UK lowers terror alert but threat still very serious
Regional-UK, Politics, 8/14/2006

UK Home Secretary John Reid tday said that the terror threat in Britain was still "very serious," despite the downgrading of the official alert level.

There remained a "high likelihood" of an attempted terrorist attack at "some stage," but the immediacy of the threat had passed, Reid told a news conference in London.

The official threat rating was lowered to "severe" late Sunday, four days after it was raised to the maximum `critical' level when police announced they had disrupted an alleged plot to carry out up to 10 simultaneous explosions on flights to the US.

The home secretary said the decision to change the threat level back to its next highest rating had been made by the Joint Terrorism and Analysis Centre (JTAC), which coordinates all UK security and intelligence agencies, based on the "very latest intelligence." But he warned that "the change in the threat level does not mean that the threat has gone away." The public, he said, "needs to know that there may be other people out there who may be planning to attack the United Kingdom." "That is why there are a number of other security service operations underway. There is still a very serious threat of an attack," Reid said.

Police were reportedly still questioning 23 suspects arrested last Thursday under Britain's Terrorism 2000 Act.

One was released on Saturday, but police have new powers to hold suspects for up to 28 days before making any charges.

The home secretary reiterated that police believed they had accounted for the main players in the alleged plot, despite reports in the US that five others may be "on the run." The lowering of the security alert resulted in a slight easing on restrictions imposed at airports, with each passenger now being allowed to carry one item of cabin baggage.

But a ban on all fluids and liquids, except prescribed medicines and baby milk, remains in force as it has been alleged that terrorists were planning to use liquids to carry out onboard explosions.

Previous Stories:
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  Senior committee challenges UK arms sales to Israel   (8/3/2006)
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