A concerned Muslim in Britain picked up a phone

08/11/2006

The questionable activities he reported a year ago would lead to the unraveling of an alleged conspiracy that could have surpassed 9/11.

Craig Whitlock, and Dafna Linzer
Washington Post
Last update: August 10, 2006 – 11:10 PM

It all began with a tip.

In the aftermath of the July 7, 2005, subway bombings in London, British authorities received a call from a worried member of the Muslim community reporting suspicions about an acquaintance.

From that vague but vital piece of information, according to a senior European intelligence official, British authorities opened the investigation into what they said turned out to be a well-coordinated and long-planned plot to bomb multiple trans-Atlantic flights heading toward the United States—an assault designed to rival the scope and lethality of the Sept. 11, 2001 hijackings.

By late 2005, the probe had expanded to involve several hundred investigators on three continents who kept dozens of suspects under close surveillance for months, even as some of the plotters traveled between Britain and Pakistan to raise money, find recruits and refine their scheme, according to U.S. and European counterterrorism officials.

Precise details of the plot—how many planes, their destinations and the date—remain unknown. The shape of the operation changed regularly as the would-be bombers considered which flights to target and prepared for a practice run, which was expected to take place in the next few days, U.S. law-enforcement officials said.

Investigators eventually pieced together enough information from a blizzard of stakeouts, tips and wiretaps to make clear that something big was in the works, and that the plotters’ preparations were nearing an end.

“It’s not like three weeks ago all of a sudden MI5 knew about this plot and went to work,” a U.S. law enforcement official said, speaking of the British security service. “They’d had a concern about these guys for some time, for months. Details started to emerge, and it became clear over the last couple weeks the nature of the threat and the individuals,” said the official, who like others interviewed for this story spoke on condition of anonymity.

There was no evidence that the plotters or any accomplices had set foot in the United States. One U.S. intelligence source, however, said some of the British suspects arrested had made calls to the United States.

Investigators believe the London operation was composed of three distinct cells, whose members may not have been aware of one another, U.S. officials said.

British officials suspect that as many as 50 participants and accomplices were involved, U.S. law enforcement officials said. Internet searches made by the suspects suggested that they had considered targeting up to 10 different flights, investigators said, although there was no evidence that those arrested had bought tickets or made reservations.

“It’s fair to say they were aiming for multiple flights, and some of the exact data of who they would deploy and how many might be in one deployment are somewhat ambiguous,” said Michael Jackson, deputy Homeland Security secretary. “The real focus was to blow up airliners and the people on them.”

Counterterrorism officials said the basic outline of the conspiracy was known for several months. Investigators from New York to Islamabad said they were briefed by their British counterparts late last year.

British and U.S. law-enforcement authorities decided against breaking up the cells right away in hopes that they could learn more about the origins of the network and assemble evidence for prosecutors.

Some U.S. counterterrorism officials said plans originally were to allow the conspiracy to develop even further. But U.S. and British investigators suddenly decided this week to close down the operation after becoming increasingly worried that there were other bombers they had failed to locate or identify, U.S. officials said.