2007 Glasgow International Airport attack
Encyclopedia
The 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack was a terrorist attack
which occurred on Saturday 30 June 2007, at 15:11 BST, when a dark green Jeep Cherokee
loaded with propane
canisters was driven into the glass doors of the Glasgow International Airport
terminal and set ablaze. It was the first terrorist attack
to take place in Scotland
since the Lockerbie bombing in 1988, and the first terrorist attack ever to target Scotland. The attack occurred three days after the appointment of Glasgow-born Scottish MP Gordon Brown
as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
, but Downing Street
dismissed suggestions of a connection, although a close link was quickly established to the foiled attack on London
the previous day.
Security bollards outside the entrance stopped the car from entering the terminal, although the doors were damaged. The car's driver was severely burnt in the ensuing fire and five members of the public were also injured, although none were seriously harmed. Some injuries were sustained by those assisting the police in detaining the occupants.
Both of the car occupants were apprehended at the scene, and all those injured were taken to the Royal Alexandra Hospital
in nearby Paisley
. Within three days, Scotland Yard
had confirmed that eight people had been taken into custody in connection with this incident and that in London.
Police identified the two men as Bilal Abdullah
, a British-born, Muslim
doctor of Iraqi
descent working at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, and Kafeel Ahmed
, also known as Khalid Ahmed, the driver, who was treated for severe burns at the same hospital. The newspaper, The Australian, alleges that a suicide note
indicated that the two had intended to die in the attack. Ahmed did eventually die of his injuries, on 2 August. Bilal Abdullah was later found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and was sentenced to 32 years in prison.
A dark green Jeep Cherokee
, registration number
L808 RDT, travelling at a speed estimated by a witness as about 30 mph (48 km/h), struck security bollard
s at the main entrance to Glasgow International Airport
. The vehicle was reported to have several petrol containers and propane gas canisters on board. One eyewitness said flames issued from beneath the car when it hit the building, while another eyewitness said it appeared the driver was trying to drive through the terminal doors. According to reports, the car was occupied by two "Asian
-looking" men. Police indicated the vehicle burst into flames when it was driven at the terminal. An eyewitness noted that a man got out of the car and began to fight with police. Another eyewitness said that the man was throwing punches and repeatedly shouting "Allah". The man was arrested and later identified as Bilal Abdulla, a UK-born doctor of Iraqi
descent who was working at the Royal Alexandra Hospital
. Another man exited the car and ran into the terminal building while he was on fire and began writhing on the ground, before being kicked by a member of the public, John Smeaton
, who was awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal
for his heroism.
reported that petrol was spread from containers by the occupants when they got out of the car. During the subsequent investigation propane gas canisters were removed from the car. A Strathclyde Police
spokesman confirmed the two men in the car were arrested, one of them badly burned. A witness stated that a passenger of the vehicle was aflame from head to toe, as he struggled with police, with some witnesses reported to have shouted "just let him burn". The man was initially taken to Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley
before being transferred to the intensive care unit
at Glasgow Royal Infirmary
due to it having a specialist burns unit, where he died on 2 August. The Jeep was removed early on the morning of Sunday 1 July before flights resumed and the airport was partially opened.
. It later emerged the device was not explosive. The second man, Dr Bilal Abdulla, was initially held at nearby Govan
police station, one of the UK's high security police stations with the capability to hold terrorist suspects. He was later transferred to Paddington Green Police Station
in London, along with two unnamed suspects, after the Lord Advocate
Elish Angiolini gave her consent to a combined prosecution in England under English law
.
In the aftermath of the attack the airport was evacuated and all flights suspended. Evacuated holiday-goers, including some who were left in aircraft for up to ten hours after the event, were accommodated overnight in the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre
. BAA indicated the airport main terminal re-opened for an incoming flight from Ibiza
on 1 July 2007 at 07:37, and began handling departures from approximately 09:00.
(ANPR) technology identified the vehicle of two suspects connected with the Glasgow Airport attack on the M6 Motorway
between junction 18 & 17 near Holmes Chapel
, Cheshire
. Reports suggest that up to 18 unmarked police cars performed a rolling roadblock
. Three unmarked police cars overtook the suspects' vehicle, and took up a position on the carriageway that prevented the suspects from overtaking, while up to 15 other unmarked cars approached the suspects' car from the rear, forming a buffer of police vehicles between the suspects' car and other motorway users. The police brought the suspects to a slow halt and they were arrested. The BBC stated that the medical doctor arrested was Dr. Mohammed Asha
.
The police said they believed the attack was linked to the two bombs discovered and defused in London
36 hours before. The vehicle was reported to have contained 60 litres of petrol
, gas cylinder
s, and nails
. Scotland Yard
reported that while the gas contained in the canisters and the quantity of the canisters remains unknown, further details would be given after they have been analysed by forensic experts. The head of Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism command said, "It is obvious that if the device had detonated there could have been serious injury or loss of life." The device could not have detonated, because it lacked an oxidizer, according to a columnist for The Register (UK). This information may have originated from an interview of former CIA counter-terrorism officer Larry Johnson, conducted by Keith Olbermann
of MSNBC on 29 June.
According to Sky News
, the gas cylinders contained propane
, used for patio heater
s. A second bomb was later found in a blue Mercedes-Benz 280E
believed to have been left in the same area at around the same time. The illegally-parked car received a parking ticket in Cockspur Street at 02:30. At about 03:30 the car was transported to the Park Lane car pound. Staff left the car in a public area after smelling petrol fumes and alerted police on hearing about the first bomb.
U.S. officials told NBC News
that three men had been identified and were believed to be from Birmingham
. The network reported that one of the three men could be an associate of Dhiren Barot
, an Indian convert to Islam who was sentenced to life in prison in 2006 for plotting to fill limousines with explosives similar to those found in these incidents and park them in garages beneath hotels and office complexes. Bharot also planned to attack five financial landmarks in the United States: the New York Stock Exchange
and the Citigroup Center
in New York City; the International Monetary Fund
and the World Bank
, both in Washington, D.C.; and the Prudential Building
in Newark, New Jersey
. Scotland Yard
denied claims from a report by ABC News
that police had a "crystal clear" picture of one suspect from CCTV
footage.
A 27-year-old doctor from India, Mohammed Haneef was arrested at Brisbane Airport
in Australia on 2 July in connection with the bombings in the UK. He was arrested while trying to board a flight with a one way ticket to Bangalore
, India, apparently to visit his newly born daughter. The arrest followed information received from the UK. As the case against him collapsed, Dr. Haneef was released with all charges dropped.
on a car in the car park of the Royal Alexandra Hospital, where one suspect was being treated. The hospital was cordoned off for a time, and ambulances were redirected to other local hospitals. It is not clear if there was another device attached to the second car. On 1 July 2007 Glasgow International Airport began to reopen after a car was driven into the airport by terrorists, with flights from Orlando and Ibiza arriving during the day. By the end of the day, the airport was reported to be operating largely as usual, but passengers continued to be advised to confirm their flights with operators before coming to the airport. Tight security precautions remain in force across UK airports today, although most flights are operating as normal.
Several houses have been searched in the area of Renfrewshire in Neuk Crescent, Houston, Scotland. Five arrests have been made following the incident in Glasgow: two in Glasgow, Scotland, two on the M6 motorway in Cheshire, and one in Liverpool (England). The police searched homes made and inquiries around the country, including in Merseyside and Staffordshire, with one suspect identified to "still be at large".
Sky News reported that two of the arrested men were doctors, working in British hospitals.
A suspicious car underwent a controlled explosion outside the Royal Alexandra Hospital, to which a suspect of the attack at the airport had been taken for treatment as a result of burns. A 200 m cordon was set up around the hospital as a precautionary measure, with ambulances being turned away from the accident and emergency department. Police have stated that they believe that the suspicious vehicle was connected to the earlier attack at Glasgow International Airport, but that they do not believe it to have contained any explosives.
During a press conference Strathclyde police revealed that they believe the two men had been living in Renfrew for at least six weeks prior to the attacks of yesterday. The green Cherokee jeep is "possibly" a second hand, rather than stolen, car with registration L808 RDT. Questions were raised during the conference concerning whether the USA had, as had been reported in certain circles, published a report predicting that there may be an attack on Glasgow Airport. This was not confirmed and considered as speculation. The police issued an appeal for any details about sightings of the vehicle prior to the event.
physicians reportedly working at the Royal Alexandra Hospital
and at a Staffordshire
hospital. These hospitals were the subject of police searches.
, 27, graduated from the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences
in India in 2002 and entered Australia due to the shortage of doctors in regional hospitals. He was working as a registrar
at a Gold Coast
hospital and was detained at Brisbane Airport
while trying to board a one-way flight to India via Kuala Lumpur
in Malaysia. His family claimed that Haneef's link to the alleged attackers was tenuous, he was not involved in the plot, and that he was returning to India to see his wife and ten-day-old daughter. India's Deputy High Commissioner to Australia Vinod Kumar was quoted as saying that Haneef had been granted consular access in Australia.
On 27 July 2007, all charges against Dr Haneef were dropped by Magistrate Wendy Cull in the Brisbane Magistrates Court. Prosecutor A.J. McSporran said that there would be "no reasonable prospect of a conviction of Dr Haneef being secured." He told the court that prosecutors had made two mistakes at a bail hearing on 14 July.
Police arrested three more men in connection with the failed terror attacks of the past few days on London and Glasgow, taking the total number of arrests to eight.
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
which occurred on Saturday 30 June 2007, at 15:11 BST, when a dark green Jeep Cherokee
Jeep Cherokee (XJ)
The Jeep Cherokee is a unibody compact SUV. It shared the name of the original full-size SJ model, but without a body-on-frame chassis, it set the stage for the modern SUV. Its innovative appearance and sales popularity spawned important imitators as other automakers began to notice that this...
loaded with propane
Propane
Propane is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula , normally a gas, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used as a fuel for engines, oxy-gas torches, barbecues, portable stoves, and residential central...
canisters was driven into the glass doors of the Glasgow International Airport
Glasgow International Airport
Glasgow International Airport is an international airport in Scotland, located west of Glasgow city centre, near the towns of Paisley and Renfrew in Renfrewshire...
terminal and set ablaze. It was the first terrorist attack
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
to take place in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
since the Lockerbie bombing in 1988, and the first terrorist attack ever to target Scotland. The attack occurred three days after the appointment of Glasgow-born Scottish MP Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
, but Downing Street
10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street, colloquially known in the United Kingdom as "Number 10", is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is now always the Prime Minister....
dismissed suggestions of a connection, although a close link was quickly established to the foiled attack on London
2007 London car bombs
On 29 June 2007, in London, two car bombs were discovered and disabled before they could be detonated. The first device was left near the Tiger Tiger nightclub in Haymarket at around 01:30, and the second was in Cockspur Street, in the same area of the city....
the previous day.
Security bollards outside the entrance stopped the car from entering the terminal, although the doors were damaged. The car's driver was severely burnt in the ensuing fire and five members of the public were also injured, although none were seriously harmed. Some injuries were sustained by those assisting the police in detaining the occupants.
Both of the car occupants were apprehended at the scene, and all those injured were taken to the Royal Alexandra Hospital
Royal Alexandra Hospital (Paisley)
The Royal Alexandra Hospital is the main hospital in Paisley serving a large catchment area as much as 200 000 from Renfrewshire, stretching all the way to Oban and Argyll The hospital is owned and run by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, previously NHS Argyll & Clyde...
in nearby Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
. Within three days, Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
had confirmed that eight people had been taken into custody in connection with this incident and that in London.
Police identified the two men as Bilal Abdullah
Bilal Abdullah
Bilal Talal Samad Abdullah was one of two terrorists behind the 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack, and is currently serving a life sentence with a minimum of 32 years.-History:...
, a British-born, Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
doctor of Iraqi
Iraqi people
The Iraqi people or Mesopotamian people are natives or inhabitants of the country of Iraq, known since antiquity as Mesopotamia , with a large diaspora throughout the Arab World, Europe, the Americas, and...
descent working at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, and Kafeel Ahmed
Kafeel Ahmed
Kafeel Ahmed was one of two terrorists behind the 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack, who later died of his injuries sustained in the attacks.-History:...
, also known as Khalid Ahmed, the driver, who was treated for severe burns at the same hospital. The newspaper, The Australian, alleges that a suicide note
Suicide note
A suicide note or death note is a message that states the author has died by suicide, and left to be discovered and read in anticipation of suicide....
indicated that the two had intended to die in the attack. Ahmed did eventually die of his injuries, on 2 August. Bilal Abdullah was later found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and was sentenced to 32 years in prison.
Events
Jeep Cherokee (XJ)
The Jeep Cherokee is a unibody compact SUV. It shared the name of the original full-size SJ model, but without a body-on-frame chassis, it set the stage for the modern SUV. Its innovative appearance and sales popularity spawned important imitators as other automakers began to notice that this...
, registration number
Vehicle registration plate
A vehicle registration plate is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identification purposes. The registration identifier is a numeric or alphanumeric code that uniquely identifies the vehicle within the issuing region's database...
L808 RDT, travelling at a speed estimated by a witness as about 30 mph (48 km/h), struck security bollard
Bollard
A bollard is a short vertical post. Originally it meant a post used on a ship or a quay, principally for mooring. The word now also describes a variety of structures to control or direct road traffic, such as posts arranged in a line to obstruct the passage of motor vehicles...
s at the main entrance to Glasgow International Airport
Glasgow International Airport
Glasgow International Airport is an international airport in Scotland, located west of Glasgow city centre, near the towns of Paisley and Renfrew in Renfrewshire...
. The vehicle was reported to have several petrol containers and propane gas canisters on board. One eyewitness said flames issued from beneath the car when it hit the building, while another eyewitness said it appeared the driver was trying to drive through the terminal doors. According to reports, the car was occupied by two "Asian
British Asian
British Asian is a term used to describe British citizens who descended from mainly South Asia, also known as South Asians in the United Kingdom...
-looking" men. Police indicated the vehicle burst into flames when it was driven at the terminal. An eyewitness noted that a man got out of the car and began to fight with police. Another eyewitness said that the man was throwing punches and repeatedly shouting "Allah". The man was arrested and later identified as Bilal Abdulla, a UK-born doctor of Iraqi
Iraqi people
The Iraqi people or Mesopotamian people are natives or inhabitants of the country of Iraq, known since antiquity as Mesopotamia , with a large diaspora throughout the Arab World, Europe, the Americas, and...
descent who was working at the Royal Alexandra Hospital
Royal Alexandra Hospital (Paisley)
The Royal Alexandra Hospital is the main hospital in Paisley serving a large catchment area as much as 200 000 from Renfrewshire, stretching all the way to Oban and Argyll The hospital is owned and run by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, previously NHS Argyll & Clyde...
. Another man exited the car and ran into the terminal building while he was on fire and began writhing on the ground, before being kicked by a member of the public, John Smeaton
John Smeaton (baggage handler)
John Smeaton QGM is a Scottish former baggage handler at Glasgow International Airport. He became involved in thwarting the 2007 Glasgow International Airport Attack. Smeaton lives in Erskine, Renfrewshire, a town outside the city and near the airport. Brought up in Erskine, he was educated at...
, who was awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal
Queen's Gallantry Medal
The Queen's Gallantry Medal is the third level civil decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth.It was instituted on 20 June 1974 to replace the Order of the British Empire for Gallantry, the British Empire Medal for Gallantry, and the Colonial Police Medal for Gallantry...
for his heroism.
Sky News
Sky NewsSky News
Sky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...
reported that petrol was spread from containers by the occupants when they got out of the car. During the subsequent investigation propane gas canisters were removed from the car. A Strathclyde Police
Strathclyde Police
Strathclyde Police is the territorial police force responsible for the Scottish council areas of Argyll and Bute, City of Glasgow, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire and West...
spokesman confirmed the two men in the car were arrested, one of them badly burned. A witness stated that a passenger of the vehicle was aflame from head to toe, as he struggled with police, with some witnesses reported to have shouted "just let him burn". The man was initially taken to Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
before being transferred to the intensive care unit
Intensive Care Unit
thumb|220px|ICU roomAn intensive-care unit , critical-care unit , intensive-therapy unit/intensive-treatment unit is a specialized department in a hospital that provides intensive-care medicine...
at Glasgow Royal Infirmary
Glasgow Royal Infirmary
The Glasgow Royal Infirmary is a large teaching hospital, operated by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde,. With a capacity of around 1000 beds, the hospital campus covers an area of around 20 acres, situated on the north-eastern edge of the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland.-History:Designed by Robert...
due to it having a specialist burns unit, where he died on 2 August. The Jeep was removed early on the morning of Sunday 1 July before flights resumed and the airport was partially opened.
Hospitals
Royal Alexandra Hospital's accident and emergency department was evacuated and then closed when a suspected explosive device on the bomber's body was found. Affected patients were taken to the Southern General Hospital and the Western InfirmaryWestern Infirmary
The Western Infirmary is a teaching hospital situated in the West End of Glasgow, Scotland. There is also a Maggie's centre at the hospital to help cancer patients, as well as the Glasgow Clinical Research Facility....
. It later emerged the device was not explosive. The second man, Dr Bilal Abdulla, was initially held at nearby Govan
Govan
Govan is a district and former burgh now part of southwest City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south bank of the River Clyde, opposite the mouth of the River Kelvin and the district of Partick....
police station, one of the UK's high security police stations with the capability to hold terrorist suspects. He was later transferred to Paddington Green Police Station
Paddington Green Police Station
Paddington Green Police Station is located in Paddington, central London, England. The station is operated by the Metropolitan Police Service, and is a conventional police station, open to members of the public twenty-four hours a day. It also serves as the most important high-security station in...
in London, along with two unnamed suspects, after the Lord Advocate
Lord Advocate
Her Majesty's Advocate , known as the Lord Advocate , is the chief legal officer of the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland for both civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolved powers of the Scottish Parliament...
Elish Angiolini gave her consent to a combined prosecution in England under English law
English law
English law is the legal system of England and Wales, and is the basis of common law legal systems used in most Commonwealth countries and the United States except Louisiana...
.
In the aftermath of the attack the airport was evacuated and all flights suspended. Evacuated holiday-goers, including some who were left in aircraft for up to ten hours after the event, were accommodated overnight in the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre
Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre
The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre , located on the north bank of the River Clyde, in Glasgow, is Scotland's largest exhibition centre....
. BAA indicated the airport main terminal re-opened for an incoming flight from Ibiza
Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...
on 1 July 2007 at 07:37, and began handling departures from approximately 09:00.
People involved
The two men involved in the attacks were believed to reside at Neuk Crescent in Houston, Renfrewshire (approximately three miles from the airport), and are believed to have lived there for nearly 12 months. Furthermore, the two men involved in the airport attack are believed to be the same men who had parked two car bombs in London on Friday, 29 June.Number plate
Automatic Number Plate RecognitionAutomatic number plate recognition
Automatic number plate recognition is a mass surveillance method that uses optical character recognition on images to read the license plates on vehicles. They can use existing closed-circuit television or road-rule enforcement cameras, or ones specifically designed for the task...
(ANPR) technology identified the vehicle of two suspects connected with the Glasgow Airport attack on the M6 Motorway
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
between junction 18 & 17 near Holmes Chapel
Holmes Chapel
Holmes Chapel is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Until 1974 the parish was known as Church Hulme.At the 2001 Census the population of the village was recorded as 5,669...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
. Reports suggest that up to 18 unmarked police cars performed a rolling roadblock
Roadblock
A roadblock is a temporary installation set up to control or block traffic along a road. The reasons for one could be:*Roadworks*Temporary road closure during special events*Police chase*Robbery*Sobriety checkpoint...
. Three unmarked police cars overtook the suspects' vehicle, and took up a position on the carriageway that prevented the suspects from overtaking, while up to 15 other unmarked cars approached the suspects' car from the rear, forming a buffer of police vehicles between the suspects' car and other motorway users. The police brought the suspects to a slow halt and they were arrested. The BBC stated that the medical doctor arrested was Dr. Mohammed Asha
Mohammed Asha
Mohammed Jamil Abdelqader Asha is a Jordanian doctor resident in the United Kingdom, who was a suspect arrested after the attack on Glasgow Airport on 30 June 2007...
.
London car bombs
2007 London car bombs
On 29 June 2007, in London, two car bombs were discovered and disabled before they could be detonated. The first device was left near the Tiger Tiger nightclub in Haymarket at around 01:30, and the second was in Cockspur Street, in the same area of the city....
36 hours before. The vehicle was reported to have contained 60 litres of petrol
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
, gas cylinder
Gas cylinder
A gas cylinder is a pressure vessel used to store gases at above atmospheric pressure. High pressure gas cylinders are also called bottles. Although they are sometimes colloquially called "tanks", this is technically incorrect, as a tank is a vessel used to store liquids at ambient pressure and...
s, and nails
Nail (engineering)
In woodworking and construction, a nail is a pin-shaped, sharp object of hard metal or alloy used as a fastener. Formerly wrought iron, today's nails are typically made of steel, often dipped or coated to prevent corrosion in harsh conditions or improve adhesion...
. Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
reported that while the gas contained in the canisters and the quantity of the canisters remains unknown, further details would be given after they have been analysed by forensic experts. The head of Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism command said, "It is obvious that if the device had detonated there could have been serious injury or loss of life." The device could not have detonated, because it lacked an oxidizer, according to a columnist for The Register (UK). This information may have originated from an interview of former CIA counter-terrorism officer Larry Johnson, conducted by Keith Olbermann
Keith Olbermann
Keith Theodore Olbermann is an American political commentator and writer. He has been the chief news officer of the Current TV network and the host of Current TV's weeknight political commentary program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, since June 20, 2011...
of MSNBC on 29 June.
According to Sky News
Sky News
Sky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...
, the gas cylinders contained propane
Propane
Propane is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula , normally a gas, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used as a fuel for engines, oxy-gas torches, barbecues, portable stoves, and residential central...
, used for patio heater
Patio heater
A patio heater is an appliance for generating radiant heat for outdoor use.A burner on top of a post, burns LPG or propane, and directs the flames against a perforated metal screen. Heat is radiated from the surface of the screen in a circular pattern around the appliance...
s. A second bomb was later found in a blue Mercedes-Benz 280E
Mercedes-Benz W123
W123 is the internal chassis-designation Mercedes-Benz used for their executive line of cars, manufactured between 1976 and 1985.The W123 models surpassed their predecessor, the W114 and W115 models, as the most successful Mercedes, selling 2.7 million cars before replacement by the W124 after 1985...
believed to have been left in the same area at around the same time. The illegally-parked car received a parking ticket in Cockspur Street at 02:30. At about 03:30 the car was transported to the Park Lane car pound. Staff left the car in a public area after smelling petrol fumes and alerted police on hearing about the first bomb.
U.S. officials told NBC News
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
that three men had been identified and were believed to be from Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. The network reported that one of the three men could be an associate of Dhiren Barot
Dhiren Barot
Dhiren Barot is a convicted terrorist from the United Kingdom.-Background:...
, an Indian convert to Islam who was sentenced to life in prison in 2006 for plotting to fill limousines with explosives similar to those found in these incidents and park them in garages beneath hotels and office complexes. Bharot also planned to attack five financial landmarks in the United States: the New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
and the Citigroup Center
Citigroup Center
The Citigroup Center is one of the ten tallest skyscrapers in New York City, United States, located at 53rd Street between Lexington Avenue and Third Avenue in midtown Manhattan...
in New York City; the International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
and the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
, both in Washington, D.C.; and the Prudential Building
Prudential Financial
The Prudential Insurance Company of America , also known as Prudential Financial, Inc., is a Fortune Global 500 and Fortune 500 company whose subsidiaries provide insurance, investment management, and other financial products and services to both retail and institutional customers throughout the...
in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
. Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
denied claims from a report by ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
that police had a "crystal clear" picture of one suspect from CCTV
Closed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors....
footage.
A 27-year-old doctor from India, Mohammed Haneef was arrested at Brisbane Airport
Brisbane Airport
Brisbane Airport is the sole passenger airport serving Brisbane and the third busiest in Australia, after Melbourne and Sydney Airports. Brisbane Airport has won many awards. Located in the suburb with the same name, the airport serves the city of Brisbane and the surrounding metropolitan area...
in Australia on 2 July in connection with the bombings in the UK. He was arrested while trying to board a flight with a one way ticket to Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, India, apparently to visit his newly born daughter. The arrest followed information received from the UK. As the case against him collapsed, Dr. Haneef was released with all charges dropped.
1 July
On the afternoon of 1 July, police carried out a controlled explosionControlled explosion
A controlled explosion is a method for detonating or disabling a suspected explosive device.Methods which are used to set off a controlled explosion include emptying out the area and moving the package into a confined space such as a telephone booth.Another classic method of controlled explosion...
on a car in the car park of the Royal Alexandra Hospital, where one suspect was being treated. The hospital was cordoned off for a time, and ambulances were redirected to other local hospitals. It is not clear if there was another device attached to the second car. On 1 July 2007 Glasgow International Airport began to reopen after a car was driven into the airport by terrorists, with flights from Orlando and Ibiza arriving during the day. By the end of the day, the airport was reported to be operating largely as usual, but passengers continued to be advised to confirm their flights with operators before coming to the airport. Tight security precautions remain in force across UK airports today, although most flights are operating as normal.
Several houses have been searched in the area of Renfrewshire in Neuk Crescent, Houston, Scotland. Five arrests have been made following the incident in Glasgow: two in Glasgow, Scotland, two on the M6 motorway in Cheshire, and one in Liverpool (England). The police searched homes made and inquiries around the country, including in Merseyside and Staffordshire, with one suspect identified to "still be at large".
Sky News reported that two of the arrested men were doctors, working in British hospitals.
A suspicious car underwent a controlled explosion outside the Royal Alexandra Hospital, to which a suspect of the attack at the airport had been taken for treatment as a result of burns. A 200 m cordon was set up around the hospital as a precautionary measure, with ambulances being turned away from the accident and emergency department. Police have stated that they believe that the suspicious vehicle was connected to the earlier attack at Glasgow International Airport, but that they do not believe it to have contained any explosives.
During a press conference Strathclyde police revealed that they believe the two men had been living in Renfrew for at least six weeks prior to the attacks of yesterday. The green Cherokee jeep is "possibly" a second hand, rather than stolen, car with registration L808 RDT. Questions were raised during the conference concerning whether the USA had, as had been reported in certain circles, published a report predicting that there may be an attack on Glasgow Airport. This was not confirmed and considered as speculation. The police issued an appeal for any details about sightings of the vehicle prior to the event.
Arrests
Police made two further arrests in Paisley in the early hours of 2 July in connection with the attack, bringing the total number of arrests to seven. At least two suspects are thought to be locumLocum
Locum, short for the Latin phrase locum tenens , is a person who temporarily fulfills the duties of another. For example, a locum doctor is a doctor who works in the place of the regular doctor when that doctor is absent, or when a hospital/practice is short-staffed...
physicians reportedly working at the Royal Alexandra Hospital
Royal Alexandra Hospital
Royal Alexandra Hospital can refer to:*Royal Alexandra Hospital *Royal Alexandra Hospital *Royal Alexandra Hospital, Brighton*Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children, Sydney, Australia*Royal Alexandra Hospital...
and at a Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
hospital. These hospitals were the subject of police searches.
2 July
On 2 July 2007, an eighth person was detained in Australia in connection with both the Glasgow and London incidents. Australian news reports indicated that two people in Queensland were detained for questioning. Both were doctors; one, Mohammed Asif Ali, was released after questioning with no charges being brought. The other, Mohamed HaneefMohamed Haneef
Muhamed Haneef is an Indian doctor who was wrongly accused of aiding terrorists, and left Australia upon cancellation of his visa amid great political controversy....
, 27, graduated from the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences
Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences
Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, centered in Bangalore, India, is a unitary university set up in 1996 by the government of Karnataka, India, for the regulation and promotion of higher education in health sciences throughout the state of Karnataka....
in India in 2002 and entered Australia due to the shortage of doctors in regional hospitals. He was working as a registrar
Specialist registrar
A Specialist Registrar or SpR is a doctor in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland who is receiving advanced training in a specialist field of medicine in order eventually to become a consultant...
at a Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
hospital and was detained at Brisbane Airport
Brisbane Airport
Brisbane Airport is the sole passenger airport serving Brisbane and the third busiest in Australia, after Melbourne and Sydney Airports. Brisbane Airport has won many awards. Located in the suburb with the same name, the airport serves the city of Brisbane and the surrounding metropolitan area...
while trying to board a one-way flight to India via Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
in Malaysia. His family claimed that Haneef's link to the alleged attackers was tenuous, he was not involved in the plot, and that he was returning to India to see his wife and ten-day-old daughter. India's Deputy High Commissioner to Australia Vinod Kumar was quoted as saying that Haneef had been granted consular access in Australia.
On 27 July 2007, all charges against Dr Haneef were dropped by Magistrate Wendy Cull in the Brisbane Magistrates Court. Prosecutor A.J. McSporran said that there would be "no reasonable prospect of a conviction of Dr Haneef being secured." He told the court that prosecutors had made two mistakes at a bail hearing on 14 July.
Police arrested three more men in connection with the failed terror attacks of the past few days on London and Glasgow, taking the total number of arrests to eight.