UK Uncovers al-Qaida Plot to Blow Up Planes in 'Christmas Spectacular'

Great Britian has discovered an al-Qaida terror plot to blow up five European passenger jets in a Christmas "spectacular," a threat deemed so serious that authorities came close to banning all hand luggage, security experts have said.

According to the U.K.'s Sunday Express, the threat of a 9/11-style attack on London and other major cities is considered imminent.

"We've been told that five planes are being targeted in a high profile hit before Christmas. They've been waiting for the big one," an airport security source told the newspaper.
"We have many scares but this one nearly got hand baggage pulled from all airlines. The threat is still alive and real."

One source told the New York Post, "There is a credible threat that they're concerned about … They've known about it for a while."

Mobile phones and electronic devices may still be banned because they can be used to trigger bombs.

"High level negotiations are continuing at the governmental level but at the moment there has been little done to respond. There is paralysis because of the difficulty of banning hand luggage, which is one of the strongest weapons we have against the new threats," the source said, according to the Express.

"All electronics may be banned from hand luggage and placed in the hold, that has been considered, and there has been behavior analysis training at airports but while it's effective, it's difficult to roll out quickly and is not a sufficient safety net."

"The threat is aimed at Europe. The U.S. has improved their security over the summer but we have not. Everyone is expecting something catastrophic very soon," the source said.

The plot is believed to have been uncovered by U.S. intelligence officers. The fear is that despite progress in eradicating key al-Qaida operatives, there may be sleeper cells that have been working to develop an attack.

A source told the Post that the threat of bombs being smuggled onto planes in hand luggage is "a common theme that's out there."

One terrorism expert said, however, that airlines are unlikely to accept a ban on hand luggage and electronic devices, but she also said there are risks that they could be used for an attack.

"Efforts to ban all electronic devices including computers from business class passengers which reap huge revenue for the airlines is nearly unsustainable in their business model," Dr. Sally Leivesley told the Express.

"However, I would contend that even a mobile phone in the hold is capable of being used as a trigger for a bomb or used as a bomb in its own right. The most likely scenario is a plane heading towards a major European capital."

She added, "There is likely to have been dry runs already with terrorists testing airport security."

Leivesley warned of the changing profile of terrorists, saying that they are now more likely to be "white, blond, and blue eyed," having been recently radicalized since the new rise of militants in Iraq and Syria. She added that there is a heightened risk of female terrorists as well.

"Crime profiling shows that white, middle class women, who are better than averagely educated, are susceptible to the terrorist narrative. They see themselves at the forefront of attempts to change the world and represent a very dangerous tool for the terrorists."

She said the possible terrorists may have been from "ordinary and not very religious families" and could be either homegrown radicals or returning from fighting in Syria or Iraq.