Posted on 06/30/2007 9:42:16 AM PDT by bill1952
LONDON (Reuters) - A four-wheel-drive vehicle crashed into the main terminal at Glasgow airport on Saturday and exploded in flames, a day after police foiled a possible al Qaeda plot to detonate two car bombs in central London.
A Glasgow police spokeswoman said there were no immediate reports of any injuries and said the blaze was under control.
Witnesses told the BBC that the vehicle, a Land Rover or a Jeep Cherokee, had exploded shortly after crashing into the glass front doors of the terminal, and said there was a heavy stench of petrol.
"It raced across the central reservation and went straight into the building," said taxi driver Ian Crosby outside the terminal.
Crosby said a stocky Asian man had got out of the car and was quickly wrestled to the ground by bystanders.
"It would appear to me to have been a deliberate attack. I think this was a terrorist attack," Crosby said.
In London, police scoured hours of CCTV footage and extra squads were deployed on the streets, particularly around landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament after Friday's failed car bomb attacks in the centre of the city.
However, tourists and Londoners appeared largely unperturbed, going about their business as usual.
An intensive counter-terrorism investigation was launched after the discovery in the early hours of Friday of a metallic green Mercedes packed with up to 60 litres of fuel, several gas canisters and a large quantity of nails.
The vehicle was parked outside the Tiger Tiger night club in the busy theatreland district of London, and aroused suspicion only after ambulance workers, treating someone else, thought they had noticed smoke inside the vehicle.
A mobile phone, which security experts believed might have been a detonation device, was left inside the fume-filled car.
A second Mercedes packed with gas and nails was later found to have been parked just a few hundred yards from the first.
Police said the two vehicles were clearly linked. Both bombs were quickly defused but, had they gone off, would have caused significant injuries and deaths, police said. Tahoe fire AP - 32 minutes ago
snip
I love it that the bystanders tackled the terrorist!
I've heard of stiff upper lip and all, but this appears to be a bit too ostrichy. I think I would be very wary of tooling around London. I worry about the Wimbledon crowds.
Don't tell me that Glasgow airport has not installed those "tank trap" pylons in front of the doors yet!! Even Office Max in Texarkana, TX has them -- painted to resemble Crayolas...
That vehicle must really have been hosed -- if the Brits can't tell whether it was a Jeep or a Range Rover. (They are quite different...) If so, it is a wonder that the driver survived...
gotta watch them pesky “stocky asian men”. Nice generic term.
Asian means Arab to the Brits.
Go figure.
I suspect that in the first incident, the one with the two cars, the plan was to detonate the first car and then, when rescue workers were working the scene, detonate the second.
That was a close call.
This latest incident was probably a planned follow up.
Car bombers need
1. nails (which can be obtained easily if they know someone in the roofing business);
2. propane canisters (which can be obtained from someone working at a convenience store);
3. cell phones (which can be obtained at a convenience store);
4. gasoline (which can be otained at some convenience stores);
5. a car or truck (which can be borrowed if you know the "right" person at a car rental place.)
Our nightly prayers are that evil implodes upon itself!!
Because it seems to me, they are only reenforcing the public's concept that muslims are crazy wierdos. And as long as they are only killing each other, that is fine with me.
However, they can shape liberal party politics to their liking, which is potentially dangerous to me and the nation. Therefore, liberals are the terrorist's only real weapon.
“Asian means Arab to the Brits.
Go figure.”
Asian doesn’t mean Arab at all. Arab means Arab. Asian generally means South East Asian, ie. Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi.
They caught the little maggot. A twenty minute court appearence,and then hang the bastard !!!
Interesting way of looking at the situation.
pass it along. :)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.