotters had been under constant surveillance. The disclosure of top secret documents this week forced authorities to rush to arrest them.

The early take down of the operation was triggered when British media circulated photographs of Scotland Yard's top terrorism official, Bob Quick, on his way to a meeting with the Prime Minister Wednesday, exiting his car at 10 Downing St. holding a document marked "secret" with operational details visible to photographers. The document revealed how many terrorist suspects were to be arrested, and in which cities. It revealed that armed police officers would force entry into homes. The operation's secret code headed the document.

Within several hours of the mid-day release of those photographs -- which appeared on the internet before a government order to prevent publication could be issued -- most of the suspects were in police custody and the searches for evidence were underway.

Nonetheless, some informed experts were concerned that the early takedown could result in a spate of not-guilty verdicts on the most serious charges -- as happened in the 2006 Operation Overt case where, as a result of U.S. meddling, according to British officials, the case against plotters who planned to take down multiple airliners with liquid explosives mixed on board was aborted before British police and intelligence officers were satisfied they would have enough evidence to win guilty verdicts.

'Homegrown' Terrorists

But other knowledgeable experts in Britain noted that as it appeared in this case that the police were just hours or a few days away from concluding their case, the likelihood of such a strong impact on any eventual court cases is probably minimal.

In the past, "homegrown" terrorists including British nationals and residents of Pakistani descent with strong links to Pakistan have organized a number of attacks, including the July 7, 2005 attack that claimed 52 lives and injured hundreds of others.

Additionally, terror attackers originally from East Africa but with ties to Pakistani terrorist leaders were tied to the aborted July 21, 2005 London transit system attacks. But with the homegrown plotters under intense pressure from authorities who are using aggressive surveillance on all active cells and who have foiled 16-18 full blown terror plots since 2004, and disrupted at least several dozen more, terrorist plotters exploited a loophole in the student visa process to send foreign operatives into Britain.

By Wednesday evening, political pressure -- apparently orchestrated behind the scenes by members of the country's conservative party -- had escalated to the point where Quick was forced to resign from office.

On Friday, evidence searches continued in areas including Liverpool, where a block of apartment buildings was evacuated as evidence teams collected large amounts of material and bomb squad team members stood by should they have been needed. The possibility that the attackers were linked to a group that planned simultaneous attacks inside of Pakistan have raised concern among U.S. and UK terror officials about a growing aggressive stance.

Of those arrested, 11 males were Pakistani nationals, and 10 were on student visas. One of those arrested was British. The arrest occurred in places including parking lots, residences and a university campus. At least 10 locations were raided by police as they collected their evidence.

It was unknown if explosives or the common household and commercial chemicals used to make them had been seized in the raids. But hazardous material and explosives experts were present throughout the operation.

Telegraph : Terror plot: search for explosives

Terror plot: search for explosives

The hunt for explosives linked to an alleged plot to blow up shopping centres in Manchester intensified yesterday.

By Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent | April 10, 2009

Officers believe that the alleged plot was in its final stages and could have been planned for the Easter weekend but have yet to discover any bomb-making equipment.

In the past, terrorist cells have proven adept at hiding bomb-making materials by hiring lock-ups or burying any evidence.

Police believe the plan was to launch suicide attacks on targets including the Trafford and Arndale shopping centres and St Ann's Square in the city.

Sources said officers had identified a number of "key addresses" among the properties raided in Manchester and Liverpool since Wednesday.

They suspect that Abid Naseer, 22, was the ring leader. He was living at Galsworthy Avenue, in Cheetham Hill, Manchester and two other men living at the same address have also been arrested.

At properties in Cedar Grove, Toxteth, and Earle Rd, Wavertree, a total of four men have been arrested in Liverpool, along with a fifth who was detained at John Moores University.

Two security guards arrested in Clitheroe, Lancashire, had apparently moved into a bed and breakfast hotel there from flats in Highgate Street, in Edge Hill, Liverpool.

Around a dozen black-clad armed officers raided the Highgate St flat above an off licence on Wednesday.

Two men arrested at the Cyber Net Café in Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester, are thought to be of lesser interest.

Searches are continuing at three other properties in Cheetham Hill but nothing "significant" has yet been found, sources said.

Officers have also examined two cars as part of the investigation.

The suspects at Cedar Grove in Toxteth were often seen "obsessively" adjusting their yellow Nissan Micra, neighbours said, and the vehicle was later towed away for forensic exmaination.

A silver Rover MG ZR car parked outside a house in Abercarn Close, Manchester, which contained a newspaper clipping of a man in military uniform, was cordoned off by police.

MI5 is working "around the clock" to identify material from a surveillance operation that may be of use to the investigating team.

In total, 12 people have been arrested, aged between their mid-teens and 41, of whom 11 are Pakistani nationals.

Yesterday reports emerged of arrests in Pakistan in connection with the investigation.

It is thought that a group was sent from the al-Qaeda heartlands in the tribal areas of Pakistan to attack Britain, travelling under student visas.

Sources have said the group was connected with Rashid Rauf from Birmingham, a senior member of al-Qaeda, said to have been killed in a US missile attack last year.

Telegraph : 'Terror plotters' allowed to stay despite visa breaches

'Terror plotters' allowed to stay despite visa breaches

At least two of the men suspected of being members of an alleged al-Qaeda cell had been allowed to stay in Britain despite allegedly breaching the conditions of their student visas, The Daily Telegraph has learnt.

By Duncan Gardham, Nigel Bunyan and Dean Nelson | April 10, 2009

One man was stopped by immigration officials at Manchester Airport last week as he arrived from Pakistan, but was allowed to enter the country despite his visa documents being "all over the place", according to one source.

Another suspect was threatened with deportation after immigration officials discovered he was working as a security guard instead of studying, but he was nonetheless allowed to stay.

The revelations will intensify pressure on the Government to carry out a complete overhaul of the student visa system after it emerged that all but one of the 12 suspects being held on suspicion of plotting an "Easter spectacular" bombing campaign had come to the UK from Pakistan on student visas approved by the Home Office.

Patrick Mercer, the chairman of the parliamentary counter-terrorism subcommittee, described the UK Border Agency's failure to act as "a disgrace" and a "frightening" lapse of immigration controls.

There were also calls yesterday for greater co-operation between the UK and Pakistan in vetting applicants for student visas, with Pakistan's high commissioner suggesting vetting procedures were currently inadequate.

Anti-terrorist police are continuing to search 10 premises in Manchester, Liverpool and Clitheroe, Lancs., following Wednesday's arrests of a suspected terror cell which police believe may have been planning suicide bomb attacks on three shopping centres in Manchester over the Easter weekend.

A security source has told The Daily Telegraph that one of the men was stopped after he flew into Manchester Airport from Pakistan only last week, when immigration officials discovered he did not have the correct documents to enter the country.

"It was a shambles," the source said. "This man's documents were all over the place when he landed. He was allowed to proceed on the basis that he had to come back for an appointment with immigration at a later date and show them correct documents. He was effectively left free to do whatever he wanted."

Another suspect, Johnus Khan, was allegedly working virtually full-time as a security guard on building sites until three months ago, when he was challenged by immigration officials.

His former employer, Haroon Khan, said: "As a student, you're only allowed to work for a certain number of hours if you are on a student visa. He worked above his allowed amount. When immigration got involved, some of his friends were deported.

"He was working four or five days a week and we had to cut down to two."

He said Mr Khan was enrolled at Liverpool John Moores University.

"I don't know what he studied," his employer added. "As far as I knew he was never at university, just always working."

Mr Mercer said of the latest revelations: "This is symptomatic of the fact that there are wholesale breaches of immigration regulations and yet nothing ever seems to be done about it.

"This is especially worrying when you consider that it seems to be the case with terrorism issues time after time. Alleged terrorists have already been in the hands of our security authorities but nothing has been done."

Almost 400,000 student visas are granted every year, with around 10,000 being issued in Pakistan alone. Foreign students bring with them a £10 billion boost to the economy which the Government is keen to encourage.

But the deluge of applicants has led to concerns that proper background checks are not being carried out.

Foreign students are such big business that many British universities have set up representative offices abroad to encourage more students to apply for entry.

The Daily Telegraph has discovered that two of the suspects arrested on Wednesday obtained their visas after applying to Liverpool John Moores University through one such representative office in Peshawar.

A well-placed source said Abdul Wahab Khan had applied for his place in 2006 and that the university's visa advice service had helped him and one of the other suspects. Khan's visa was issued the same year.

The other suspect advised by Liverpool John Moore University's Peshawar office is believed to be from Landi Kotal, a district in the Khyber Agency close to the Afghan border.

A British immigration lawyer in Pakistan, Shahid Aslam, said UK universities were desperate for fee-paying Pakistani students and that consultants who provide successful applicants are paid up to 25 per cent of first year tuition fees, which can amount to more than £2,500 per student.

"It's a lucrative business," he said.

Sir Andrew Green, chairman of the campaign group Migrationwatch UK, said: "Student visas have long been a gaping hole in our border controls which the Government has chosen to ignore, partly because of the fees that foreign students pay."

Lancashire Telegraph : Terror arrests: Police swoop in Liverpool and Manchester

Terror arrests: Police swoop in Liverpool and Manchester

April 10, 2009

POLICE investigating an alleged al Qaida terror plot in the North West were today searching an additional address.

The additional address being searched by counter-terrorism officers is in Liverpool, close to where some of the suspects were arrested.

Eleven Pakistani nationals and one UK-born Briton are still being questioned at various locations in the UK in connection with the alleged plot.

The men, ten of whom hold student visas, can be detained for up to 28 days.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: “Twelve suspects remain in custody in various locations across the country.

”A further address on Highgate Street, Liverpool, is also being searched, bringing the total number of addresses being searched to ten.”

Arrests were made on Wednesday at a cyber cafe and home in Cheetham Hill, Manchester and John Moores University, Liverpool.

Liverpool

Witnesses at the university said two Asian men in their mid to late 20s were held by armed police outside the main library on Maryland Street.

They described how the men were stopped as they walked past the main entrance and ordered to lie on the ground.

Terrified students were held inside the library for up to 30 minutes as the two men were searched by police before being taken away.

Two students who were in the university’s Aldham Robarts library when the arrests took place said a ‘distressed voice’ came over the Tannoy asking students to stay away from the windows for their own safety.

Craig Ahmed, 24, a business student from Maghull, Merseyside, said: “One of them was armed and was pointing his gun at two men who were ordered to lie face down on the ground.

“They looked like students; one was wearing tracksuit bottoms and a hooded top and the other had a Puffa-style jacket on.

“There was talk that they had a bomb and it spread like wildfire around the building.”

Manchester

The cafe in the basement of a row of shops on a main road has a sign outside advertising itself as Cyber Net Cafe and computer repair shop.

Up to three men were taken from the cafe by police, according to locals.

Mesu Raza, who lives in a flat above the cafe, said: “They had handcuffs on, they were Asian men, and the police were armed.”

A woman living close to one of the Cheetham Hill addresses raided by police said three men were taken away.

The men had lived in the row of terraces for around a year and attended a mosque, she said.

She said: “They were just nice neighbours, not noisy.”

Lancashire Telegraph : Guests at Clitheroe B&B speak of terror swoop shock

Guests at Clitheroe B&B speak of terror swoop shock

By Sally Henfield | April 10, 2009

A GUEST at the B&B swooped on by anti-terror police has told of his shock.

John Davey, 57, and his wife Daphne, 62, were in Clitheroe for a friend’s funeral and had booked into the Brooklyn Guest House, Pimlico Road, for two nights.

But they had to move to a hotel in Blackburn after police vans, a helicopter and a search team descended on the ivy-clad Victorian town house, where two men suspected of having links to al Qaida had been staying.

The suspects, who were not from East Lancashire, had been staying at the B&B while they worked as security guards at the Clitheroe Homebase.

Scores of police swooped on the DIY store on Wednesday to arrest the men.

Another ten suspects were arrested in simultaneous raids in Manchester and Liverpool.

Mr Davey, from Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, and his wife had been out when police arrived at the B&B to conduct searches, which were still going on yesterday.

He said: “We had already spent one night at the bed and breakfast and it had been perfectly lovely.

“The staff had been very helpful.

“We had seen one man, who looked like he may have been of Pakistani origin, sitting in the restaurant for breakfast watching the news on Wednesday morning.

“He didn't say anything to us but he did seem to indicate to the landlady that it would be his last night there."

The couple had been for a Chinese meal in the town on Wednesday evening and returned to the bed and breakfast at around 8.45pm.

Mr Davey said: "We knew there had been some sort of major incident in Clitheroe because of the number of police vans in the area but we had no idea that it was connected to where we were staying.

"We were greeted at the door by two policemen, who were absolutely charming and courteous.

“We were told that something was going on and we would not be able to stay.

“We were then given permission to go to our room and get our things, escorted by an officer, and then we followed the police to a hotel on the A59."

He added: "It was only when we got to the hotel and saw the news that we discovered what had gone on.

"We weren't told anything by the police but, to be honest, I don't think many of the officers at the scene would have known what had been happening because it was quite high level stuff.

"There had been no indication of what may or may not have been going on at the bed and breakfast.

"It didn't spoil our stay - and in fact we are returning to Clitheroe soon and hope to stay at Brooklyn Guest House again."

Lancashire Telegraph : Police chief urges North West people not to fear terror 'targets'

Police chief urges North West people not to fear terror 'targets'

April 10, 2009

PEOPLE living in the North West have been urged not to let speculation over potential terror targets affect their Easter plans.

Greater Manchester Chief Constable Peter Fahy said the public should not fear visiting any of the reported targets of a suspected al Qaida plot over the weekend.

Mr Fahy said he and his family would have “no hesitation” in using shopping locations such as Manchester’s Trafford Centre and Arndale Centre.

Whitehall sources said the 12 men arrested across the North West on Wednesday were under surveillance by MI5 and police for weeks but the nature or potential target of the plot remained unclear.

One source said: “There was information of sufficient concern that action needed to be taken. Work is ongoing to get to the bottom of it.”

The official described reports the alleged plotters may have been sizing up “soft targets” such as shopping centres, nightclubs and football grounds like Old Trafford as “speculation”.

Security staff at the Trafford Centre said they had not been informed of any threat.

And a spokesman for the Arndale Centre said there was “no evidence” of any specific targeting of the complex.

Mr Fahy also said police had not uncovered a threat to a particular location, although the investigation was still ongoing.

”Clearly, there’s been some speculation about certain locations, particularly in the North West, concerning this investigation,” he said yesterday.

”There is no particular threat against any particular location and certainly not the ones mentioned in the media.

”I would like to say I would have no hesitation, or any of my family, in using any of those locations that have been mentioned.”

Eleven Pakistani nationals - of which at least 10 held student visas - and one UK-born British national remain in custody.

Daily Mirror : A Big Terror Plot

A BIG TERROR PLOT

Brown backs police for moving quickly to protect the public

By Paul Byrne and Laura Armstrong | April 10, 2009

Gordon Brown yesterday praised police for taking urgent and decisive action to foil a terrorist spectacular in the wake of the secret memo fiasco.

Mr Brown said: "We have been investigating a major terrorist plot. Our first concern is always the safety of the public. It is right we took the urgent action that we did.

"We are dealing with a very big terrorist plot.

We have been following it for some time. There were a number of people who are suspected of it who have been arrested. That police operation was successful." Ten of the twelve men arrested in raids across the North West were Pakistani nationals - and most of them were here on student visas.

A Home Office spokesman said all students applying to come to Britain were checked against lists of suspected terrorists.

But Sir Andrew Green of campaign group Migrationwatch UK said: "Student visas have long been a gaping hole in our border controls which the government has chosen to ignore, partly because of the fees that foreign students pay. Applicants from countries of concern like Pakistan and North Africa should be given a full interview by a UK-based visa officer and only admitted if they can demonstrate that they are genuine.

"Last year more than 10,000 students were admitted from Pakistan with what are clearly inadequate checks." Anti-terror officers who swooped on the 12 believe terrorists were planning to strike at Easter - possibly targeting Manchester shopping centres. They are believed to be the Trafford Centre, the Arndale Centre, the nearby Birdcage nightclub and St Ann's Square.

Undercover police allegedly watched suspects taking photos and using camcorders to film at some of the city's busiest spots.

Officers also believe a series of internet exchanges between suspects suggested a terror strike was imminent. It is thought the terrorists planned to use a car bomb.

A police source said: "Even though specific targets were never mentioned in the chatter, these men were not tourists and taking these pictures was thought to be suspicious.

"Several dates listed on emails indicated a strong chance they may have moved in the next 10 days." But Operation Pathway, the codename for the swoop on the suspects, had to be brought forward by about 12 hours after anti-terror chief Bob Quick was pictured carrying top secret briefing documents into 10 Downing Street on Wednesday.

Mr Quick yesterday resigned as assistant commissioner and apologised personally to the Prime Minister.

During the raids on premises in Merseyside, Manchester and Lancashire on Wednesday police recovered maps and other documents relating to the region.

Security sources believe a UK-based terror ring that supports al-Qaeda had been planning an atrocity for months.

They think the actual attack would have been carried out by a suicide team flown in from Pakistan. Twelve men - the youngest a teenager, the oldest, 41 - were still being questioned last night.

The Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police confirmed the raids had been brought forward because of Mr Quick's blunder.

Peter Fahy said: "What happened essentially meant we have brought the matter forward but it would have happened in the next 24 hours in any event. Our number one concern has got to be the safety of people." Mr Fahy said police had not uncovered a threat to a particular location, although the investigation was still ongoing. He added: "Clearly, there's been some speculation about certain locations, particularly in the North West, concerning this investigation.

"The threat level is already at a heightened state because of what is perceived and evaluated to be a threat to this country. There are no plans to raise that threat level any higher.

"Nobody anywhere in this country should feel any more afraid today as a result of the action we have taken." Mr Brown said he would be speaking to Pakistan's President Zardari to urge him to crack down on suspected terror links between his country and Britain.

He added: "We know that there are links between terrorists in Britain and terrorists in Pakistan. That is an important issue for us to follow through and that's why I will be talking to President Zardari about what Pakistan can do to help us in the future.

"I think we must not forget that the police have been successful in carrying out their arrests. And, of course, what happens in the next few days is a matter for the police.

"But we had to act pre-emptively to ensure the safety of the public and the safety of the public is the paramount and utmost concern in all that we do." Mr Brown said he had thanked Mr Quick for his years of service. He added: "He has made his apologies and was concerned an apology was made for a blunder that happened."

CLITHEROE

Two men were arrested by armed officers at the Homebase store in Clitheroe. Locals said they had been staying at the Brooklyn Guest House half a mile away and worked as security guards, supplied by Essex firm Manpower Direct.

MANCHESTER

Four addresses were raided in Cheetham Hill.

Forensics continue to work in Galsworthy Avenue, Cheetham Hill Road, Greenhill Road, Abercarn Close and Esmond Road.

A Galsworthy Avenue resident said two men were arrested at a lodging house.

Two men were held at a property in Cheetham Hill Road. A cyber cafe in the street was also searched.

Police tape surrounded a silver Rover MG ZR outside a raided semi-detached property in Abercarn Close.

Behind the gearstick was a newspaper clipping of an Asian man in uniform.

Neighbours said three Pakistani students had been living in Esmond Road for a short time.

A flat above a barber's shop in Greenhill Road, was also searched.

LIVERPOOL

Police raided a flat in Earle Road and two terraced homes, numbers 46 and 51, in Cedar Grove, Toxteth.

Earle Road property owner Ali Shalash said the flat, above an offlicence, was used by up to four Pakistani accounting students who had been there for three weeks. Police said one man was arrested.

Three men were arrested in Cedar Grove during two raids at about 5.30pm and 10pm.

At John Moores University, students said two men aged in their 20s were held by armed police in dramatic scenes outside the library.

Police later said one man was arrested.

M602

A further arrest took place on the M602, details of which are not yet known. The motorway runs from Eccles to Manchester.

Daily Record : Easter terror plot foiled by cops after Bob Quick memo blunder

Easter terror plot foiled by cops after Bob Quick memo blunder

Kevin Schofield | April 10, 2009

ANTI-TERRORIST police forced to swoop after a secret memo blunder say they foiled a plot to bomb Easter shoppers.

Suspects were allegedly seen filming at Manchester shops as intercepted emails hinted a strike was imminent.

A police source said: "These men weren't tourists. Taking pictures was suspicious."

Police had to bring the raids forward by 12 hours on Wednesday when anti-terror chief Bob Quick was pictured carrying documents that gave details of the plan.

Twelve men were arrested - but Quick, 49, later resigned.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown yesterday praised police for taking urgent and decisive action. He said: "We have been investigating a major terrorist plot.

"It is right we took the urgent action that we did. We are dealing with a very big terrorist plot. We have been following it for some time.

"A number of people suspected of it have been arrested."

Detectives believe terrorists were planning to strike at Easter, targeting Manchester shopping centres.

Undercover cops allegedly watched suspects taking photos and filming at some of the city's busiest spots.

A series of internet exchanges between suspects also suggested that a terror strike was imminent.

A police source said: "Several dates listed on emails indicated a strong chance they may have moved in the next 10 days." Operation Pathway, the codename for the raids, was brought forward after Quick was pictured carrying top-secret documents into 10 Downing Street He resigned as assistant commissioner yesterday and apologised to Brown.

During the raids in Merseyside, Manchester and Lancashire on Wednesday, police recovered maps and documents relating to the region.

Security sources believe a UK-based terror ring who support al-Qaeda had been planning an atrocity for months.

They think the actual attack would have been carried out by a suicide team flown in from Pakistan.

Twelve men - the youngest a teenager, the oldest 41 - were still being questioned last night.

Peter Fahy, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, said: "What happened essentially meant we have brought the matter forward but it would have happened in the next 24 hours in any event.

"Our number one concern has got to be the safety of people.

"The threat level is already at a heightened state. There are no plans to raise that threat level any higher.

"Nobody anywhere in this country should feel any more afraid today as a result of the action we have taken." Fahy said 11 of those arrested were Pakistani nationals.

Brown said he would be speaking to Pakistan's president Asif Ali Zardari, urging him to crack down on suspected terrorist links between his country and Britain.

He added: "What happens in the next few days is a matter for police.

"But we had to act pre-emptively to ensure the safety of the public and the safety of the public is the paramount and utmost concern in all that we do."

Brown said he had thanked Quick for his years of service. The PM added: "He has made his apologies and was very concerned that an apology was made for a blunder that happened."

Quick has been replaced as head of Scotland Yard's specialist operations wing by colleague John Yates.

Lancashire Telegraph : Anti-terror police finish Clitheroe search

Anti-terror police finish Clitheroe search

By Camilla Sutcliffe | April 10, 2009

ANTI-terror police investigating an alleged al Qaida terror plot in the North West last night finished their search of a Clitheroe guest house.

Police swooped on a Clitheroe DIY store on Wednesday and arrested two security guards suspected of links to al Qaida.

The men, who are not from East Lancashire, were working at the new Homebase store and staying at the town's Brooklyn Guest House, Pimlico Road.

They were arrested at 5.30pm in a series of swoops across the North West which saw another 10 held at homes, a cyber cafe and a university.

In East Lancashire, eye witnesses reported seeing scores of police cars arrive at the 25,000 sq ft store Homebase store, which is due to open tomorrow with the creation of 40 jobs.

It is understood police went inside the premises and detained two security guards.

Eyewitness David Cowgill said: “There were so many police cars, bikes and helicopters that we thought there had to be something like a robbery or something big going on right at that time.

“Later on it came on the news it was terror arrests.

“In the foyer of the store there must have been 20 police officers.

"It is going to be a good advert in a way for Homebase I suppose, but not the sort of thing you expect in Clitheroe.”

A woman who works nearby said: “There were loads of police speeding around the corner and they all went and parked around the garden centre end, running towards that way.

“At first there were a few riot vans and then a load of police arrived.

“We just heard they had arrested some security guards, but we were told anymore than that.”

By 6.30pm, just a solitary police van remained at the Homebase and officers' attention had switched to the Brooklyn Guest House.

Adam Howard, 38, a PR consultant, who lives opposite watched officers raid the B&B.

He said: “It was about 5.40pm. I was working at my desk and noticed a blue police van drive quite slowly past the window.

“It had a silver people carrier behind it.

“They both stopped outside the house and between 10 and 12 police officers all ran out towards the guest house.

“My first reaction was to shout for my wife and tell her to come and have a look.

“We then sat in the leather sofa in our bay window and watched it.

“Some of the officers ran to the back and some in the front.

"They did not have to break down the door.

“The officers were all wearing black and appeared to be armed with a black weapon, although I couldn't tell if it was a tasar or a gun.

“Shortly after it looked like search teams arrived.

“Outside the police were handing out leaflets explaining that arrests had been made in Clitheroe.

“It is not the sort of thing you expect in the quaint market town that Clitheroe is.”

Mark French, 51, of Pimlico Road, said: “It is hardly an everyday occurrence in Clitheroe.

"I don't know who was staying at the guest house, but dozens of police arrived.

“They were all over the place.

“It is a real shame for the owner of the guest house. She is very distressed.

“They have only been there a year or so but it has always been a nice guest house.”

A resident of Pimlico Road said: “Police officers have been going in and out all the time and nobody seems to be telling us what is happening.

“It is a real shame for the guest house owners who have done an awful lot of work doing it up.”

Clitheroe councillor and the borough's Liberal Democrat leader Allan Knox said: “It is shocking that something like this could happen in Clitheroe but it is reassuring that those arrested are not from the town.”

Local police have sought to reassure the community. Leaflets were handed out to residents explaining the action.

Chief Superintendent Andy Rhodes, divisional commander for Eastern Division which covers Clitheroe, said: “These arrests and subsequent searches of the address will be conducted with sensitivity and carried out as quickly as possible to ensure minimum impact on the areas concerned.

"However, these types of enquiries can be complex and may take time to resolve.

“It also means that we will be limited to what we can tell people.

“I would ask local residents to be patient with us and to be assured that we will keep them updated in relation to the investigation as and when we can by using local officers who they know and trust.”

Liverpool Echo : Liverpool flat at centre of Al-Qaeda bomb factory hunt

Liverpool flat at centre of Al-Qaeda bomb factory hunt

by Ben Rossington, Liverpool Echo | April 10, 2009

A CRUMBLING city flat was today at the centre of a search for a suspected Al-Qaeda bomb factory.

Officers were yesterday seen moving boxes and bags out of the block in Highgate Street, Edge Hill.

When anti-terror police raided the property late on Wednesday afternoon, following the arrest of a student at John Moores University, residents were evacuated from the road and made to wait behind a cordon.

A cordon remained around the block of flats today.

No-one was inside when it was stormed by police.

Officers made arrests at other properties in Earle Road, also Edge Hill, and Cedar Grove, Toxteth, as well as outside the JMU library.

The five men picked up during Operation Pathway were today still in police custody. It is believed they have been split up and taken to police stations in Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds, joining seven other men arrested in Greater Manchester and Lancashire.

Police revealed 11 of the 12 men are Pakistani nationals in Britain on student visas. The last is a British man. They are aged from their late teens to early 40s.

Speculation was mounting today over a possible plot to blow up Easter shoppers, although Whitehall security sources told the ECHO Liverpool was not a likely target.

The men were reportedly watched by undercover officers as they took pictures and filmed themselves at high-profile shopping and leisure locations in and around Manchester.

It is thought they were seen outside the Trafford Centre, Manchester’s Arndale Centre and a Manchester nightclub.

Liverpool Echo : Liverpool flats sealed off and searched as police look for Al-Qaeda bomb factory

Liverpool flats sealed off and searched as police look for Al-Qaeda bomb factory

By Ben Rossington | April 10, 2009

ANTI-terror police were today searching a second address in a Liverpool block of flats.

The flats on Highgate Street, Edge Hill, have been sealed off since being raided on Wednesday night as police look for a suspected Al-Qaeda bomb factory.

Their efforts were initially concentrated on one flat inside the crumbling building but the search has now spread to a second address.

Extra officers arrived in the road just after 11.30am today and were seen entering the premises clutching evidence bags. A number of items were removed from Highgate Street yesterday and taken away for analysis.

Police believe by arresting 12 men in Liverpool, Manchester and Lancashire they have foiled a potentially major terrorist attack. All the suspects - including the five arrested in Liverpool - were still in custody today.

Further searches at properties in Edge Hill and Toxteth were also continuing.

Greater Manchester Police, who are leading the investigation, today said in the initial stage of the operation on Wednesday, two further men were technically arrested on Merseyside.

However, as soon as their identities were verified they were dearrested. Police said, contrary to some media reports, neither was taken into a police station, held in cells or interviewed for several hours.

Telegraph : The new enemy within is invisible

The new enemy within is invisible

Al-Qaeda is changing its tactics to avoid detection of its agents. Security forces must adapt quickly to find them, says Con Coughlin

By Con Coughlin | April 10, 2009

Within Britain's counter-terrorism community they are known as the "clean skins": highly trained, professional killers whose blameless backgrounds provide not the slightest clue as to their true, evil intent.

The phenomenon was first identified during the bloody 30-year campaign the IRA waged against the British Isles. At the start of the Troubles, British intelligence and security officials quickly established a profile of the main IRA suspects, enabling them to dent severely the organisation's operational effectiveness. To counter this, IRA commanders sought recruits who did not fit the classic image – no known involvement in Republican politics, no criminal record and preferably no Irish family ties.

Now it appears that the "clean skins" may be back, this time in Islamist form. That is the logical conclusion to be drawn from the latest operation in which anti-terror police detained 12 men in a series of raids conducted in Manchester, Liverpool and Clitheroe, Lancs.

Most of the headlines have inevitably focused on the resignation of Bob Quick, the country's leading anti-terrorism policeman, who risked jeopardising the entire operation by exposing its details in advance.

But it is the raids themselves, targeted at 11 Pakistani-born nationals who had entered Britain on student visas (and one British national), which suggest that al-Qaeda might now be attempting to effect a radical transformation in its tactics.

We should remember that September 11, 2001 changed the face of modern terrorism. Britain's security and intelligence establishment found itself on a sharp learning curve as it struggled to master the new threat that had suddenly appeared.

It was only through painstaking investigation of the subsequent plots in this country that a clearer picture emerged of the modus operandi of al-Qaeda's British-based terror cells. Up to now, nearly all of the major plots – both those that have succeeded and those that have been thwarted by the diligence of our security forces – have involved British passport holders of Pakistani descent, or "Brit-Paks" as they are known within the intelligence-gathering community.

The architects of the July 7 bombings in London in 2005 were Brit-Paks, as were many of those involved in the failed suicide bombings two weeks later. Those jailed for planning terror attacks in British shopping centres and airports fitted a similar profile.

As a consequence – and despite protests from leaders of the British Muslim community, who have insisted that Britain's two million Muslims pose no threat to national security – police and security officials have concentrated their efforts on infiltrating and monitoring known radical elements, particularly mosques, where inflammatory preachers such as Abu Qatada delivered sermons in favour of waging jihad against the West.

Much effort was expended on tracking the movements of the estimated 400,000 Brit-Paks who travel regularly between Britain and Pakistan, while MI6 worked closely with Pakistan's intelligence service, ISI, to spot potential terror leads.

Then, at the end of last year, the Government revealed that, at any given time, British security forces were contending with at least 20 active terror plots, mainly involving groups of Brit-Paks who have been radicalised and trained at Saudi-funded madrassas in Pakistan, and have then managed to return undetected to Britain. Despite their success in establishing a useful profile of likely jihadists, security officials are trained to keep an open mind as to possible changes in the pattern. "Terror groups have an advantage over us because they have no restrictions they have to work to," says a senior security official. "They will do whatever they can to ensure their attacks are a success."

For this reason, security officials need to be aware of what they refer to as "the diversification of the threat", where terror groups adapt their tactics to escape detection. Thus, even though radicalised Brit-Paks form the basis of the Government's normal terrorist profile, officials are well aware of discrepancies where white British males and Muslim converts of other ethnicities have cropped up.

The Government's recent report on counter-terrorism, Contest Two, suggested that al-Qaeda-related groups were trying to adapt their tactics to counter the British security forces' increased awareness of traditional operations. Commanders of British forces fighting in Afghanistan have uncovered evidence that British Muslims have been sending electronic components for use in the Taliban's roadside bombs; there have even been reports of them being involved in attacks on British patrols. Contest Two also warned that British hotels and public buildings faced the threat of Mumbai-style attacks by terrorists with automatic weapons.

Government officials have estimated the current threat against the UK to be at "the severe end of severe". This is one step short of critical, which is when the Government judges a major attack to be imminent, as it did with one alleged plot in the summer of 2006.

Senior police and security officers suspect those arrested this week were planning a number of suicide bombings in a major city centre over the Easter weekend. If true, this would confirm that a cell of Pakistan-born nationals has infiltrated the UK, a development that would add a disturbing dimension to the Government's counter-terrorism effort.

Every year, an average of 10,000 Pakistani nationals travel to Britain on student visas. Every applicant undergoes close scrutiny, including fingerprint checks against a range of immigration, terrorism and crime watch lists. If al-Qaeda has managed to avoid detection and infiltrate a "clean skin" cell into the UK, this system is clearly ineffective.

"It is a very different proposition if we have Pakistani citizens plotting terror attacks against Britain, as opposed to British citizens," says a senior intelligence official. "We will be entering a whole new ball game."

To start with, it will mean working even more closely with Pakistani intelligence, which has a chequered history of co-operating with its British counterpart.

Rashid Rauf, the British-born Islamist who is thought to be the mastermind of the latest alleged plot, managed to escape from Pakistani custody while his guards stopped for lunch at McDonald's, prompting speculation that he may have been an ISI agent all along.

And if British security officials are to prevent further terror attacks they will need full access to detainees held in foreign jails who might have important information, irrespective of the conditions in which they are being held.

Following the allegations made last month by former Guantánamo detainee Binyam Mohammed that he had been tortured with the complicity of MI5 officers, the Government is under pressure to limit British security officials' access to suspects held in countries like Pakistan, where torture is routine.

But to do so might seriously jeopardise attempts to combat the terror threat. No one in the intelligence and security services wants to torture suspects: but they do want access to the intelligence that will prevent further bloodshed on the streets of Britain.

Telegraph : Pakistan: origin of three-quarters of all terror plots

Pakistan: origin of three-quarters of all terror plots

At least three in every four terror plots currently under investigation in the UK have their roots in Pakistan, according to the security services.

By Dean Nelson, South Asia Editor | April 10, 2009

Whilst Afghanistan was seen as the training ground of terrorists in the immediate aftermath of the September 2001 attacks, recent experience has shown that increasing numbers of al-Qaeda extremists are being trained across the border in the tribal areas in the north west of Pakistan.

President Obama openly refers to his “Af-Pak” strategy for combating militancy, such is the prevalance of terror suspects who have been radicalised in Pakistan.

Of the four men who carried out the London suicide bombings in July 2005, three were young British men of Pakistani origin who had travelled to the country to receive religious and military training.

Mohammed Siddique Khan, the leader of the plot, was raised in Beeston, West Yorkshire, but was understood to have made regular trips to terrorist training camps in southern Punjab, and was captured on video at Karachi airport in November 2004 with his accomplice Shehzad Tanweer, 22, another British national of Pakistan origin. They returned to Britain the following February.

The third bomber of Pakistani origin, Hasib Hussain, aged 18, had travelled to Pakistan 12 months before the attack.

Meanwhile, the alleged plot to bomb shopping centres in Manchester has been linked by MI5 to two al-Qaeda suspects in Pakistan - British Pakistani Rashid Rauf, who has been implicated in at least one other alleged terror plot, and Baitullah Mahsud, the leader of Pakistan’s Taliban movement who has promised attacks on the West in hate-filled pronouncements in recent weeks.

So many UK terror suspects have links to Pakistan that thousands of innocent travellers between the two countries every year are now closely monitored for signs of suspicious activity.

Latest estimates suggest 4,000 young British Muslims have been trained in terrorist camps in Pakistan, and with 400,000 British citizens visiting Pakistan each year, there are fears that many more will become radicalised.

Monitoring of regular visitors has intensified, which has raised the possibility of a change in tactics by terrorists, who may have switched to using Pakistani nationals who may not be so closely monitored when they visit the UK.

Shahid Aslam, a British employment solicitor who runs an immigration consultancy in Lahore, said terrorists could easily take advantages of gaps in the British visa application process to enter Britain on a valid visa.

He claimed there had been a number of cases where employees of agencies processing visa applications in Pakistan had accepted inducements to speed and guarantee entry visas.

Telegraph : Al-Qaeda terror plot to bomb Easter shoppers

Al-Qaeda terror plot to bomb Easter shoppers

An al-Qaeda cell was days away from carrying out an "Easter spectacular" of co-ordinated suicide bomb attacks on shopping centres in Manchester, police believe.

By Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent | April 10, 2009

Sources told The Daily Telegraph that the arrests of 12 men in the north west of England on Wednesday were linked to a suspected plan to launch a devastating attack this weekend.

Some of the suspects were watched by MI5 agents as they filmed themselves outside the Trafford Centre on the edge of Manchester, the Arndale Centre in the city centre, and the nearby St Ann's Square.

Police were forced to round up the alleged plotters after they were overheard discussing dates, understood to include the Easter bank holiday, one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year.

"It could have been the next few days and they were talking about 10 days at the outside," one source said. "We had to act." Police are now engaged in a search for an alleged bomb factory, where explosives might have been assembled.

If such a plot was carried out, it would almost certainly have been Britain's worst terrorist attack, with the potential to cause more deaths than the suicide attacks of July 7, 2005, when 52 people were murdered.

A plan to arrest the suspects in a series of co-ordinated raids yesterday morning had to be hastily brought forward to Wednesday afternoon after the country's most senior anti-terrorism officer, Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick, of the Metropolitan Police, was photographed going into Downing Street carrying a briefing paper with top secret details of Operation Pathway in full view.

Yesterday morning, Mr Quick resigned after he was told by the Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, that he had lost her confidence and that of MI5.

As a result of his blunder, hundreds of police officers had to be scrambled to arrest the suspects, who were being monitored round the clock.

Former police chiefs pointed out that rounding up suspected suicide bombers in public places in Liverpool, Manchester and Clitheroe, Lancs, had put other people at risk and could also have compromised the operation.

Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, described the alleged plot as "very big" and said investigators were looking at links with Pakistan.

Mr Brown said: "We know that there are links between terrorists in Britain and terrorists in Pakistan. That is an important issue for us to follow through and that's why I will be talking to President Zardari about what Pakistan can do to help us in the future."

All but one of the men arrested were Pakistani nationals who came to Britain on student visas. This suggested a possible new tactic by al-Qaeda, which had previously used British-based extremists who travelled to Pakistan for training.

The issue of student visas represents a potential security nightmare for the police and MI5. There are 330,000 foreign students in Britain and around 10,000 such visas are issued every year to Pakistanis alone.

Phil Woolas, the Immigration Minister, has described the student visa system as "the major loophole in Britain's border controls".

Several of the suspects who were being questioned last night, were from the al-Qaeda heartlands in Pakistan's border area with Afghanistan.

Peter Fahy, chief constable of Greater Manchester, said police had been forced to act to protect the public. Asked about al-Qaeda involvement, he added: "We know what is the nature of the threat to this country and where it comes from."

But he sought to reassure shoppers, and added: "I would like to say I would have no hesitation, or any of my family, in using any of those locations that have been mentioned."

The security services suspect that several of the men arrested were trained at religious schools in Pakistan and sent to launch suicide attacks on the West.

They were suspected to have chosen Easter as the most significant Christian holiday for an attack.

Police believe the suspects may have smuggled bomb-making equipment into the country and were ready to launch their attacks.

Yesterday, searches focused on a property in Highgate Street, Liverpool, although nothing "significant" had yet been found.

Sources said police had arrested the man they suspected was the ring-leader, Abid Naseer, 22, at an address in Galsworthy Avenue in Cheetham Hill, Manchester.

He is said to be from the tribal areas of Pakistan where the Taliban and al-Qaeda have established their base.

The alleged members of the cell had signed up for a range of student courses, while two were employed as security guards at a new Homebase store in Clitheroe, Lancs.

Among the locations raided on Wednesday afternoon was the Cyber Net Café in Cheetham Hill, where it is thought the men communicated using emails.

Security sources suspect they received their instructions from al-Qaeda commanders in Pakistan.

The leader of the Pakistan Taliban is Baitullah Mehsud, who last week claimed responsibility for an attack on a police compound in Lahore and promised to attack the West. At least one of the arrested men is from Mehsud's heartland of South Waziristan, sources in Pakistan said.

WSJ : U.K. Official Resigns After Security Lapse

U.K. Official Resigns After Security Lapse

By CARRICK MOLLENKAMP, ALISTAIR MACDONALD and SIOBHAN GORMAN | April 10, 2009

LONDON -- The Metropolitan Police Service entered a new phase of turmoil when its top counterterrorism official, Bob Quick, resigned in the wake of his inadvertent disclosure of secret plans to stop an alleged terrorist plot in northwest England.

John Yates, a 28-year Metropolitan Police veteran known for his skill in murder cases and delicate political inquiries, immediately succeeded Mr. Quick, becoming the third counterterrorism chief Scotland Yard has had since late 2007. The change comes as the U.K. is dealing with the reality that small, radical Islamic cells remain a big threat -- even as the government spends more time and money on intelligence and outreach to Muslim communities.

When Robert Quick arrived at No 10 Downing Street in London earlier this week, he was carrying a document labeled "Secret" visible in his hand.

Police now plan to question the 12 people arrested in raids across northwest England on Wednesday. Among them were 10 Pakistani-born U.K. students who may have entered the U.K. as a working group, according to people familiar with the situation. One suspect is U.K.-born.

Peter Fahy, chief constable of the Greater Manchester Police, said Thursday that the arrests had been planned for a day later. But officers scrambled to change plans when Mr. Quick -- visiting Downing Street Wednesday morning for a briefing with Prime Minister Gordon Brown -- was photographed carrying a briefing paper with a page of details of the raid clearly visible.

In the aftermath of the arrests, Mr. Quick apologized immediately. But pressure quickly mounted for his resignation, which he delivered Thursday morning.

Police haven't said whether the suspects were known to have a plan to attack specific targets.

Mr. Quick's gaffe drew attention away from the fact that the potential for terrorism remains an important issue in the U.K. A 2005 attack on the London transportation system left 56 people dead, and several failed attempts followed in 2006 and 2007. Last month, the Home Office said that al Qaeda may fragment, but that the terrorist threat will likely diversify toward smaller "self-starting" groups.

"We do have some very serious contamination" in the U.K. community, said Tarique Ghaffur, a London security consultant who served as a high-ranking Scotland Yard assistant commissioner until last November. "It's a very difficult scenario and a very dangerous one."

At the same time, there has been instability in the country's top counterterrorism ranks. In the past 18 months, counterterrorism chiefs Peter Clarke and Andy Hayman departed. Mr. Quick was named to the post a little more than a year ago.

A spokesman for London Mayor Boris Johnson wasn't immediately available for comment. A Scotland Yard spokesman said the turnover in such a critical post wouldn't have a negative impact on police performance.

Ties to Pakistan in the alleged terrorist plot are likely to be an important focus for the police, who have traced connections to that country in prior terrorist probes traced connections. Large-scale immigration to the U.K. from Pakistan, a former British colony, dates to the 1950s.

More than 250,000 people from Pakistan were allowed into the U.K. in 2007 for reasons including business, visits and emigration from Pakistan. In 2007, 10,600 people from Pakistan were granted student visas. A Home Office spokesman said the visa applications require fingerprinting and scrutiny of ties to terrorism.

A suspected terrorist named Rashid Rauf was thought to be a leader of a failed plot to blow up trans-Atlantic flights in 2006. Mr. Rauf, a U.K. citizen of Pakistani origin, was believed killed in a drone attack in Pakistan there last November. Since last summer, the U.S. has stepped up Central Intelligence Agency drone attacks against al Qaeda targets in Pakistan's tribal region along the Afghan border. Western security officials said the missile attacks appear to have reduced but not eliminated British terrorist plots linked to Pakistan.

A Pakistani security official said his government was aware of Wednesday's arrests and awaiting confirmation that those arrested were of Pakistani origin. The official said Pakistan was prepared to cooperate but wanted proof. Mr. Brown, the U.K. prime minister, was expected to speak soon with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.

In a separate headache for Scotland Yard, police on Thursday suspended an officer following the death of a man during protests surrounding last week's Group of 20 meeting of world leaders. The suspension followed the disclosure of video footage that showed a police officer knocking down the man -- who wasn't protesting -- minutes before he collapsed and died from an apparent heart attack.

—Jennifer Martinez contributed to this article.

Write to Carrick Mollenkamp at carrick.mollenkamp@wsj.com, Alistair MacDonald at alistair.macdonald@wsj.com and Siobhan Gorman at siobhan.gorman@wsj.com

IBN : Top cop unwittingly gives away al-Qaeda details, quits

Top cop unwittingly gives away al-Qaeda details, quits

Sanjay Suri / CNN-IBN | April 10, 2009

London: An al-Qaeda plot on a 9/11 scale with England the target. And it cost the job of England's top counter-terrorism official. Bob Quick resigned after cameras at Downing Street caught him with a secret document listing al-Qaeda suspects to be arrested and that forced police to kick off Operation Pathway late on Wednesday night.

More than 100 policemen fanned out all across Northwest England. Four suspects were picked up in Liverpool, two in Manchester and two in Lancashire. In all, 12 were arrested - 10 of them Pakistanis and most of them students.

The suspects were linked to Rashid Rauf, an al-Qaeda operative implicated in the plot to bomb trans-Atlantic airliners last year.

Attacks may have also been planned on nightclubs in Manchester. The planning for the strike has seemingly been going on for nearly eight months.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown confirmed the arrests saying, "We have been investigating a major terrorist plot and we have got to act early. Our first concern is always the safety of the public. It is right that we took the urgent action. We expect this investigation to move forward."

The suspects are being held under the Terrorism Act, which allows detention for up to 28 days without being charged.

Mirror : Britain's top terror cop resigns with six-figure pension

Britain's top terror cop resigns with six-figure pension

By James Lyons | April 10, 2009

Britain's anti-terror chief Bob Quick was forced to quit yesterday - and has walked away with a six-figure pension after 30 years of service.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith decided he had to leave his post after accidentally revealing details of an anti-terror operation to photographers.

The raids on al-Qaeda suspects were brought forward to 5pm that day following the blunder.

Mr Quick, 49, praised colleagues for "professionally" carrying out the operation and accepted that he had to walk.

He added: "I've offered my resignation in the knowledge that I could have compromised a major operation. I deeply regret the disruption caused to colleagues and remain grateful for the way in which they adapted quickly." All the suspects were captured but the arrests were made in public, increasing the risk of injury to innocent people.

Mr Quick was immediately replaced by John Yates, who led the cash for honours probe.

His fate had been sealed on Wednesday night when Ms Smith met Met Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson.

He told her Mr Yates could take over without jeopardising operations.

Mr Quick was appointed last year and sanctioned the raid on Tory MP Damian Green.

He was made to apologise after claiming there was a Conservative plot to oust him in revenge.

Tory Mayor of London Boris Johnson was accused of playing "party politics" over the resignation after calling a radio station and revealing the news live on air.

Independent : 'It was like something out of an action movie'

'It was like something out of an action movie'

Shock of neighbours who witnessed Operation Pathway

By Cahal Milmo, Chief reporter | April 10, 2009

The first that Fazal Hussain knew of Operation Pathway was the sound of splintering wood and the heavy footfall of armed police as he settled down to watch the Champions League on Wednesday evening.

For weeks, probably months, the residents of Cheetham Hill in Manchester had gone about their business oblivious to the surveillance and eavesdropping being carried out by undercover police and MI5 officers in midst of their multicultural neighbourhood's ceaseless bustle.

Elsewhere in Liverpool and the sleepy Lancashire market town of Clitheroe, plain-clothed teams had been watching 12 "subjects" – a collection of men and a teenage boy, all but one of them recent arrivals from Pakistan who told their neighbours and landlords they were accountancy students and taxi drivers.

But the clandestine watchers who had hitherto led Pathway – the codename for one of the biggest counter-terrorism operations seen in Britain since the 7/7 bombings – were replaced with an altogether more muscular form of policing shortly after 5pm on Wednesday when phalanxes of specialist firearms officers, some hidden behind bullet-proof shields, began storming five addresses in the Manchester suburb.

Over the next five hours, a further six locations across the north-west, ranging from a university campus to a Homebase store a day away from its grand opening, were also raided by what one witness likened to Swat teams in a Hollywood movie.

Mr Hussain, 54, a travel agent and the owner of one of the raided properties, a flat above a barbers shop just off Cheetham Hill's busy main road, said: "I was watching the football when I heard a big noise. Lots of banging and breaking wood.

"I really didn't know what was going on until I saw lots of police cars and vans on the road. They took one of my tenants away.

"Eventually I was allowed up to switch off the alarm. I have never seen anything like it, a broken door, lots of people in plastic suits. A police lady told me it was all about terrorism. I still cannot believe it. I suppose they must have been watching us and these places for a long, long time. I hope they replace my door."

Shock and incredulity at finding themselves in the teeth of a mammoth attempt to thwart suspected terrorism were common themes on the streets of Cheetham Hill as well as the Toxteth and Wavertree areas of Liverpool, where a further four of the suspects were arrested.

The combination of a photographer's telephoto lens and the folly of Britain's most senior counter-terrorism officer in Downing Street had forced police to act more swiftly than anticipated.

The daylight raids were conducted with unmatchable and frightening force as students were told to stay away from the plate glass windows of their library for fear of an explosion and mothers were shouted at to bring their children inside.

Residents in Cheetham Hill's Galsworthy Avenue, an unglamorous street of terraced houses, were unceremoniously ordered into their homes as an arrest team of helmeted police carrying Heckler and Koch submachine guns smashed down a front door of a lodging house while colleagues sheltering behind a bullet-proof shield aimed their weapons at upstairs windows.

Bushra Majid, 33, a mother of four who lives next door, said: "I looked out of my door and they had one of the men who lives there down on the floor with several police holding him down. They then dragged him off down the street. He didn't even have any shoes on. It was terrifying."

For some, the action verged on the cinematic. Leonard Mottram, 39, had watched as officers smashed through the bay windows of two houses in Cedar Grove, Toxteth, to arrest three suspects.

He said: "It was like something out of an action movie. Everything was deadly silent for a few seconds.

"I honestly thought they were filming. I looked out of the front window and was expecting to see Arnold Schwarzenegger or Russell Crowe come bursting out of one of the police vans."

As sirens echoed around streets and forensic teams yesterday pored over the raided premises – which included a basement internet cafe in Cheetham Hill and a flat above an off-licence in Wavertree – glimpses began to emerge of the identities of the men who police had been so closely watching.

Aged from mid-teens to 41, all but one of the suspects were Pakistani passport holders who had come to Britain as students. Most were described as model tenants who had paid their rent on time – in one case, six months in advance.

One of the men, who was held to the floor by officers outside the Aldham Robarts Library at the Liverpool John Moores University was a business studies undergraduate.

Ali Shalash, the owner of the flat above an off-licence in Earle Road, Wavertree, where one man was arrested, said it was being rented by three young men who had been in residence for just three weeks. They had told him that they were accountancy students.

Mr Shalash said: "They paid the deposit in cash and took a six-month lease. There was nothing about them that was suspicious in any way. They are very nice people, gentle and polite. Let's see what happens. Maybe it's a mistake."

Outside a small house in Abercarn Close raided by police was a grey MG Rover car which had been liberally dusted with a powder by forensic officers.

On the dashboard inside, a cut-out newspaper photograph of a Jihadi-style fighter could be seen, as well as a copy of a Pakistani newspaper featuring the headline: "Taliban blamed for sectarian suicide attack on mosque."