BBC: "Police raids target 'terror plot'"

[Swamp Rat]

Eight people have been arrested under the Terrorism Act in Birmingham after a "significant" operation involving police and security service MI5.

A number of addresses in the city have been sealed off after morning raids.

Security sources have told the BBC the alleged plot would not have involved mass casualties but marked "a different approach to terrorism in the UK".

The "nationwide operation" involved the Midlands counter terrorism unit, west Midlands Police and the Met Police.

(snip)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6315989.stm

[aquart]

1. Sure.

I believe it. You believe it.

[TheWatcher]

2. Yawn.

Oh, I'm sorry what were they talking about again? A new approach to tourism in the UK?

Why would they arrest people for tourism?

[maddezmom]

3. CNNI reporting intended victim was to be kidnapped and beheaded

BBC's version:
Police raids target 'terror plot'

Senior security sources have told the BBC the raids were targeting a kidnap plot rather than one aimed at causing mass casualties.

BBC correspondent Gordon Corera said the plot was thought to involve "some kind of kidnapping - possibly of an individual".

"It was not necessarily a government official and not necessarily someone high profile but a certain type of individual was possibly the target of a kidnapping," he added.

A kidnapping would mirror tactics employed by terrorists in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, where videos of hostages have also been made, he said.

more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6315989.stm

[dipsydoodle]

4. Same now up on Yahoo

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/31012007/140/terror-police-foil-execution-plot.html

[maddezmom]

6. more about the target...

Sky News said the intended victim was a serving Muslim soldier in his 20s, who was recently given police protection after detectives learned that the attempted kidnap was only days away.

Police confirmed that the arrests took place in dawn raids in parts of the city with a large Muslim population. A local councillor told AFP that those arrested were Britons of Pakistani origin.

link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070131/wl_uk_afp/britainattacksarrests_070131120655

[magellan]

7. Chilling

Knowing how radical a few of the imams in the UK are, a plot like this does not surprise me. Religious fundamentalism of any stripe is a plague on young people everywhere.

[Ian David]

5. Sure...

(FYI: This comes up as the FIRST picture if you do a google image search on "boy who cried wolf.")

[outofbounds]

8. Whew! now we can talk about this

instead of Bush Directive Increases Sway on Regulation. It never fails. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2708404&mesg_id=2708404
Edit to add link.

[hogwyld]

9. Oh Noooooo

Be vewy vewy scared of the Muslim boogeymen.... I call bullshit. Hell, I have bad thoughts about our chimperor, but it doesn't mean I would act on them.

[CJCRANE]

10. My suspicion is

that it's been timed to distract from this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6314959.stm
("Suspicions that the police have widened the cash-for-honours investigation have been dramatically heightened after Tony Blair's fundraiser Lord Levy was arrested for the second time.")

As usual we'll have to wait and see how it plays out.

[outofbounds]

11. You are likely right

I wonder if the government tells these people, ok we are going to arrest you and eventually drop the charges, here is a couple hundred pounds now and the rights to your book or movie should make up the difference for your time and embarrassment. Things that make you go hmmm.

[jmatthan]

12. Absolutely correct

This information about the terror plot was released by the Home Ministry in the early hours and not by the concerned Police Department!!

Obviously the Police was coerced to do what they had to do exactly on demand from the Home Ministry.

[951-Riverside]

13. ...and what about the Russian that was running around with radioactive materials?

...Nothing?

:eyes:

[amandabeech]

14. Nut jobs do exist. Remember the loons who bombed abortion

clinics and threatened doctors? It seems to me that most religions have their fanatic fringe.

Nonetheless the timing does sound suspicious.