THE THREAT LEVEL OF JIHAD

By Michelle Malkin

***scroll for updates, including new info from Annie Jacobsen (remember Flight 327?)***

So, DHS has raised the threat level. President Bush addressed the foiled UK terror plot from Wisconsin today (Allah has the video):

President Bush this morning said the terror plot uncovered in Britain is a "a stark reminder that this nation is at war with Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our nation."

Bush thanked British officials for breaking up the plot and also praised American agencies for their cooperation in the case.

"This country is safer than it was prior to 9-11," Bush said. "We have taken a lot of measures to protect the American people. But obviously we're not completely safe, because there are people who still plot. It is a mistake to believe there is no threat to the United States of America."

Bush also asked travelers to be patient with the inconveniences caused by the response to the terror threat.

"The American people need to know we're living in a dangerous world, but our government will do everything it can to protect the people from that danger," Bush said while standing on the tarmac of Austin Straubel International Airport.

More:

"This nation is at war with Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our nation," he said, his remarks carried live on television.

Watch the video. Several readers have e-mailed that he sounded shaky and stumbly. At least he got the "I"-word in there. But I stopped using the terms "Islamic fascist" and "Islamofascism" a while ago, though, because they obscure rather than clarify. The views held by the Muslim jihadis who want to destroy us are not marginal views held only by a minority of "Islamic fascists." Read the polls:

Diana West noted on the 7/7 London terror bombing anniversary:

Just in time for the one-year anniversary of 7/7, a poll conducted for The Times of London indicates that 13 percent of British Muslims believe that the four Islamic suicide bombers who murdered 52 people in London last July should be regarded as "martyrs."

With a Muslim population in Britain estimated at 1.6 million, this means that some 208,000 British Muslims regard these killers with what can only be described as a worshipful attitude. Which is despicable. But Mother England, it seems, is home to an awful lot of despicable people.

One of them, surely, is Anjem Choudary, who made related news this week. Choudary is a former leader of Al Mujahiroun -- a defunct, jihad-inciting group, whose venomous pronouncements on Islamic supremacy have earned him a strange prominence in the British media. He refuses to condemn the 7/7 attacks, says Muslims shouldn't help police combat jihad terror, and advocates sharia (Islamic law) for Britain. During a BBC "Newsnight" appearance this year, the host asked Choudary why he didn't simply move to a sharia state like Iran.

"Who says you own Britain, anyway?" Choudary replied. "Britain belongs to Allah. The whole world belongs to Allah. ... If I go to the jungle, I'm not going to live like the animals, I'm going to propagate a superior way of life. Islam is a superior way of life."

And listen to this guy.

Read these interesting reflections from Eteraz, a Muslim blogger on the British Muslim problem:

Something is rotten among the state of British Muslims. There is the imminent terror plot to blow up planes at a massive scale. There was 7/7. There are British Muslims going off to fight on behalf of Hizbollah. There were British Muslims going off to fight in Iraq. There were British Muslims going off to Afghanistan (although British Muslims are also part of the British army). How did it happen that a bunch of university educated First World kids started seeing themselves as some sort of revolutionists?

Many Brits, for some foolish reason, pin the blame on British foreign policy. Oh, if only our foreign policy did not mimic the American foreign policy, we would stop producing home grown terrorists, because they would have no reason to hate us. Wrong. Dead wrong.

For jihadists, every day is a Code Red day. Jihad has been knocking for centuries.

We need a National Dhimmi Advisory before it's too late.

***

Remember Annie Jacobsen and Flight 327? Jacobsen wrote extensively of her experience on the plane, where a Syrian band acted strangely during take-off and landings--taking turns in the restroom with a McDonald's bag. Jacobsen surmised that the men were on a "dry run" practicing to build bombs on board the plane, Bojinka-style. Jacobsen wrote a book on the case and updated the story earlier this month. Interesting in light of today's events:

Since my original flight from Detroit to Los Angeles on Northwest Airlines flight 327 on June 29, 2004, I have been searching high and low for answers. I was thrilled when, during a visit to my home by four DHS agents, I learned that the Inspector General's office was investigating my flight. In May of this year, the 22-month, 44-page report of the investigation was released -- sort of. The report was originally written in two parts: one that contained classified information and a second that was unclassified. But just before its release, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) classified the entire report, according to Tamara Falkner, Congressional Affairs Liaison and Media and Public Outreach of the Inspector General's office of the DHS.

Of course, I am disappointed that you, and I, and the other passengers on the flight will not be privy to the information in that report. But more importantly, I have to wonder: Why classify a report about a flight where nothing happened, as stated numerous times by the FBI and various government officials?

See also the Brutally Honest blog.

***
Previous today:

"Imminent," "massive" jihad UK plot foiled;
goal: "mass murder on an unimaginable scale"

"IMMINENT," "MASSIVE" JIHAD UK PLOT FOILED; GOAL: "MASS MURDER ON AN UNIMAGINABLE SCALE"

By Michelle Malkin

I went to bed last night after blogging about the Dearbornistan terror arrests and the still missing 8 Egyptians. Twenty minutes after I went to sleep, the news broke about a massive terrorist plot to blow up several aircraft mid-flight between the United States and Britain using explosives smuggled in hand luggage.

Are the arrests of the Dearborn men, who had airplane manifests and tracfones (which have been used by terrorists to detonate bombs) and the nationwide lookout of the missing Egyptians here a coincidence? Maybe not. AP:

Britain's Home Secretary John Reid said the alleged plot was "significant" and that terrorists aimed to "bring down a number of aircraft through mid-flight explosions, causing a considerable loss of life."

Police arrested a number of people overnight in London after a major covert counterterrorism operation that had lasted several months, but did not immediately say how many.

The U.S. government responded by raising its threat assessment to the highest level for commercial flights from Britain to the United States early Thursday.

Hot Air covered developments through the night. Also: Ace, Jeff Goldstein, Dan Riehl, Junkyard Blog. And full coverage at The Counterterrorism Blog. One word that you'll note that is missing from first coverage--well here, see for yourselves:

Sky News' Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said those arrested were mainly young, British-born Asian men.

The missing word is "Muslim." Young, Muslim men from Pakistan. Bloomberg News mentions the word in its report, not to describe the suspects, but only in a stupid bit of editorializing:

Britain has 12,500 troops deployed in military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, a source of anger among some of Britain's Muslim population.

For crying out loud. No wonder Melanie Phillips calls it Lemmingland. DFH has more on the p.c. whitewashing. And Scotland Yard Deputy Commissioner Paul Stephenson goes out of his way to assuage Muslim grievance-mongers: "This is not about communities: it is about criminals, murderers, people who want to commit mass murder."

Speaking of stupid biased coverage, al Reuters suggests that Muslim anger not only over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also over Britain's support of Israel in the latest war with Hezbollah is to blame for the plot (which has been hatching for the last 8-9 months):

Britain has been criticized by Islamist militants for its military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Tony Blair has also come under fire at home and abroad for following the U.S. lead and refusing to call for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Lebanese Hizbollah guerrillas.

Jihad is all Tony Blair's fault!

Stephen Taylor has video of Scotland Yard and BAA press conferences in Britain on the unraveled conspiracy and handy breakdown of basics:

*The hubs of the attacks were to be Heathrow airport, Birmingham and Manchester.

*Twenty-one British muslims of Pakistani descent were arrested overnight (majority in London, others in Thames Valley and Birmingham). Two more suspects are currently fugitives (details unconfirmed). Up to 50 more being sought.

*Terrorists intended to detonate explosives in mid-air.

Well, this certainly puts that appalling BBC satire, "The Terrorism Awards," making fun of planes crashing into buildings, in its place, doesn't it? Are they laughing at the BBC now:

Here's the BBC coverage of the 8/10 plot, if you care to read it.

More details:

Heathrow Airport closed to all incoming flights not already in the air.

German carrier Lufthansa, Spanish airlines Iberia and Olympic have canceled all flights to the UK.

Carry-on luggage on U.K. flights is limited to:

-Pocket-size wallets and pocket-size purses plus contents (no handbags);
-essential travel documents (for example, passports and travel tickets);
-prescription drugs and essential medical items except in liquid form unless verified as authentic;
-spectacles and sunglasses, without cases;
-contact lens holders, without bottles of solution;
-for those travelling with an infant: baby food, milk (the contents of each bottle must be tasted by the accompanying passenger) and sanitary items sufficient and essential for the flight (nappies, wipes, creams and nappy disposal bags);
-female sanitary items sufficient and essential for the flight, if unboxed (eg tampons, pads, towels and wipes);
-tissues (unboxed) and/or handkerchiefs; and
-keys (but no electrical key fobs).

Pajamas Media coverage here. Brendan Loy also has a massive round-up and notes the blanket ban on all liquids on airlines in the United States — including beverages, hair gels and lotions. More from TSA: "All travelers on commercial U.S. carriers... NO LIQUIDS OR GELS OF ANY KIND WILL BE PERMITTED IN CARRY ON BAGGAGE. ITEMS MUST BE IN CHECKED BAGGAGE. This includes all beverages, shampoo, sun tan lotion, creams, tooth paste, hair gel, and other items of similar consistency. Exception: Baby formula and medicines must be presented for inspection at the checkpoint."

Reader John reminds me that this new plot is almost identical to al Qaeda's foiled 1995 Operation Bojinka, part of which involved a massive, multi-plane terror attack on US-bound airplanes abroad. From Wikipedia:

Starting on January 21, 1995 and ending on January 22, 1995, they would set the bombs on 11 United States-bound airliners that had stopovers all around East Asia and Southeast Asia. All of the flights had two legs. The bombs would be planted inside life jackets under seats on the first leg, when each bomber would disembark. He would then board one or two more flights and repeat. After all of the bombers planted bombs on all of the flights, each man would then catch flights to Lahore, Pakistan. The men never needed U.S. visas, as they only would have stayed on the planes on their first legs in Asia.

United States airlines had been chosen instead of Asian airlines to maximize the shock toward Americans. The flights targeted were listed under operatives with codenames: "Zyed", "Majbos", "Markoa", "Mirqas" and "Obaid". Obaid, who was really Abdul Hakim Murad, was to hit United flight 80, and then he was to go back to Singapore under another United flight which he would bomb.

Zyed, probably Ramzi Yousef, was to hit Northwest Flight 30, a United Flight going from Taipei to Honolulu, and a United Flight going from Bangkok to Taipei to San Francisco.

The bombs would have been timed before the operatives stepped off the planes. The aircraft would have blown up over the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea almost simultaneously. If this plan worked, several thousand would have perished, and air travel would have been shut down worldwide for days, if not weeks. The U.S. government estimated the prospective death toll to be about 4,000 if the plot had been executed.

Andy McCarthy adds:

There is obviously a focus here on liquid explosives, out of the belief that they would defeat screening detectors. The '94 plot involved explosive components that the bomber could assemble in the plane's bathroom and that could be detonated by a timer (a simple wrist-watch, if I'm remembering correctly). Yousef put one of these together in a test-run. He boarded a plane making one stop enroute to the U.S. On the first leg, he put together the device and planted it under his seat. He then did not contine on the second leg. The bomb detonated, killing a Japanese national and nearly bringing the flight down.

There is often a long time between attacks, but the jihadists are not idling. They refine their tactics, and they often go back, again and again, to the same targets and the same plans.

Walid Phares at The Counterterrorism Blog takes a closer look and has some questions, including:

6) Many have claimed that there are no Jihadi Terrorists in London during the past months arrests in Britain and "these are only Government conspiracies to single out specific communities, etc." If today's reports are verified, the latter question should be investigated as follow: Who is attempting to transform every lead against the Terrorists into a crisis with entire communities? Who in the UK and elsewhere is obstructing the full fledge war on Terrorism by protecting future Jihadi improvisation through accusing Governments (in the large sense of the word) of "political measures" while real Terror attempts are ongoing?

7) Is there a "Jihadi factory" in the UK which is targeting domestic and Transatlantic transportation; a factory that produces suicide bombers heading towards the Middle East, London subways and passengers flights towards the US? Who is ordering these strikes and are they located inside the British isles?

8) Are they British citizens? Who indoctrinates them and how and who forms these cells? Have they penetrated the technological and security systems of the Kingdom and are they receiving advice and help from the inside.

These and endless other questions are not only warranted after this plot but need to be taken to a higher dimension: looking at the "factory." For as long as there are Jihadi minds out there, improvisation from shoes to hand bags is only a process of mutation. In my book Future Jihad I called it just that: "Mutant Jihad."

The Washington Examiner has a highly relevant and timely editorial out this morning on the disappearing Egyptians and the sorry state of our entrance/immigration system.

***

Left-wing lunacy begins. Mary Katharine Ham catches the nutroots in full-blown Bush Derangement Syndrome mode.

More moonbattery from an American ex-pat in Britain. (Hat tip- reader Susan). The title of the post is "A Sad Day for Liberty." Un-freaking-believable. A jihadi plot to down some 10-20 airplaines and kill thousands of people is foiled and this woman is whining because she won't be able to take a book on a plane and because Arabs are being profiled.

Scrappleface spoofs the almost-unspoofable.

Kathryn Lopez tracks dKosnuttery and DUnuttery. Here's a flashback to the American Left's response to the 7/7 bombings. Much more of the same on the way.

BRITISH SHUT DOWN HEATHROW AS TERROR ATTACK THWARTED

British officials of MI-6 have taken twenty-one suspects into custody and have closed Heathrow Airport to inbound traffic as part of a sweep that stopped a massive terrorist attack. The UK went to its highest terror alert as they unraveled what appears to be a home-grown plot:

A plot to blow up planes in flight from the UK to the US and commit "mass murder on an unimaginable scale" has been disrupted, Scotland Yard has said. It is thought the plan was to detonate explosive devices smuggled in hand luggage on to as many as 10 aircraft.

Police were searching premises with 21 people in custody after arrests in the London area and West Midlands. ...

According to BBC sources the "principal characters" suspected of being involved in the plot were British-born. BBC home affairs correspondent Andy Tighe said police sources had told him they had found "interesting items" which were being examined.

He said police acted when "something happened".

The reports are still sketchy, but the operation looks to have come to MI-5's attention some time ago, and that they waited until it went active to pull the trigger. The British had coordinated with American security officials, and the US raised the threat level for British inbound flights to our highest level, the first time international flights have received that threat indicator. MI-5 believes that the terrorists targeted flights to the US.

Authorities in Britain have not taken any chances. Knowing that al-Qaeda has employed back-up schemes, they have imposed tight restrictions on travel. Since this plot involved terrorists taking explosives onto planes using carry-on luggage, they have essentially banned them from flights for the near future. The restrictions are so tight that passengers will not be allowed to take liquids, in case they try masking explosives as bottled drinks.

So far, the BBC is reporting that security officials consider this to involve British citizens, and not foreigners. However, the profile certainly suggests al-Qaeda involvement. AQ has specialized in hand-carried suicide bombs on transportation systems in the last few years; 9/11 was maybe the only major AQ operation that did not use that modus operandi, and that was because the terrorists used the planes themselves as the explosives. The BBC report mentions that British officials were communicating with a number of "community leaders" to keep them apprised of the situation, which sounds as if they may have been tipped by these people to the plot and/or the plotters.

This will be the story of the day. Be sure to check with Michelle Malkin, who will update this as it develops. Hot Air's Allahpundit will also keep up with the late-breaking details.

UPDATE: It Shines For All points to a disturbing discrepancy in the numbers coming from the AP's security sources:

Police arrested 21 people in London, its suburbs and in Birmingham as part of a major covert counterterrorism operation that had lasted several months, Deputy Commissioner Paul Stephenson said. Searches continued in a number of locations ...

A senior U.S. counterterrorism official said authorities believe dozens of people -- possibly as many as 50 -- were involved in the plot, which "had a footprint to al-Qaida back to it." The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.

It means that less than half of the suspected plotters have been detained, at least by AP's report.

UPDATE II: Does this bring back any memories? How about Operation Bojinka, al-Qaeda's first attempt to exploit commercial aircraft for a coordinated terrorist attack?