Three terrorists convicted of plotting to blow up jets over Atlantic

British terrorists planned to blow up at least seven transatlantic flights from London, murdering more than 1,500 people in a plot on a scale to rival the September 11 attacks, a jury found today.

As three men now face life sentences after being found guilty of conspiring to explode liquid bombs on airliners flying from Britain to North America, the former head of US homeland security at the time of their arrests has revealed that the threat was taken so seriously that President George Bush was repeatedly briefed on the status of a UK surveillance operation on the London council flat being used as a terrorist bomb factory.

The plan involved inserting liquid explosives into empty bottles of Lucozade and Oasis, colouring the liquid so it appeared to be the same as the original.

The cell, based in east London and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, was supposed to carry out what counter-terrorism officials say was an al-Qaida-inspired suicide mission, motivated by rage at British and US foreign policy

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Arbiter said:

This...now this is a problem!

Not only could I have drunk some liquid explosive on a horrible BA flight, but this is probably going to serve as a law to go "kulula" on internationl flights. "No beverages onboard! Go hungry, at least you won't get blown up! Diabetics can go screw themselves!"

Honestly, I find it a bit far fetched. You give someone a life sentence because he "planned" to blow someone up?

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He was jailed for seven years for the six charges of soliciting murder, 21 months for the three incitement to racial hatred charges, three years for possessing "threatening, abusive or insulting recordings" and three-and-a- half years for having a document useful to terrorists.

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DigitalSoldier said:

Well they had the planning document, they also had a document with them listing the chemicals required to make the bombs, and then there is the video footage and audio recordings with the plot leader threatening the west with an attack.

It is now being discussed in detail on BBC World.

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Arbiter said:

Of course not. The point is, where do you draw the line?

Yesterday I drew a rough sketch on how the Taliban could set up an ambush and exterminate a large amount of US soldiers in a few decisive attacks. It was on a sheaf of A4 paper and involved some simple diagrams created with the use of a pencil, a map and some simple tactical thinking. (This is real, by the way). I was bored.

You know about this and decide it's dangerous. You inform your local police office. They call the FBI and the suits in grey come knocking on my door before I'm awake. They produce a court ordered warrant and search my house. Guess what they find? A rough sketch on how the Taliban could nail some American troops. Not very patriotic now, is it? I get hauled off to jail for creating something while doodling that illustrates American vulnerability in Afgahnistan.



Excuse me? Three and a half years for a document useful to terrorists? I had a buddy a few years ago who loved explosions. He didn't kill anyone nor did he want to. But he's got twenty thousand pages on how to make bombs.

Really. I have no qualms with throwing a known terrorist in jail and maybe even asking him to take a little sip of water through his nose.

But sometimes the actions of these civilized people make me shiver. I really don't want to go to jail, especially for no good reason.

Don't you share that opinion?

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Arbiter said:

Yesterday I drew a rough sketch on how the Taliban could set up an ambush and exterminate a large amount of US soldiers in a few decisive attacks. It was on a sheaf of A4 paper and involved some simple diagrams created with the use of a pencil, a map and some simple tactical thinking. (This is real, by the way). I was bored.

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