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12-2-03 Scotsman Tanks roll on British streets By Gethin Chamberlain THEY may have become a familiar sight on the streets of Northern Ireland, but if there was anything guaranteed to hammer home the reality of the terrorist threat now facing Britain, it was the image of armoured vehicles patrolling parts of the British mainland. Passengers arriving at Heathrow airport yesterday morning found the normal armed police presence had been boosted by 450 soldiers in light Scimitar tanks, or armoured reconnaissance vehicles, as the army preferred to describe them. By the end of the afternoon, the police presence at the airport had increased to 1,000 and troops were said to be patrolling on the M25 motorway south of Heathrow and in Windsor Great Park on the western approach to the airport. Such an unprecedented security presence demanded some sort of explanation and by mid afternoon Downing Street confirmed what it had already let it be known was the case, that the army had been called in on the orders of Tony Blair, the Prime Minister, in response to a specific terrorist threat. The nature of that threat was not likely to be divulged, officials said, but security experts were quick to draw their own conclusions and a missile attack on aircraft taking off or landing at Heathrow airport was top of the list of potential threats, a scenario reinforced by the presence of fast armoured units capable of patrolling the perimeters of the airport. The end of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha had already been highlighted by US security services as a potential flashpoint for a terrorist attack and the US is on its highest state of alert since the 11 September attacks. But while the size of the security operation clearly pointed to a specific threat, there were also voices yesterday arguing that the high-profile deployment of troops was nothing more than a cynical attempt to manipulate public opinion in favour of military intervention in Iraq. Dr Zaki Badawi, director of the Muslim College, said: "I think probably the authorities feel that they should build up emotions - what I call the 'war spirit' so to speak. The government is trying to build up tension in preparation for war." Conscious of such speculation, Downing Street was keen to stress that the government had acted out of concerns based on information it had received from security sources. The Prime Minister's spokesman said: "This action would not be happening unless it was thought to be appropriate. This is an issue which is too serious to make play of. "The government has to make judgements. They are fine judgements and we have to take whatever security measures we can, consistent with the desire of people to live normal lives. "We just have to get used to the idea that given the threat is real, the response to it will go up and down accordingly. This is not an exact science and there is no particular rule book as to how you deal with these things. " Scotland Yard Commissioner Sir John Stevens said the alert was for the whole of London not just Heathrow: "I don't want people to panic, people should not be alarmed they should be alert," he said. "It is necessary for the safety of Londoners and people visiting this capital city. We wouldn't do this unless it was necessary." The Metropolitan police remained coy about the nature of such a threat, refusing to explain why it had requested armoured vehicles to support the security operation at Heathrow. A spokeswoman said that the nature of the military deployment was a matter for the Ministry of Defence. "We asked for help from the armed forces through the usual channels," she said. But the army said the decision to provide armoured reconnaissance vehicles had been made in response to a specific request for assistance from the police. "We responded to the request they made in the most appropriate fashion. This is our response to the seriousness of the threat conveyed by the Metropolitan Police," said a spokesman. "Their primary role is to drive around and look at things. They are quick and partly armoured and capable of self defence and they can get from A to B sharpish." The vehicles, equipped with 30mm cannon and 7.62 mm machine guns, are capable of speeds up to 50mph. Security specialists said such a deployment of troops and vehicles pointed to a possible missile attack on a plane similar to the one carried out by al-Qaeda terrorists in Kenya last November, when two missiles were fired at an Arkias airline charter flight carrying Israeli tourists soon after it took off from Mombasa bound for Tel Aviv. Chris Yates, an expert with the specialist journal Jane's Airport Review, said: "The key here is perimeter security - we can put all sorts of technology and security in airports but it doesn't take an Einstein to work out that you can park around the perimeter and launch something like a missile." Hours after the soldiers arrived, police began stopping vehicles under the flightpath near the village of Wraysbury in Berkshire, just a few miles from the airport. What the specialists believe they were looking for were shoulder-launched missiles such as the Russian-built Mark 22 anti-tank weapon which was used to damage the MI6 building at Vauxhall Cross, south London, in September 2000, American Stinger or Russian Igla surface to air missiles or the Russian Strela-2M, a first-generation portable SAM, which was also used in the failed Mombasa attack. Yesterday was the first time the army had been deployed at Heathrow since 1994, when the IRA launched a mortar attack on the airport. Soldiers from the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards and the Household Cavalry regiment patrolled on foot around the terminal buildings while armoured vehicles were visible at the main entrance and outside terminals. Patrols around the perimeter are expected to continue for weeks. The decision to send troops on to the streets follows a statement authorised by the Home Secretary, David Blunkett, on 7 November last year, which warned of "ever more dramatic and devastating" terror attacks. It said: "If al-Qaeda could mount an attack upon key economic targets, or upon our transport infrastructure, they would. If they could inflict damage upon the health of our population, they would." An earlier security assessment, issued in error and withdrawn, warned of dirty bombs and poison gas attacks. Earlier yesterday, Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed, leader of the small Islamic al-Muhajiroun group, had sought to stir up further alarm by claiming that al-Qaeda supporters in Britain might carry out attacks. "I would warn people to take precautions. Do not go into government buildings do not be in any financial institutions, keep away from these locations," he said. But if the public were alarmed, they were playing down any fears they might have. "At first I felt quite threatened when I saw the soldiers but it does make me feel safer knowing they are here," said Marguerite Withers, 66, flying to Dubai to visit her son.
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................................................................................................................. Copyright ©2004 Gethin Chamberlain. All rights reserved. |
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