Britain Foils Alleged Terror Plot to Blow Up Airlines
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks very much, Lou. And to our viewers, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM where new pictures and information are arriving all the time. Standing by CNN reporters across the United States and around the world to bring you tonight's top stories. Happening now, new information about what may be the biggest terror plot since 9/11. British authorities say they foiled a plan to blow up planes heading toward the United States. It's midnight in London where investigators still are on the hunt for suspects and are probing an alleged al Qaeda connection. Airports in the United States and Britain now are on higher alert. It's 7:00 p.m. at JFK Airport in New York City where new security rules have screeners and passengers scrambling. Would they have been ready for the worst? I'll ask the Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. And in the Middle East conflict intense fighting and desperate diplomacy. It's 2:00 a.m. Friday in Lebanon where Israel is taking its fight against Hezbollah into new territory amid talk that a peace deal could be struck soon. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Jerusalem. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM. If you're just tuning in, a major story in the war on terror that if pulled off, would have killed thousands of people. The alleged plot involved terrorists boarding as many as 10 U.S.-bound planes in Britain. Once on board the terrorists would -- and detonate those bombs with everyday electronics like iPods or cell phones. They allegedly hoped to blow up as many as 10 planes at the same time as they flew to the United States. Officials say British Airways, Continental, United and American Airlines would have been the targets. Right now 24 people are under arrest and sources with knowledge of the British investigation say two of them had prepared what are called martyrdom tapes, ready for suicide. Also, senior U.S. government officials tell CNN two of the suspects recently traveled to Pakistan and later received money wired from there. CNN's Christiane Amanpour is standing by Heathrow Airport in London. CNN's Jeanne Meserve is working...</s>BLITZER: ... Washington, but we begin this late-breaking report from CNN's Deborah Feyerick in London.</s>DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Police went house to house, continuing the search in London, the industrial city of Birmingham, and the Thames Valley. British officials weren't saying much about the people arrested, but they believe they have the key players. In fact, sources familiar with the investigation say two of the suspects had already recorded so-called martyr tapes to be released after the alleged attacks.</s>DEP. COMM. PAUL STEPHENSON, LONDON METROPOLITAN POLICE: We are confident we have disrupted a plan by terrorists to cause untold death and destruction and to commit quite frankly mass murder.</s>FEYERICK: U.S. sources say those arrested are all British, some of Pakistani descent. In fact, according to sources, two of the suspects recently traveled to Pakistan and later received money wired from there. Officials in Pakistan say they helped British intelligence crack the case beginning as long ago as last December and more recently with information from a raid several weeks ago on the Afghan/Pakistan border. They also say it was information from Pakistan that convinced the British to act last night.</s>DOUGLAS ALEXANDER, U.K. TRANSPORT SECRETARY: The investigation reached a critical point last night when the decision was made to take urgent action in order to disrupt what we believe was being planned.</s>FEYERICK: The alleged plot, according to the British, was to simultaneously blow up as many as 10 airplanes flying from Heathrow Airport to the United States using potentially explosive liquids and other materials in carry on luggage. More than 200 inbound flights and another 200-plus outbound flights were canceled at Heathrow Airport. By the end of the day delays are fewer, but thousands of passengers are left trying to make plans to leave. The airport is still on the highest alert. Passengers are not being allowed to carry on any luggage, only wallets, medicine and travel documents are allowed, and they have to be carried through security in a clear plastic bag.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This step has been taken to ensure maximum secure so people can go ahead with their travel arrangements.</s>BLITZER: That was CNN's Deb Feyerick reporting from London. Let's find out how the U.S. government is responding to this alleged terrorist plot. Our homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve is in Washington with more. Jeanne, what are you picking up? What are you learning about the nature of this plot?</s>JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, U.S. officials are saying that they have seen no indications that there was any plotting on U.S. soil or any communications between the people picked up in Britain with people or cells here in the United States. However, they do note that this investigation is ongoing, not yet completed. Something else could show up. And also, of course, U.S. air carriers were the ones being targeted in these alleged attacks. In addition, they're talking some about the timing of this. As one official put it, we weren't pulling people off of planes. But clearly the attack was coming along very closely. They were near to a dry run, according to some accounts, and the real attack would have happened shortly after that. In addition, officials are shying away from the fact that this could be linked to 9/11 or to any other significant date. It is their belief that these terrorists would have acted when they were ready to act, the calendar would have had nothing to do with it -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: And it does have the hallmarks, as they say, of al Qaeda, at least that's what the secretary of homeland security suggests as was other officials. We have seen some really long lines at airports across the country. Jeanne, how much longer do think the American public is going to expect to see these long lines?</s>MESERVE: Well actually according to...</s>MESERVE: ... we've been receiving those lines are receding. According to screeners and travelers and airport officials, they aren't collecting as many of those banned items the word simply has gotten out via the media. People are either not bringing them or they're putting them in their checked bags. Another phenomenon is that the screening lines apparently are not as long as they were, at least at some airports. The airport official I talked to out at LAX told me he thought that was because more people were checking their baggage and so that meant that although there were more that screeners had to do with each bag there were fewer bags for them to check at the screening checkpoints, so in some respects things could be easing up. How long these security measures will be in effect, we don't have any idea and neither do officials because that investigation isn't finished -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: They're taking it day by day by day by day. That's a fundamental fact, at least that's what officials are telling all of us. Jeanne thank you very much. President Bush is calling the foiled plot to blow up airplanes a stark reminder of the terrorist threat to the United States. Some of his critics, though, are already asking if Mr. Bush is trying to use this frightening turn of events to his own political advantage. Here's our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux -- Suzanne.</s>SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well Wolf, President Bush was trying to focus on domestic issues with his trip to Green Bay, Wisconsin. Of course, a Republican fund-raiser, also remarks on the economy, but the news as you know is all about terror and today President Bush was trying to use this foiled terror plot to make the case that the administration is doing a good job in protecting the American people.</s>MALVEAUX (voice-over): President Bush used the foiled terrorist plot to make two points. First, to justify his war on terror.</s>GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This nation is at war with Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of is who love freedom, to hurt our nation.</s>MALVEAUX: And second to convince Americans they are safer on his watch.</s>BUSH: This country is safer than it was prior to 9/11. We have taken a lot of measures to protect the American people.</s>MALVEAUX: It was Sunday when Mr. Bush first learned of the developing terror plot out of the United Kingdom during a video conference all with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, this photo was released by the White House that day to show the president engaged with world leaders on the Middle East crisis, but the terror plot remained secret. The following day Mr. Bush delivered this ominous warning during a rare Crawford news conference.</s>BUSH: Part of the challenge in the 21st Century is to remind people about the stakes and remind people that in moments of quiet, there's still a Islamist fascist group plotting, planning and trying to spread their ideology.</s>MALVEAUX: For the past four days White House aides say Mr. Bush received updates about the possibility of an impending attack. Wednesday Mr. Bush got another update from Blair that British authorities were seeing signs of something imminent and that it was time to move. That evening, the president gave the green light to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to raise the threat level for air travel. Aides say the president was not given a heads-up about the timing of the overseas arrests, nor woken up when they occurred. But some Democrats are suggesting that the White House used its advance knowledge to score political points. They object to the coordinated comments made in recent days from the vice president, the press secretary and the head of the Republican Party, all attacking the Democrats for being weak on terror.</s>KEN MEHLMAN, REPUBLICAN NAT'L CMTE. CHMN.: As a party that once stood for strength now too often stands for retreat and defeat.</s>MALVEAUX: Senior administration officials call the Democrats charge preposterous.</s>DAVID GERGEN, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER: If in the next 48 hours, we see Republicans exploiting this that will be unbecoming to them.</s>MALVEAUX: This foiled plot, of course, comes at a critical time for President Bush who is now dealing with the Middle East crisis and Iraq that may be descending into civil war and of course the anniversary of September 11 -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Suzanne Malveaux reporting. Thank you, Suzanne. Officials say the plot does bear all the hallmarks of al Qaeda. For more let's turn to our chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour. Christiane is in London for us. Christiane, first of all, based on everything you are hearing from British authorities, how sophisticated was this plot?</s>CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INT'L CORRESPONDENT: Well they are saying it's sophisticated. They're saying that it was impressive. And as you know the homeland security chief has also said that this was the result of a lot of careful planning and of course it was about to come, if it had, perhaps in a couple days. And this is at the height of the tourist season, sort of maximum impact, maximum destruction, and a huge, huge blow, not to mention many, many potential deaths. What they're saying also is and what other analysts are saying, is look back more than 10 years ago, 1994, al Qaeda, Ramzi Yousef, Khalid bin Shaikh Mohammed had this potential plot, of course was thwarted to blow up...</s>AMANPOUR: ... liquid explosive device. And these are much more sophisticated and difficult to detect than what we have seen for instance in other suicide...</s>BLITZER: Looks like we're having some technical problems with that satellite feed to Christiane. Christiane, stand by. We're going to get back to you. Christiane Amanpour with the latest she's collecting in London. Jack Cafferty is off today. "The Cafferty File" will be back on Monday. We're following all the major developments in the terror plot as well as the crisis in the Middle East including word tonight that a United Nations resolution potentially could be imminent. We're going to have late-breaking developments. Also, the new reality of air travel, much more on what all of us need to know about flying and how it's changed over the past 24 hours. We're going to go live to New York's Kennedy Airport. Mary Snow is standing by for that. Plus, what President Bush said about plot that has some people upset. Live from Jerusalem. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.