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Home Secretary John Reid said the downgrading of the threat of a terrorist attack from ‘critical’, the highest level, to ‘severe’, did not mean the danger of an attack had passed, but that police believed they had wrapped up most loose ends. ‘There has now been time to assess the intelligence picture following the police operation,’ Reid told reporters. ‘The police believe that the main suspects in the alleged plot were arrested last week.’
Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander said passengers could now take one piece of hand luggage the size of a laptop computer bag onto planes. But they would still be banned from taking liquids aboard, except medicines that could be verified and baby food that would have to be tasted by accompanying adults.
On the fifth day since the new airport security measures were put in place, carriers were still being forced to cancel some flights because of airport overcrowding and delays. On Monday British Airways cancelled 20 percent of flights from LondonÂ’s Heathrow airport, the worldÂ’s busiest for international flights, and said a similar number would also be cancelled on Tuesday despite easier security.
On Sunday a British Airways flight to New York was turned back to Heathrow because of a security scare because of a ringing tone from a mobile phone that was not claimed by any of the 217 passengers. The phone was later found to be safe.