“Saudi Arabia has arrested two Islamic suicide pilots who were preparing to fly two light aircraft into a packed British Airways (BA) jet, a British Sunday newspaper said, quoting a senior opposition politician.” This from The Age, with thanks to Nicolei and Mrs. Obelix.
“The suspected suicide pilots were arrested in the last few weeks after they were found red-handed with aircraft loaded with explosives near Saudi Arabia’s main airport in the capital Riyadh, The Mail on Sunday said.
“‘My understanding is that they were found on the flight line and that the plan was to fly them into a passenger jet either about to land or take off,’ said Patrick Mercer, the opposition Conservative spokesman for Homeland Security, according to the newspaper.
“Mercer, who said he had been informed of the plot by an ‘unimpeachable’ source, intended to raise the matter at the House of Commons immediately after MPs returned from their Christmas break on January 5, the newspaper reported.
“Mercer claimed, according to the same source, that the Saudi authorities tried to cover up the incident near King Khalid International Airport and withheld information from authorities abroad.”