ITV News and the Daily Mail were the first to report Monday revelations from a credible security source of an al-Qaida plan to fly hijacked planes into the three Canary Wharf towers and Heathrow Airport.

However, government officials have maintained an official silence on the claims.

Speaking to United Press International Tuesday, a Home Office spokesman would only reiterate Home Secretary David Blunkett's public statement that he would inform the British public should there be any credible terror threat.

Though this might seem like a tacit denial, Blunkett himself recently said publicly that trials in coming months would show that al-Qaida and other groups are on the doorstep and threatening our lives. However he offered no further information.

The Canary Wharf complex, situated in the Docklands area in the East End of the city, is home to the Daily Mail, the Telegraph Group and Trinity Mirror, among other companies.

The Daily Mail reported that the senior authoritative source, who had no axe to grind, said training programs for suicide pilots intending to fly into the towers had been disrupted.

He gave no details of when or where the plot was uncovered, or how close the extremists were to executing the plan, though he did say the plot was among four or five others that security forces had foiled.

Insisting that the release of the information was not intended to scaremonger, he said: This is not about politics. It's about hard work behind the scenes to stop what is a clear threat.

His assertion hasn't prevented accusations from opposition parties that the government deliberately leaked the story in preparation for their announcement Tuesday of tougher anti-terrorism measures. Some have even suggested that the story was completely fabricated.

Queen Elizabeth's speech at the official opening of Parliament outlined the government's intention to create an FBI-style agency that would fight terrorism and organized crime.

A controversial plan for a national ID card scheme was also laid before Parliament. The move is sure to be hotly contested by opposition MPs and civil liberties groups who claim the scheme would be an infringement on individual rights.

Although the queen spoke of forthcoming additional legislation to strengthen the fight against terror, the details of the proposals were withdrawn from the speech at the last minute.

A Downing Street spokesman said Monday that the withdrawal was because of the complexity of the matters involved, though there has been speculation that their controversial nature was the true reason.

The home secretary, however, told ITV's Jonathan Dimbleby program over the weekend that measures under consideration included the use of phone tapping as evidence at trials, special anti-terror courts without juries, and legislation against acts preparatory to terrorism, even if the individual has committed no offence.

Opposition MPs debating the matter later in Parliament warned the government against creating a culture of fear to push through draconian security measures or gain advantage at the ballot box.

The latest information comes at a time when the government's handling of the terror threat is being rigorously examined. Parliament is scheduled to debate the new proposals until Dec. 1, and the issue is likely to continue at least until the general elections next spring, in which Tony Blair is likely to run on national security.

The public, however, remains skeptical. Amid Metropolitan Police warnings that an attack is inevitable, and frequent rumors of attacks, many in Britain remain unsure whether the threat is real or just a political ploy.

All rights reserved. Copyright 2004 by United Press International. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by United Press International. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of by United Press International.

Community
Email This Article
Comment On This Article

Related Links
SpaceDaily
Search SpaceDaily
Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express
The Long War - Doctrine and Application

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News