British Lose Their Minds: By Larry C Johnson

[kpete]

British Lose Their Minds
by
Larry C Johnson

I'm sitting in Europe, scheduled to take British Air back to the states on Friday, and I'm watching British Authorities meltdown in the face of an alleged terrorist plot. Rule of thumb--initial, panicked reports are usually unreliable. The Brits reportedly have taken at least 18 people into custody--all residents of Great Britain.

The last significant, successful plot to bomb a plane was in January 1995, when a group linked to Osama Bin Laden (this group included Ramsi Yousef, mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and Khalid Sheik Muhammed, nephew of OBL) had devised a way to carry on a liquid explosive disguised to look like water. The detonator was a combination of gun cotton (looked like cotton balls), a small light bulb, a nine volt battery, and a Casio data watch. Ramsi Yousef conducted a successful dry run of this device and planted one on board a Philippine Airline flight in December 1994. That bomb killed one man (a Japanese citizen) and almost brought down the plane. The plan was to blow up twelve US jets transiting the Pacific basin. It was disrupted when an informant, Ishtiak Parker, walked into the US Embassy in Pakistan and ratted out Ramsi Yousef.

...................

In the back of my mind I worry that this threat might be trumped up in order to divert attention from the disastrous US and British policy (or lack of policy) in Lebanon. More likely, we have an informant in the UK that identified a potential plot that was in the dreaming stage but had not progressed to actual implementation. Rather than act like security professionals, the Brits are acting like panicked nannies. Very sad.

more at:
http://noquarter.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/08/british_lose_th.html

[im10ashus]

1. "What next?"

Why, the November elections, of course. Just in time.

[yojon]

2. Sure knocks the knickers off the Lamont story

in the news, doesnt it. Timing couldn't have been better.....

[kpete]

6. Seeing that they have known about this for a month...

you got it yojon

[redqueen]

7. !

:nuke:

[redqueen]

8. Please expand on that... ?

K&R!

:kick:

[kpete]

9. I have been hearing it all a.m. (will post more as I find it)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1872373&mesg_id=1872373

[redqueen]

10. Thank you! n/t

[skylarmae]

3. I love Larry Johnson-he really gets it!

It seems he is a light in the dark so many times with his experience and know-how. A voice of reason during a time of madness, as it were..

[rodeodance]

4. The voice of Reason speaks. Yet. this Panick had crossed the POND>

[rodeodance]

5. nominated.