"Complex" plot of blow up UK airlines foiled

[Krill]

[q=germanos]"According to BBC sources the "principal characters" suspected of being involved in the plot were British-born. There are also understood to be links to Pakistan."[/q]

British born just mean they were, well, born in Britain and hence subjects of the queen, and can have British passports etc.

Links to Pakistan can mean jsut about anything, from the fact that one member that was arrested vistied the country 50 years ago to every single detainee went to Pakistan and was trained to commit this act of terrorism. However, I haven't found anything that claims the ethnicity of any supposed perpetrator...

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by germanos


But how many would be of Pakistani origin.

Seems to me the two are mutually exclusive. (But then my native tongue isn't English)

Its a language problem. Saying person X is of Y origin, means that they, or their parents, or some other more or less identifiable ancestors came from country Y. for ex "The Pennsylvania Amish are of Swiss and south German origin, though almost all were born in Pennsylvania" would be a true statement.

[LordShiva]

Domestic news agency Press Association quoting unnamed senior police sources said majority of those arrested were believed to be of Pakistani origin but most, if not all, were British.

Terror suspects 'appear to be of Pakistani origin'
10/08/2006 - 17:02:46

French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy said today that the suspects in an alleged terror plot to blow up several planes flying from Britain to the United States “appear to be of Pakistani origin".

http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=157556420&p=y57557xxx&n=157557029

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by General Ludd
Where did it say that they where muslim?

Of all the major terrorist attacks in Europe in recent years, how many haven't been Muslim terrorists?

[germanos]

Originally posted by lord of the mark


Its a language problem. Saying person X is of Y origin, means that they, or their parents, or some other more or less identifiable ancestors came from country Y. for ex "The Pennsylvania Amish are of Swiss and south German origin, though almost all were born in Pennsylvania" would be a true statement.

I thought one would say "of ... descent", especially in the case of individuals.

[Kuciwalker]

Welcome to the wonderful world of the English langauge.

[germanos]

Originally posted by LordShiva
quote:
Terror suspects 'appear to be of Pakistani origin'
10/08/2006 - 17:02:46

French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy said today that the suspects in an alleged terror plot to blow up several planes flying from Britain to the United States “appear to be of Pakistani origin".



http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/stor...xx&n=157557029

Originally posted by LordShiva


They were of Pakistani origin. Granted, only ~95% of Pakistanis are Muslim.

[Whoha]

Originally posted by Sava
Clearly, this is an Israeli plot with two goals in mind.

Just ask yourself this: How many JOOS were arrested in the UK in connection with this plot?



I rest my case.

indubitably.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by germanos


I thought one would say "of ... descent", especially in the case of individuals.

one could say either origin or descent (or even "heritage" or "background"), all with slightly different connotations. Or I could say subtly different connotations.

[Dauphin]

I wonder if these guys will get charged, or if the whole thing is found out to be a very dramatic misinformation campaign to divert attention and get people onside things like the Lebanon issue.

Anyone remember tanks at Heathrow when Gulf War II was about to kick off? Whatever happened to all those other intelligence claims that have been found to be misleading at best, and downright dishonest lies at worst.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Dauphin
I wonder if these guys will get charged, or if the whole thing is found out to be a very dramatic misinformation campaign to divert attention and get people onside things like the Lebanon issue.

Anyone remember tanks at Heathrow when Gulf War II was about to kick off? Whatever happened to all those other intelligence claims that have been found to be misleading at best, and downright dishonest lies at worst.

" Pakistanis say they helped crack plot By MUNIR AHMAD, Associated Press Writer

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistani intelligence helped British security agencies crack a terrorist plot to blow up U.S.-bound aircraft, and has arrested two or three suspects in recent days, officials said Thursday.


"Pakistan played a very important role in uncovering and breaking this international terrorist network," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Tasnim Aslam.

"Cooperation in this particular case was spread over a period of time. There were some arrests in Pakistan which were coordinated with arrests in the U.K.," she said.

She declined to give details about the arrests, including the number of suspects, their identities or when they were arrested.

But a senior government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to comment on the matter, said "two or three local people" suspected in the plot were arrested a few days ago in Lahore and Karachi."


If its a plot to distract, then it would appear Pakistan was in on it. Very odd, that Pakistan would feel such a stake in Israeli ops in Lebanon.

1. When will people stop useing innuendo against agencies trying to respond to terrorist threats?

2. When will people stop lumping all muslims, or even all Pakistani muslims, together?

[Dauphin]

Pakistan may have things to gain, it may be a pawn, who knows. It could all be a wonderfully completed intelligence operation with strong Pakistani assistance (which is somewhat of a rare thing it seems).

I'm just holding my congratulations on foiling a plot until these guys are demonstrated to have been in a real position to have carried out their supposed crime, and not some pipe dream that's been blown out of proportion.

I'm critical because the track record is really not good in this regard.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Dauphin
Pakistan may have things to gain, it may be a pawn, who knows. It could all be a wonderfully completed intelligence operation with strong Pakistani assistance (which is somewhat of a rare thing it seems).

I'm just holding my congratulations on foiling a plot until these guys are demonstrated to have been in a real position to have carried out their supposed crime, and not some pipe dream that's been blown out of proportion.

I'm critical because the track record is really not good in this regard.

Even where the groups arrested turned out not to be as formidable as initially thought, there is no evidence that authorities didnt think it was something real.

Theres always the accusation its a distraction. Of course theres always something going on for it to be a distraction from.

Maybe its just that after the WTC, and Madrid, and Bali, and the London Underground, the authorities have decided they have more to lose from missing something real, than from getting overwrought over something that proves minor.

[Sandman]

Originally posted by Dauphin
I wonder if these guys will get charged, or if the whole thing is found out to be a very dramatic misinformation campaign to divert attention and get people onside things like the Lebanon issue.

Anyone remember tanks at Heathrow when Gulf War II was about to kick off? Whatever happened to all those other intelligence claims that have been found to be misleading at best, and downright dishonest lies at worst.

I sympathise, but I reckon it's real this time. Blowing up planes is classic terrorism - daft stuff like ricin on door handles isn't.

[Chemical Ollie]

Originally posted by lord of the mark



" Pakistanis say they helped crack plot By MUNIR AHMAD, Associated Press Writer

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistani intelligence helped British security agencies crack a terrorist plot to blow up U.S.-bound aircraft, and has arrested two or three suspects in recent days, officials said Thursday.


"Pakistan played a very important role in uncovering and breaking this international terrorist network," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Tasnim Aslam.

"Cooperation in this particular case was spread over a period of time. There were some arrests in Pakistan which were coordinated with arrests in the U.K.," she said.

---

No need to invade Pakistan then

Now, if they could just find Osama Bin Ladin, who is probably hiding on their soil...