Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/airline-terror-plot-foiled-in-uk-soon-before-planned-bombings Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript British authorities announced Thursday that they disrupted a conspiracy to bomb multiple flights to the United States. The attackers planned to use liquid explosives and focus their attacks on flights to New York, Washington D.C., and California. Officials said the plot was close to being carried out when it was halted. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. SIMON ISRAEL, ITV News Correspondent: Mass murder on the scale of 9/11. The aim of an alleged conspiracy, with its roots here in the Buckinghamshire town of High Wycombe. It's where two of 21 terrorist suspects have been arrested and where police have evacuated residents from houses, set up a two-mile radius for searches, and where officers have been combing the nearby woods.From homes such as these, the plan was devised, according to intelligence sources, to take out packed transatlantic flights by blowing holes in the fuselage whilst flying over American cities, using handheld exploding devices capable of avoiding x-ray detection. PAUL STEPHENSON, Deputy Commissioner, London Police: We cannot stress too highly the severity that this plot represented. Put simply, this was intended to be mass murder on an unimaginable scale. SIMON ISRAEL: Twenty-one people are currently in custody, and many addresses are being searched. There were two arrests in Birmingham, by West Midlands police, coordinated by the counterterrorism branch. It included a raid on a premises in Belchers Lane.In High Wycombe, there were arrests in Walton Drive and Micklefield Road. But the majority took place in London. Two of the locations were Forest Road and Folkestone Road in Walthamstow.Channel 4 News understands that all of those arrested are British, mostly late teens and early 20s, and mostly of Pakistani origin. The group had been under surveillance for many months. They include an Islamic charity worker and at least one Heathrow employee with a pass to all areas. He was in his airport uniform when taken away in handcuffs. PETER CLARKE, Anti-Terror Coordinator, London Police: We've been looking at meetings, movements, travel, spending, and the aspirations of a large group of people. SIMON ISRAEL: It's been confirmed that the prime minister briefed President Bush several times over the last few weeks about the threat, including last night, when, at 10:00 p.m., the Cobra committee met to discuss the threat, chaired by the home secretary, John Reid. suspects. At 2: It was then the decision was made to make arrests, and the Metropolitan Police began the overnight series of raids against terror 00 a.m., another Cobra meeting of just officials this time raised the terror threat level from "severe" to "critical."British Airways say they were alerted around this time, along with other airlines and all airports, just as the raids were being carried out. At 5:00 a.m., the Cobra committee met again, again chaired by John Reid. Thirty-eight minutes later, the Metropolitan Police announced to the press that a major terror plot had been disrupted and, at around 6:45, the home secretary and transport secretary recorded this televised statement. United Kingdom: JOHN REID, Home Secretary, The police, acting with the security service, MI-5, are investigating an alleged plot to bring down a number of aircraft through mid-flight explosions causing a considerable loss of life. SIMON ISRAEL: By lunchtime, while the threat level remained critical, the home secretary said the major players had been rounded up. JOHN REID: We have raised the threat to the maximum of "critical" and will maintain it there as a precautionary measure primarily. Although we, by which I mean the police and the security services, think we have the main players in this particular conspiracy, you can never at this stage be certain. SIMON ISRAEL: In America, more details of the plot, specifically the type of handheld device starting from a kit of innocent-looking parts carried through airport security, ending up as an assembled explosive onboard the flight.Channel 4 News understands that some of the arrested had made trips to Pakistan, which tonight confirmed that its intelligence services had also played a major role in uncovering this plot. RAY SUAREZ: As we've been reporting, there were three more arrests after that report was filed, bringing the total to 24.