Posted on 07/01/2007 6:55:26 AM PDT by traumer
Two men arrested in Scotland in connection with the Glasgow Airport attack are not "home-grown terrorists", Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said.
His comments followed searches of a number of homes in Neuk Crescent, Houston, Renfrewshire.
Mr MacAskill said the suspects were not "born or bred" here but had lived in Scotland for a "period of time".
"For any suggestion to be made that they are home-grown terrorists is just not true," he added.
Resident Stewart McArthur said the police arrived in Neuk Crescent just before 0500 BST.
'Heavily armed'
"They were in an unmarked transit van and they were wearing balaclavas," he said.
"It was like an American Swat unit here. And they were really heavily armed."
The airport is starting to return to normal although many flights are still cancelled or delayed.
The reopening will be "extremely gradual", the airport official added.
Mohammed Sarwar The Muslim community are concerned about a backlash and that's why the emergency meeting has been called -Mohammed Sarwar, Glasgow MP
Threats follow attack
Following Saturday's incident police are now holding four people.
Strathclyde Police have linked the attack to the discovery of two car bombs in London's West End on Friday.
As a result of both incidents, the UK has moved to its highest level of terror alert - critical.
A further two people have been arrested in Cheshire and another in Liverpool.
Scottish ministers met earlier for a briefing on developments.
The summit was led by First Minister Alex Salmond and attended by Mr MacAskill, Scotland's top law officer, Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini and the country's most senior civil servant, Scottish Executive permanent secretary Sir John Elvidge.
Scotland's equivalent of Westminster's Cobra emergency committee is the Scottish Executive Emergency Room (Seer).
Map showing the location of arrests and searches
Mr Salmond will be meeting leaders of the Muslim community in the city later.
Mr Salmond, who has appealed for public vigilance, has said no community should be scapegoated as a result of the Glasgow incident.
Muslim leaders are holding an emergency meeting in Glasgow to discuss fallout from the attack.
Scotland's only Muslim MP Mohammed Sarwar said threats had been made towards members of the Muslim community in the aftermath of the attack in Glasgow.
He told BBC Scotland he had taken calls from people who had been threatened or targeted by abusive graffiti.
Mr Sarwar said people in the Muslim and Asian communities were "very angry".
"They're concerned about a backlash and that's why the emergency meeting has been called," he said.
Security tightened
Osama Saeed, from the Muslim Association of Great Britain, said: "I think, personally, it's so close to home that it's a completely different emotional reaction."
The accident and emergency department at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley, where one of the suspects is being treated for burns, is now open and fully functional.
The suspect remains in a critical condition.
A member of the public is being treated in the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow, in connection with yesterday's attack.
He has been described as being in a stable condition.
Security has been tightened at Scotland's other airports.
The access road to Edinburgh Airport has been closed and armed police are patrolling the Forth road and rail bridges.
Lothian and Borders Police said they had also increased security at other key sites across the city, including the castle and Holyrood Palace.
At the Scottish Parliament some of the entrances have been closed with visitors going through stricter security screening.
The Muzzie community is worried about a backlash but not a peep of condemnation from them.
It’s interesting that one of these scumbags is covered with burns. I hope they’re not giving him any pain medication. Let him get a little taste of his final destination, where the only virgins that await him are virgin BBQ coals.
I guess the name Mohammed McDonald is not common, eh?
Not Scottish? Then it’s crap.
Mr Sarwar said people in the Muslim and Asian communities were "very angry".What total and absolute BS.
Where are the daily public service announcements, authored by muzzies, urging fellow muzzies to turn in anyone suspicious?
Nowhere.
The Muslims are concerned about a backlash, but will not even speak out against the evil people who are planning these attacks.
It would be against the Koran...
What's that supposed to mean? The British don't have "heavily armed" units of police officers to take down those "heavily armed" enemy combatants and criminals?
Arrogant hypocrites!
They need to clean their house or get out.
Too funny!
“Terrorist suspects ‘not Scottish’”
gee....ya think???
all muzzie terrorists are bent on world domination and jihad...notice...not 1 word of comdemnation from any of these animals!!!
The fact that many Islamic terrorists were actually born in western nations, as opposed to being immigrants, should concern us even more. It means that even many Muslims born and raised in the West hate us and want to kill us.
But the media have ways of turning reality upside down. So when a Muslim born in a western nation carries out terror operations against that nation, you’ll get a headline that reads something like this: “Five Scotsmen arrested in bomb plot at Glasgow Station”.
Nothing to see here folks. Just some bagpipe playing McGregors with bombs hidden under their kilts.
The story goes out of its way not to say these people were Muslim immigrants.
Then later in the story they say the Muslims are concerned they may be targeted.
Hell !! we all know they were Muslims,why beat around the bush.
According to recent stories they were warned of an upcoming terrorist event,that says these people were under the control of International Muslim terrorists. Why are they so frightened to say that in these news stories.
Muslims are causing 99% of the terrorist attacks in the world today and still the media are making excuses for them and governments refuse to act. Its time for a true good old fashioned Crusade. They have started this religious war and there is but one way to stop a religious war,and that is to kill them back to a manageble force.
The Pope is not Jewish.
They need to drop all investigation and run soothe the feeling of the pig-faced Muslims. Wouldn't want them to be offended and begin to do things like blowing up innocent people.
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