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'Terror attack on New York subway' foiled by Scotland Yard tip-off
Justin Davenport, Crime Editor9 Nov 2009
A suspected al Qaeda plot to bomb the New York subway was foiled by British anti-terror investigators, it was claimed today.
Scotland Yard alerted the FBI to the alleged plot after intercepting an email.
The intelligence led to an operation which resulted in the arrest of an Afghan airport shuttle bus driver.
Najibullah Zazi, 24, is accused of conspiring to use home-made bombs for a large scale terror attack, possibly on a city transit system.
He is said to have received weapons and explosives training at a terror camp in Pakistan.
Zazi was arrested after testing bomb-making materials similar to those used in the 7/7 blasts in London.
He was held in Denver, where he lived, a week after returning under FBI surveillance from a trip to New York.
A source told the Sun today that Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorism Command had been monitoring a suspicious email address uncovered in an abortive operation against an alleged British terror cell in April.
Eleven Pakistani suspects were arrested but later released without charge.
The arrests took place earlier than planned after Met anti-terror chief Bob Quick was pictured with a secret document on show while going to brief the PM.
Mr Quick was forced to resign over the mistake.
Officers kept watch on the email address, which was reactivated in September.
After the British tip-off, US authorities began a surveillance operation and allegedly found bomb-making instructions on Zazi's laptop.
A phone contained video of New York's Grand Central Station.
A British security source told The Sun: "This was excellent work and highlights the fact that we produce good information."
Furious US intelligence bosses had threatened to stop sharing secrets with Britain after the Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, was freed in August.
But the source said: "They were delighted with the intelligence we gave them and believe it helped prevent a catastrophic attack."
Reader views (12)
End analysis - the good guys have to work by the good-guy rules. That's what separates them from the bad guys, who don't recognise rules at all.
- Rogan, Irving, 09/11/2009 16:37
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We live in a multi-racial and multi-religious society, built by consecutive governments of all political colours, to divide and rule the British Nation etc; so we must except that we will all have different views and opinions as to right and wrong etc, and we will have to fight it out to the end, as we did in the past etc; this will ensure the control by the State, of all the people, whilst the people fight amongst themselves; they do not have time to fight the Status Quo etc.
This is nothing new; the State did it all over the World in the days of Empire; Ireland included etc.
The British want to remain British, that is normal; but others do not, they want to remain themselves etc, this is also normal etc, so we will have to grant others the same rights we all want, equality etc.
This can be achieved by the law of the land; and enforced by the law of the land, if you can find the law of the land, or even enforce the law of the land, and I am sure in a 100 years time we will; till then it is all a learning curve, swings and roundabouts, bombs and demonstrations are part of that learning curve etc.
Being an old man myself; I read a lot of history in my time; and I find it very true, that nobody ever learns anything from history; that is why it constantly repeats itself etc.
Good Luck to you all, my time is nearly up, but I survived WW2, so I am sure you all will survive WW3.
- Mickinlondon, london, 09/11/2009 15:55
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Well I'm actually English living in Italy,its true that Italy changed sides during the war but the issue was much more complex than it seems to us British.Obviously the innocent will be interned with the guilty but as I said before it worked during the last war and I think it would work now.I remember when Amin expelled the Asians from Uganda and we all felt so sorry for them being expelled that we housed them,gave them jobs and money.Now our kindness is being paid back,with interess bombs,fiddling to get as much out of society as they can.I don't doubt that they are not all the same but can any of you tell the good from the bad,the doctor in the American army seemed one of the good ones and look what he did.
- Lindona, italy, 09/11/2009 15:43
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- Kay, Lonodn
Your comments astound me. What about the innocent people who were locked up for years by the British Government, I suppose you consider them scum too.
- Dc, London, 09/11/2009 15:14
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Ironic when you think of how much moaning there is about how NLabour has apparently eroded basic liberties: and the next thing you see the (same people?) want to throw into the dustbin of history one of the centre pieces of our free society: the idea that the State can't simply lock people away without trial.
- Alan J, London, 09/11/2009 14:05
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We must ALL be vigilant AT ALL TIMES. There can be no let up. EVER again... unfortunately.
- Janicebyrne, sussex, 09/11/2009 12:47
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Lindona, internment can't be used in the UK because it breaks the human rights act which only came into force in 1998 and so didn't exist in the last war. It probably states that suspected terrorists should be given a slap on the wrist and sent to bed early.
- Bob, Cheam, 09/11/2009 12:39
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Lindona says "We don't know who the enemy is", but wants everyone locked up without trial anyway! Time to go away and read 1984 perhaps?
- Nolan, Londonist, 09/11/2009 12:37
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I agree with Lindona, internment was commonplace with the Irish when the IRA bombing campaign was going on in the UK, so why are the muslim terrorists being treated differently. Political correctness is way overboard these days and the Human Rights act seems to be more concerned with protecting the scum that do and plan these atrocities than they do in protecting the people of their own country - the innocents.
- Kay, Lonodn, 09/11/2009 12:22
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The reason internment is not used is because it doesn't work, is a violation of human rights, and belongs in the pages of Jame Bond. Moreover, most of these stories about "terrorists" are fictional and are designed as propaganda to make us give up our rights and freedoms. It seems to work, as people always believe what the security services say, and cannot wait to give up their freedoms!
- Neil, London, London UK, 09/11/2009 12:19
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Lindona (Italy): some might argue that we fought the last war (including against fascist Italy, until she changed sides) precisley so that we did not live under a political system where internment was the norm. This is because the innocent will be interned with the guilty. due process is not an absolute guarantee against miscarriage of justice but it is the best we have and a mark of a civilization.
- Alan J, London, 09/11/2009 12:07
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I think the only way to solve this problem is internment,I can't understand why it was used in the last war and it cannot be used now,if we're at war with these people we're at war,you can't fight a war and be nice to everybody.We don't know who the enemy is we're fighting but I don't think we're giving ourselves much of a chance by letting these people walk about freely in our countries
- Lindona, italy, 09/11/2009 10:50
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