www.mirror.co.uk Feb 15 2003 By Jeff Edwards, Jan Disley And Wayne Francis   BRITAIN is on a state of maximum alert as police hunt two al-Qaeda cells planning attacks on airports.

US intelligence told Downing Street on Monday that an a cell had entered Britain with at least two lightweight anti-aircraft SAM missiles.

MI5 and Special Branch have information a second team, perhaps British born Muslim fanatics, has rocket propelled grenades (RPGs).

A Scotland Yard source said yesterday: "The SAM threat is still with us. Now believe a second team may be on the prowl."

"The RPG does not have the range or power of a SAM, but it is still a devastating weapon.

"It can punch a hole in an aeroplane. It is a nightmare because both weapons are shoulder launched, and small enough to be hidden in a car or van."

Yesterday four people arrested "as a precautionary measure" in Langley, Bucks, near Heathrow, were released, then taken into custody by immigration officers.

And two Algerian men detained by armed police in a car under a Heathrow flightpath were cleared of terrorist involvement. One has been handed over to immigration officers.

Anti-terror police were yesterday still questioning a passenger who arrived at Gatwick airport from Venezuela with a live grenade in his luggage , as the airport itself returned to normal after the scare.

A police source said: "Rumours he is a Muslim from Bangladesh are untrue.

"He is Venezuelan born and a Christian. We don't think the grenade was going to be used for political purposes, but we are trying to find out what he was planning to do with it."

Police also arrested two men on Thursday under the anti-terrorism act after they were seen acting suspiciously close to Leeds/Bradford airport.

The two, believed to be Iraqi Kurds, are aged 25 and 26.

Police were also examining a Vauxhall car found at the scene but no weapons were found. The threat of a terror strike loomed over the Royal castle at Windsor yesterday, which is directly under the flightpath to Heathrow.

But it seemed to be business as usual.

Prince Harry strolled through the streets of nearby Eton, during a school break. And the traditional changing of the guard carried on as usual.

Tourists flanked the streets to watch the pomp and ceremony. But behind the scenes a vigilant security cordon has been thrown around the town.

Residents have even seen troops in search operations in Windsor Great Park.

www.thescotsman.co.uk GETHIN CHAMBERLAIN THE discovery of a live grenade in the luggage of a passenger arriving at Gatwick airport and the arrest of two people near Heathrow airport yesterday added to the state of heightened tension over the risk of an al-Qaeda terrorist attack on Britain.

The incidents came amid intense political wrangling in advance of today’s crucial meeting of the United Nations Security Council in New York, with the United States and Britain urging other nations to hold their nerve and claiming the discovery that Iraq possessed long-range missiles, in breach of UN resolutions, proved Baghdad was intent on defying the will of the international community.

The Home Office initially played down the grenade incident, claiming "it is not uncommon for people in airports to be discovered with some form of weaponry" and adding: "It doesn’t mean they are all al-Qaeda terrorists".

But David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, was quick to seize on the incident as proof Britain was facing a real terrorist threat.

He said: "It reinforces that we really do have a problem as people have been saying that it doesn’t exist."

Earlier, Mr Blunkett had repeated his warning that Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network posed a serious threat to the country’s security.

He warned: "We know that al-Qaeda will try to inflict loss of human life and damage on the UK."

The grenade was discovered in the luggage of a 37-year-old Venezuelan man who arrived from Bogata, in Colombia, yesterday afternoon on a British Airways Boeing 777 with 125 passengers on board.

BA said that although all baggage was screened before it was loaded on to its aircraft, the grenade was not detected until the man arrived at Customs at Gatwick.

The discovery prompted the immediate evacuation and closure of the airport’s north terminal and the man was taken to London for questioning by Metropolitan Police anti-terrorist officers.

But the Home Office said police needed time to assess "whether this was anything more than a lone individual carrying something he shouldn’t have been".

Venezuela is not noted as a hotbed of anti-western terrorism and although the Foreign Office advice on visiting the country includes warnings on kidnapping, piracy, street crime and an unstable political situation, it adds: "We are unaware of any evidence of a threat to western interests from terrorism in Venezuela."

The other arrests came after police stopped a car in Hounslow, near Heathrow airport, to question two men under anti-terrorism legislation . The pair were last night being questioned at a police station in west London.

With the international community split over the need for military action against Iraq, the US and Britain spent much of yesterday attempting to rally support for war in advance of the report by Hans Blix, the chief UN weapons inspector, to the Security Council.

George Bush, the US president, urged sceptical allies to "show backbone and courage" and stand up to Saddam Hussein. He said: "I believe when it’s all said and done, free nations will not allow the United Nations to fade into history as an ineffective, irrelevant debating society. I am optimistic that the UN Security Council will rise to its responsibilities and, this time, ensure enforcement of what it told Saddam Hussein he must do."

Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, said there could be "no illusions that this means disarmament by force". He said: "For the international community now to lose its nerve would significantly undermine the authority of the UN and make the world a much more dangerous place ."

And Tony Blair, the Prime Minister, said it would be highly significant if Mr Blix confirmed that Iraq had missiles with a longer range than permitted under previous UN resolutions.

"It indicates the futility of simply going on with more and more and more time, when it’s perfectly obvious they’re not co-operating," he said.

But Tariq Aziz, the Iraqi deputy prime minister, in Italy to meet the Pope, dismissed suggestions that Baghdad’s Al-Samoud II missiles breached UN rules and accused the US of planning to invade Iraq to dominate the Middle East and its oil.

Donald Rumsfeld, the US defence secretary, increased the pressure on Iraq, refusing to rule out the US use of nuclear weapons in any war. He told a Senate committee: "Our policy historically has been generally that we will not foreclose the possible use of nuclear weapons if attacked."

When Mr Blix delivers his report today, London and Washington will be looking for confirmation that Iraq remains in material breach of its obligations to disarm, but they face strong opposition from the anti-war camp within the UN by France and Germany, who could block a fresh Security Council resolution authorising military intervention.

NATO, too, remained split, putting on hold its wrangling over how and when to offer Turkey assistance in defending itself from Iraqi attack in the even of war until after the Security Council meeting.

Meanwhile, Jack McConnell, the First Minister, moved to reassure the Scottish public, insisting that while the UK as a whole remained at risk, Scotland did not face any specific terrorist threat.

abclocal.go.com American law enforcement officials are warning that a terrorist attack could be imminent — with a focus on today and Friday — and on the nation's previous targets, Washington, D.C., and New York.

Hospital officials in New York have been warned to be prepared to deal with a possible cyanide attack, urging them to build up stocks of sodium thiosulfate, the antidote to cyanide poisoning, as well as treatments for biological and chemical warfare. Doctors were also warned to be on the lookout for clusters of patients with respiratory, neurological or skin conditions.

Meanwhile, police around the country have stepped up patrols and heightened security measures.

Black Hawk helicopters are patrolling the skies over the nation's capital, ready to call in F-16 fighter jets if planes try to violate restricted airspace, and on the ground the military has deployed heat-seeking Stinger missiles with a range of up to two miles, to be used if suspicious planes refuse to respond to orders to leave the area.

In New York, police are out in force in the subways, at train stations and airports and at the bridge and tunnel crossings into the city with radiation detectors and gas masks. Air patrols have also returned to New York.

The FBI and National Infrastructure Protection Center issued an alert to critical industries and key facilities that they should take steps to guard against potential terrorist attacks.

The bulletin advised checking for possible infiltrators among employees, varying security routines and checking Internet sites that describe their facilities to "consider how that information might assist terrorists interested in planning an attack. Operatives will likely research potential targets extensively prior to an attack."

The apparently increasing threat of new terrorism has Americans on edge. Hardware stores have had runs on flashlights and batteries, as well as on duct tape and sheet plastic, which the Department of Homeland Security has recommended for people to use to create secure rooms in the homes.

And it's not just in New York and Washington that people are worried.

"We have some extra food and water put back. An ounce of prevention can go a long way," said Jon McCormick of Indiana. "There is a grim mood from everyone about the possibility of attack, but everyone seems to be prepared to ride it out."

Threats Overseas, Too

American officials say the threat overseas may be just as great, particularly in the Arab countries cited in an audiotape from Osama bin Laden that aired on Arab television on Tuesday.

Among the prime targets, officials told ABCNEWS, could be Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura oil refinery — the largest in the world. Police in London were putting on a show of force at Heathrow airport that rivals anything seen in the United States.

At Gatwick Airport, outside London, the North Terminal was closed today after police discovered a live grenade in the luggage of a passenger. The man, who police said was from Venezuela and was traveling from Alicante, Spain, was arrested and charged under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

The State Department today issued travel warnings for Bahrain and Qatar, and upgraded the warning for Saudi Arabia that was issued on Jan. 30. The warnings authorize the voluntary departure of all non-emergency personnel and family members from the U.S. Embassies, and urge private American citizens to rigorously evaluate their own security situations.

‘Packages of Importance’

The heightened alert comes less than one week after the Department of Homeland Security announced that the nation's five-step alert system had been raised to "high," the first time the level had been increased since the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Perhaps more significantly, though, it comes after U.S. intelligence intercepted suspected terrorist communications talking of "the underground" and "packages of importance."

The intercepted communication refers to the end of the hajj Muslim holiday, which is the end of this week and indicates plots with radioactive materials or chemical agents, law enforcement officials said.

"If given the choice, al Qaeda terrorists will choose attacks that achieve multiple objectives, striking prominent landmarks, inflicting mass casualties, causing economic disruption and rallying support through shows of strength," CIA Director George Tenet told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

While the preparations are being made to mitigate the effects of any possible attack, authorities hope that the show of force will rob terrorists of the element of surprise, and possibly forestall terrorists from following through on any plans.

New Bin Laden Tape?

Meanwhile, Washington officials are examining yet another audiotape that may be from bin Laden — the second tape from the al Qaeda leader to surface this week.

"He's obviously raising the confidence of his people. He's obviously exhorting them to do more," Tenet said of the first tape, which was aired on Arab television network al Jazeera on Tuesday. "What he's said is often followed by an attack."

A British-based Islamic news agency says it has a new bin Laden recording, in which the voice purported to be that of the terror mastermind predicts he will die "a martyr" this year in an attack against his enemies.

U.S. counterterrorism officials are reviewing a transcript of the tape, but so far they have not been able to confirm that it's an authentic message from the terror chief.

At the same time, the U.S. government is aggressively pursuing intelligence that Saddam Hussein may have sent operatives to the United States, ABCNEWS has learned.

Sources told ABCNEWS that the possibility of Iraqi infiltrators is one reason why the FBI has launched a massive campaign to interview 50,000 Iraqi-Americans and Iraqis living in the United States. Of particular interest are scores of Iraqis ordered by immigration judges to leave the country, but who may have disappeared.

breaking.examiner.ie 13/02/2003 - 10:11:02 pm Gatwick's North Terminal has re-opened after a terror alert. On hearing the announcement hundreds of people rushed to the shuttle train platform in the hope of being the first to get news of their flights. A man is still being questioned by anti-terrorist police after a live grenade was found in a passenger's luggage at Gatwick airport. The 37-year-old Venezuelan arrived on British Airways flight 2048 from Bogota in Columbia. He was held by Sussex Police and was being taken to a central London police station to be quizzed by detectives from Scotland Yard's Anti-Terrorist Branch. Police said the flight stopped at Caracas in Venezuela and BA said it also stopped in Barbados. It was not clear where the man boarded the flight. The grenade was found as he went through Customs so explosives officers were called in and it was found to be live. It was not detonated. Part of the airport's North Terminal was evacuated during the alert and outbound flights were suspended. The grenade was believed to have been in the man's hold luggage, not his hand luggage, although that has yet to be officially confirmed. A BA spokesman said an investigation is underway as to how his baggage had got on to the plane undetected.

www.thisiscornwall.co.uk 23:59 - 13 February 2003

A man is being questioned by anti-terrorist police after a live grenade was found in a passenger's luggage at Gatwick airport.

The 37-year-old Venezuelan arrived on British Airways flight 2048 from Bogota in Columbia. He was held by Sussex Police and was being taken to a central London police station to be quizzed by detectives from Scotland Yard's Anti-Terrorist Branch.

Police said the flight stopped at Caracas in Venezuela and BA said it also stopped in Barbados. It was not clear where the man boarded the flight. The grenade was found as he went through Customs so explosives officers were called in and it was found to be live. It was not detonated.

Part of the airport's North Terminal was evacuated during the alert and outbound flights were suspended.

The grenade was believed to have been in the man's hold luggage, not his hand luggage, although that had yet to be officially confirmed.

A BA spokesman said an investigation had begun as to how his baggage had got on to the plane undetected. Seventeen BA flights due to leave from the north terminal were cancelled. They were mostly short-haul departures. Incoming flights were unaffected.

The BA 2048 plane, a Boeing 777 with 125 passengers onboard, landed at Gatwick at 1.23pm.

"The problem did not become apparent until the man went through Customs," a BA spokesman said.

BA screens 100% of baggage before it is allowed on planes, and was tonight checking if the checks were performed by its own staff at Bogota or by local airport staff.

Home Secretary David Blunkett said the arrest at Gatwick, and the unrelated arrest of two men near Heathrow, showed that the terrorist threat did exist and wasn't being made up.