Ten Planes & Three Airports Believed Targeted In Foiled U.K. Terror Plot

We now know a lot more about the nature of an alleged terror attack that has paralyzed Britain’s air traffic and stunned the world.

U.S. intelligence experts have confirmed the 24 suspects arrested in a plot to blow up U.S.-bound planes in mid-air were just days away from allegedly carrying out their attack.

According to those sources, the people behind the plan wanted to smuggle everyday items that wouldn’t arouse any suspicions onto at least 10 trans-Atlantic flights. The explosives themselves would be made from a peroxide-based solution, disguised in a liquid form that appeared to be an ordinary carry-on beverage.

The detonators were to have come from some common electronic devices, like cameras.

All the components were to be assembled while the planes were in flight, bypassing any security checks, and it’s believed the flash from  the cameras would have been used to set off the solution before the aircraft could land. 

The terrorists were apparently targeting flights heading for three big U.S. terminals – Kennedy Airport in New York, Dulles in Washington and Los Angeles International in California.

Officials maintain they were as close as two days away from a dry run to see if they could actually get the substances they needed on board the planes.

The actual attack would have taken place soon after – just weeks before the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 massacres in the U.S.

Scotland Yard Deputy Commissioner Paul Stephenson described the plan as “mass murder on an unimaginable scale.”

Crowds of anxious passengers waited for their flights at London’s Heathrow Airport – many had been delayed for hours as officials searched for explosives and levied major restrictions on what people were allowed to bring on board to and from the hub.

Travellers were given clear plastic bags to put their items in, but were told no liquid, outside of baby formula, would be permitted. Laptop computers, cell phones, iPods, and remote controls were also barred.

Prescription medicines were allowed, as were eyeglasses – but not their cases. Contact lenses could be taken on board in their cases, but not the cleaning solution.

Security expert Allan Bonner says the move to further restrict carry-on items should have happened long ago.

“It is really easy to take what look and smell and feel like innocuous substances in either liquid or semisolid form onto a plane and put them together into an explosive,” he notes. “So it’s about time we did something like this.”

The strict precautions at Heathrow – one of the world’s largest airports – had a ripple effect on countries around the continent and in North America.

The terminals were closed to most flights from Europe, and passengers wanting to fly home to Canada experienced delays.

Airports in the U.S. remain on high alert and security measures have been increased around the world, as British lawmen continue their search for suspects who may have evaded their dragnet.

That’s delayed incoming planes to both countries. So if you’re planning on flying to the U.K. or the U.S., here’s where you can check your flight information.

The emergency has led to a new ban on some items aboard all flights in Canada. To view the list of what you can – and can’t – pack and to see how the arrests have affected operations at Pearson International Airport, click here.

Meanwhile, an incident involving an Air Canada jet shows just how jumpy everyone is. The plane was forced to land on a remote runway at Baltimore’s Thurgood Marshall Airport just after 4pm Thursday, when a suspicious package was discovered onboard.

The passengers were taken off and police and fire crews surrounded the craft, as authorities examined the container. Reports now suggest it was nothing more than serving plates.

Flight 7652 from Montreal was en route to Reagan National Airport in Washington when it was ordered diverted. There were no injuries.

First clues emerge about suspects

British passengers react to arrests

World leaders react

Britain has foiled terror plots before

To see unedited video of Stephenson announcing the arrests, click here.