LONDON/ISLAMABAD: Investigation by British intelligence agents has revealed that Wednesday, August 16, was D-Day for the foiled terror attacks. Flight tickets for that day were reportedly found at one of the suspects’ houses.
Pakistan has named Rashid Rauf, a British national with suspected Al Qaeda links, as the key suspect.
On Friday, five suspects were arrested in unspecified Pakistani cities. Two British nationals of Pak origin had been arrested in Pakistan last week.
In the UK, police have been posted outside the houses of suspects, with officers combing them for clues. The Bank of England has frozen the assets of 19 of the 24 suspects arrested in Britain. “The Treasury has instructed the Bank of England to issue notices to effect a freeze of the assets of a number of arrested individuals,” said Ed Ball, economic secretary.
American intelligence agencies insist five suspects are still at large, but British Home Secretary John Reid believes the main suspects are in custody. The UK remains on a high ‘critical’ alert, with Reid saying, “We must err on the side of caution.”
Meanwhile, intelligence agencies in Pakistan and Britain are vying for credit for the foiled terror plot. While Pak authorities say information given by the two Pakistani-origin Britons arrested by them last week provided vital clues, British intelligence bosses insist months of patient work by their own agents cracked the plot.
Britain reportedly approached Pakistan a few weeks ago for information about at least three people arrested in the country with suspected Al Qaeda links, and a request to track their movements. “The majority of the work was done by British agents, but they got a major clue from Pakistan, which was quickly verified and checked,” said a British intelligence official. “There has been good-cooperation from Pakistan.”
Intelligence cooperation from the US too has been excellent, British authorities said.
-- With inputs from Agencies
