UK police foil plot to kidnap Blair's son: report

[cal04]

British police have foiled a plot to kidnap Prime Minister Tony Blair's 5-year-old son Leo, the Sun newspaper reported in its Wednesday edition. Citing an unnamed security source, the tabloid newspaper said people on the fringe of
a group which campaigns for the rights of divorced fathers had planned to snatch the child and hold him for a short period. The paper gave no details of how the group planned to evade the tight security which surrounds Blair and his family to carry out the kidnapping. Police have made no arrests and think they disrupted the supposed plot in its early stages, the Sun's source said.

The BBC said police sources had confirmed that they were aware of a possible plot but were not convinced those involved had the ability to carry it out. A spokesman for Blair's Downing Street office had no comment. A London police spokeswoman said: "We don't comment on security matters." The newspaper said detectives uncovered the plan while monitoring people on the fringe of the Fathers 4 Justice campaign group just before Christmas. The group has staged a series of high-profile stunts to highlight the plight of fathers who are denied access to their children.

Its campaigners have scaled the walls of Queen Elizabeth's London residence and thrown colored flour at Blair while he addressed parliament. The group's founder, Matt O'Connor, 38, said his group was not behind the alleged plot.
However, he said about 30 former members had been expelled last year for talking about carrying out extreme stunts.
He said police had told him that anti-terrorist officers had visited former members of the group over Christmas.

"We were aware that there were more extremist elements and we acted within our organization to clean the undesirable element out," he told Reuters. The Sun said security services had reviewed the protection given to Blair and his wife Cherie and their four children. Armed police guard them round the clock. "Appropriate steps have now been taken," the Sun quoted a security source as saying. "They were naturally very concerned. "It was good intelligence work. Fortunately we think we have nipped this thing in the bud."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060118/wl_nm/britain_blair_dc

[SmokingJacket]

1. Interesting -- does anyone know why this group rings a bell?

Was someone famous involved with Fathers4Justice? I know I read about them in the last few months.... something slightly more than meets the eye going on here...

[Taxloss]

5. You may be thinking of the pro-hunting lobby.

Otis Ferry, son of Brian Ferry, is a high-profile member of that bunch of knuckle-dragging morons. This is another bunch of knuckle-dragging morons.

[MisterP]

6. I think they're the ones who coated Primester Blur with flour

some time ago, or one of their allies did

[HysteryDiagnosis]

2. Pray tell, did our NSA tip them off?? I mean, did they intercept

one of their phone calls, internet emails, faxes, or smoke signals??

[Taxloss]

4. No, they're a bunch of clowns.

They've tried all sorts of stupid stunts, it's no surprise they were under police surveillance.

[Taxloss]

3. Police aware of plot to kidnap Tony Blair's five year old son, Leo

Police sources have told the BBC they knew of suggestions of a plot to kidnap Tony Blair's son five-year-old son Leo.

Police were not convinced those involved - who the Sun newspaper said wanted to highlight fathers' rights - had the ability to carry out the plot.

No attempted kidnap took place and there have been no arrests.

Police reportedly uncovered the plot while investigating people on the fringe of the Fathers 4 Justice group; the group has denied any involvement.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4622880.stm

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This is all over BBC News 24 right now.