“Police Arrest New Bomb Suspect,” from SBS World News Australia, with thanks to JE:
British police have arrested another suspect in connection with the alleged plot to blow up trans-Atlantic airliners from London to the United States.
A total of 24 people are now being held in custody in Britain.
Scotland Yard alleges suspected Islamic militants planned to use liquid explosives to bomb up to 10 US bound aircraft.
Police said the new suspect was arrested in the Thames Valley area in southeastern Britain, where several houses were raided last week….
The 23 people who had been arrested earlier are all British-born Muslims, mainly of Pakistani descent….
According to British media, one of the houses raided in High Wycombe, may have been used to mix the chemicals….
Meanwhile, a British Muslim leader warns that if British officials single out Muslims for scrutiny to determine whether or not they are terrorists, more Muslims will become terrorists:
The idea of passenger profiling has been rejected by Muslim leaders who warn it could alienate the nation’s 1.5 million Muslims.
The Times newspaper reported that the Department for Transport is considering a profiling system to select people behaving suspiciously.
Under the proposal, they may also be targeted if they have an unusual travel pattern or a certain ethnic or religious background.
It said the government was considering introducing a screening system that allows security staff to focus on those passengers who pose the greatest risk.
John Stevens, former head of London’s Metropolitan Police, told the News of The World that airport chaos could be reduced by targeting passengers for more rigorous checks, with “young Muslim men” a focus.
Muslim leaders warned that profiling would backfire.
“If the community is profiled as a community, there will be a backlash and no-one is going to co-operate with the police and the authorities, which is important to fight terror,” Abdul Bari, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said.