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Britain
Police foil gas attack on Commons
2005-08-21
SCOTLAND YARD believes it has thwarted an Al-Qaeda gas attack aimed at ministers and MPs in parliament. The plot, hatched last year, is understood to have been discovered in coded e-mails on computers seized from terror suspects in Britain and Pakistan. Police and MI5 then identified an Al-Qaeda cell that had carried out extensive research and video-recorded reconnaissance missions in preparation for the attack. The encrypted e-mails are said to have been decoded with the help of an Al-Qaeda “supergrass”. By revealing the terrorists’ code he was also able to help MI5 and GCHQ, the government’s eavesdropping centre at Cheltenham, to crack several more plots.
And so we tell everyone so that al-Q can change their methods and codes. Brits are famous for this.
The discovery of the suspected Commons nerve gas plot was behind the decision to increase security around parliament this summer. A senior officer said that the scheme had led to the intervention of Eliza Manningham-Buller, head of MI5, to assess parliament’s security. The operation to deter the sarin gas attack is referred to in an internal police document obtained by The Sunday Times. It is a minute of a meeting of senior police officers held last month at Specialist Operations 17 (SO17), the unit responsible for protecting parliament, and reveals that the team were waiting to be briefed on the plot.

This weekend a senior officer disclosed that the thwarted plot mentioned in the document involved a gas or chemical “dirty bomb” attack against parliament. “The House of Commons was one of their targets as well as the Tube,” he said. “They were planning to use chemicals, a dirty bomb and sarin gas. They looked at all sorts of ways of delivering it.” But despite the successful police operation and upgraded security measures, senior officers are worried that security at the houses of parliament remains “unacceptable”.

The police security memo, drawn up after the July 7 attacks, reveals high-level fears that suicide terrorists could use a black cab or a visit to an exhibition to mark the 400th anniversary of the gunpowder plot. It discloses that a military unit — said to have been special forces — recently carried out a secret examination of security at the House of Commons. It is believed that the exercise highlighted the ease with which terrorists could kill dozens of MPs in the debating chamber. “(It was) felt all SO17 contingency plans should be reviewed against the new threat — a plan for a Kratos (suicide bomber) incident was required,” the minutes record. A senior officer said that he “felt particular attention should be paid to cabs entering the (parliamentary) estate”.

The memo records: “(A senior official) expressed grave concern at the shortage of security officers. He was worried that commitments such as the forthcoming exhibition on the gunpowder plot just could not be covered. He felt that an unacceptable number of posts were being closed down.”
This goes above and beyond the normal gas at Commons.
Posted by:Captain America

#15  I think the code will be substitution of words that would set all the red lights flashing with innocous words. So rather than 'bomb', 'book' would be used and 'open the book' would mean 'detonate the bomb'.

This smacks of disinformation to me. Paranioa is a powerfull weapon against terrorist organizations and the Brits have had 25 years of practice against the IRA. BTW, supergrass means someone who is informing against the highest levels of an organizations.
Posted by: phil_b   2005-08-21 17:08  

#14  #3 I wonder if they planned their attack around Gorgeous George's schedule.
Posted by anonymous2u 2005-08-21 02:46

Anonymous: George Galloway is THE GAS ATTACK!
Posted by: The Angry Fliegerabwehrkanonen   2005-08-21 12:45  

#13  changing the codes...

Are they truly using codes? Or codes and encryption? Like everyone else, they are probably using commercial-off-the-shelf encryption like PGP. If I understand how those work, every session generates new keys. Thus the concern that Al-Qaeda will change their encryption is moot. If they are then using actual code books, then the concern is valid. If I were Al-Qaeda, I would use PGP to encrypt/decrypt, then use off-the-shelf paperback books or even static web pages to encode/decode the words. A decrypted message may read, for example: 1 78 56 33 21 45 99 56. The numbers refer to particular words on a particular page of a particular book which breaks to "Osama has camel breath. Please send infidel listerine". If you don't know the book or page, good luck breaking the code. The real story is probably deeper and more interesting than I can imagine. Perhaps it will be printed someday.
Posted by: Zpaz   2005-08-21 12:44  

#12  Remind me again why when islamists are trying their hardest to kill thousands of Brits in mega attacks (truck bombings of football stadiums, ricin and cyanide attacks, now sarin in the underground and Parliament), the British leaders can't even make up their minds to deport those calling for mass murder? Darwin is a strict master and societies that don't have the will to survive will become just a footnote in history books.
Posted by: ed   2005-08-21 11:02  

#11  Sorry, I thought my first attempt was timed out.
Posted by: SwissTex   2005-08-21 10:41  

#10  And so we tell everyone so that al-Q can change their methods and codes. Brits are famous for this.


The British are also (or were?) masters in desinformation.

Before changing the codes, al-Q will probably try to know who the informant is and start wondering what is the extent of the dammage. Who's to be trusted and who's not.
To instill doubts in the enemies' mind can be a powerful weapon.

Posted by: SwissTex   2005-08-21 10:38  

#9  And so we tell everyone so that al-Q can change their methods and codes. Brits are famous for this.


The British are also (or were?) masters in desinformation.

Before changing the codes, al-Q will probably try to know who the informant is and start wondering what is the extent of the dammage. Who's to be trusted and who's not.
To instill doubts in the enemies' mind can be a powerful weapon.

Posted by: SwissTex   2005-08-21 10:38  

#8  I wonder if "supergrass" has been mowed by the Jihad lawn mower.
Posted by: Captain America   2005-08-21 09:14  

#7  Leave it to a desert denizen to know about hardy supergrasses.
Posted by: GK   2005-08-21 03:13  

#6  I was thinking Hybrid Bermuda or Tiff / Fescue, myself.
Posted by: .com   2005-08-21 03:07  

#5  MG, Supergrass is British slang for "police informant". It can refer to a type of drug and there's also a rock band by that name.
Posted by: GK   2005-08-21 02:55  

#4  supergrass
?
Posted by: Mona Gorilla   2005-08-21 02:49  

#3  I wonder if they planned their attack around Gorgeous George's schedule.
Posted by: anonymous2u   2005-08-21 02:46  

#2  Shows how bad there are those whom want west to lose this struggle against the Fascists. Tar and Feathers and a sharp rail. In the UK they do have laws to toss them both in jail that said, I am sure they will not.

On a lighter note I thought perhaps Galloway was to give a speech and had been arrested.
Posted by: Sock Puppet 0’ Doom   2005-08-21 02:02  

#1  I'm with you, Dr Steve. Seems the TimesOnline is very similar to the NYT in this regard. The editor who put this piece in the hopper and the copper who confirmed should be polishing prison plumbing with toothbrushes - or job hunting at the very least.
Posted by: .com   2005-08-21 01:47  

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