| THE panic gripping passenger flights on both sides of the Atlantic was sparked by the discovery of an al-Qaida plot to simultaneously hijack several aircraft and crash them into key US sites. Top of the list was the White House, but the terrorists also aimed to hit nuclear power stations on the US east coast, unspecified targets in Los Angeles and the giant Valdez oil terminal in Alaska. American and British intelligence operatives learned of the plot from a tip-off on the weekend before Christmas. The informant said Islamic fanatics planned to hijack flights operated by British Airways, Air France and AeroMexico. The warning explains the 10 groundings of airliners in Europe and America during the festive break, including two in a row of BA223 — the afternoon flight between London and Washington. British security agents were last night conducting an intense manhunt for two al-Qaida operatives they believe intended to board flight 223 wearing shoe-bombs. They also believe the would-be hijackers may be carrying legitimate US, British, or other Euro passports in a bid to evade stringent security checks. Another theory is that an extremist may have infiltrated the ranks of airline pilots. US investigators will screen all pilots flying into America in a bid to uncover any such deadly mole. British foreign intelligence agency MI6 is sifting through more than 150 terrorist threats a day as world authorities grapple with the biggest perceived threat to security since September 11. |