Police smash Gatwick bomb factory

www.femail.co.uk by JUSTIN DAVENPORT, Evening Standard 19th March 2003

Police have smashed a suspected terrorist plot after seizing home-made bombs at a suburban flat near Gatwick.

Three Portuguese men were arrested after the raid in Langley Green, Crawley, which is under the airport's flight path.

They are being questioned at a police station in Sussex today under the Terrorism Act 2000.

Inspector Geoff Sharnock, of Sussex police, said: "During a routine inquiry two viable, improvised explosive devices were found. They are effectively home-made bombs."

Sussex police are liaising closely with Scotland Yard's Anti-Terrorist Branch in connection with the find last night.

However, officers said it was too early to speculate on a motive. Mr Sharnock said the discovery of the bombs was not being linked to any possible target and the men had not yet been linked to any specific terrorist organisation.

The arrests come a month after tanks and soldiers were deployed at Heathrow after intelligence services uncovered a plot to shoot down a civilian airliner.

They also follow the discovery of a grenade in the luggage of a passenger arriving at Gatwick.

Security is now at its highest level since September 11 amid fears of a terrorist strike in retaliation for the impending invasion of Iraq.

Scotland Yard is preparing to divert hundreds of beat constables on to the streets of central London to patrol high-profile targets.

Sussex police said searches of the men's flat were continuing today. Inspector Sharnock said one man was arrested elsewhere and two were held at the flat.

"Bomb disposal experts have gone into the premises to make sure the devices were safe," he said. Detective Chief Inspector Tony O'Donnell said: "At this stage the search of the address is continuing and it is too early to speculate on the motive behind this incident.

"It has not, at this stage, been linked to any target or specific organisation."

A police cordon was put up near the flat and more than a dozen police officers were guarding the property, above the Jem engraving shop in Langley Parade.

A light could be seen inside the flat behind a green curtain.

Nearby residents were evacuated-from their homes when the search began. The entire parade of shops, which included a bookmakers and a mini-supermarket, was within the police cordon.

Last month Gatwick was shut for several hours when a man was arrested with a live hand grenade after arriving on a flight from Venezuela.

Hasil Mohammed Alan, who had been studying to be a Muslim priest, has been remanded in custody on charges including possessing an article for the purposes of terrorism.