British 9/11 Fears Over Private Planes, Government Terror Adviser Warns

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 6-23-3008 | Christopher Hope

[blam]

British 9/11 fears over private planes, Government terror adviser warns

By Christopher Hope, Home Affairs Editor
Last Updated: 9:41PM BST 23/06/2008

Private jets and light aircraft could be used by terrorists to launch attacks on crowds and buildings in Britain, the Government's anti-terror expert has warned.

There are an estimated 8,500 private aircraft and up to 500 "landing sites" in Britain, ranging from farmers' fields to regional airports

Senior police officers have "real anxiety" about the possibility of terror missions being launched from small airports amid fears over lax security.

Jets could be hijacked and used as "vehicle bombs" to target the public.

Such attacks would be "relatively simple" to orchestrate, according to Lord Carlile of Berriew in a report on how the UK is dealing with the terror threat.

He said that the thousands of small, rented planes capable of travelling at high speeds between EU countries and the UK should be subjected to far stricter checks.

The warning, contained in a 60-page report, will prompt fears that Britain has been left open to a terrorist attack similar to the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington DC.

It comes as:

• Lord Carlile raised the prospect of taking the IRA off a Government list of banned organisations because it had "dwindled to almost or actually nothing";

• Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, disclosed plans to create a 3,000-strong border police force;

• Lord Carlile said he had raised concerns with internet search engine Google over the availability of terror-related material on the worldwide web;

• The European Court of Human Rights announced it would investigate the Government's plans to hold terror suspects for up to 42 days;

• The Government announced it is to build a specialist detention centre for terror suspects

[xkaydet65]

Load up a Gulfstream with high quality impact explosives and you’ve got a new 9/11. Unlike the US, the Brits don’t have much lead time if a G4 is approaching. Something like that coming into the East coast could be met by F16s out of Atlantic City.I don’t know where the Brits stag their Tornadoes.

[SkyDancer]

Everybody PANIC!
Oh, it’s the Nanny state/country - forgot. I guess private cars will be next.

While here in the US who is the real target there have been how many GA terror attacks since 9/11?

[MeanWestTexan]

I was recently waiting in Austin to get on a private plane. Every plane there was of the largish private jet variety, Citations, Lears, etc.

Arabic was the primary language being spoken in the terminal.

(Did get to see some nice WWII bombers on display, including a B-25 that the Brits had dumped off in India as scrap and the Indian Air Force resurrected it.)

[MeanWestTexan]

Going into Hobby in Houston it would be an extremely brief deviation from flight path to slam into a tower. No way we could react.

[BGHater]

Whatever. Like us, they are committing suicide with their immigration policies.

Oh goody, I get to be a terrorist in the UK and have a bad back and the Gov’t pays for it.

[calex59]

Just another left wing effort to undermine the freedom of British subjects. This is a “Let’s outlaw private planes so terrorists can’t use them!” type of rhetoric, the same type used to outlaw firearms and knives.