Possible attack on heathrow

[Renagade 0]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2747677.stm

stuff on news rambling on how al-queda(the only terroists in the world ) could possibly use a strela to knock a plane down then they showed some archive footage of rocket launchers like rpg-7s and what looked like a law and a few bright blue strelas lying on the ground.There was also some footage of soldiers,tanks and apcs in the heathrow area.

[Ex-RoNiN 0]

Last time this happened was during the Real IRA's bombing campaign in 1991 and in the bombing campaign of the 70's.

I don't know what tanks are meant to do about Strelas though

[FSPilot 0]

Intimidate the terrorists?

[Mr. Snrub 0]

Commercial planes taking off are absolute sitting-ducks - if you've got a good bit of cover (ie. some scrubland) that's anywhere near the take-off path of a plane, and you know what you're doing, the plane is as good as toast.

The CIA has been trying to buy back the hundreds of Stingers it supplied to the Afghans to fight the Soviets, but has only managed to get a hundred or so.....minus those that were used, you've still got a couple of hundred floating around the place...

[ralphwiggum 6]

APCs around...could be an intimidation factor, but also a good one. if terrorist tries to use Strela, than most likely they would have guns too. that means having APC is better than nothing.

But one thing that Heathrow have to worry about more is Burger King

[DracoPaladore 0]

By the time an APC finds the guy, the damage would already be done

[FSPilot 0]

Yeah. The only real way to protect airplanes like that is to have them circle over the airport through their climb/descent, and to make sure the area around the airport and in the airport is secure. Which is much easier said than done. The air force does this, its called a tactical approach, I think. It's pretty fun to see C-141s come in like that.

[Mister Frag 0]

The threat of force against people willing to die for their cause is pointless, and no deterent at all for a determined and/or fanatical attacker.

The high-visibility presence of the police and military are mostly for the benefit of the public -- all the protective forces can do is react to events already taking place, and by then most of the damage will have been done. Really the only way to stop terrorists is through the intelligence services, and by preventing attacks in the first place.

[Renagade 0]

unless u put flare pods beside each engine in the new planes if this type of attack caught on with the terrorists

[Balschoiw 0]

Is this really necesarry or just another try to convince public ?

Here in germany we have tight security at airports, too. But I think we have the smarter one...

We are controlling the airport region with helicopters equipped with thermal sights and full NV capacity. No need for tanks.

[DarkLight 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Ex-RoNiN @ Feb. 11 2003,02:55)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Last time this happened was during the Real IRA's bombing campaign in 1991 and in the bombing campaign of the 70's.<span id='postcolor'>

What do you mean? Europe HAS NEVER had any terrorist attacks!!!!

You don't even know what it's like!!!!

*ahum*

[MrMilli 0]

Darklight, sarcasm doesn't travel well over the net

The idea is a 30mm will stop a car full of terrorists (be it IRA or whatnot) quite effectively.

[Shabadu 0]

I don't think the APC is a good idea. It's too much of a target. If they have rocket launchers what a target an APC would make. Think of the embarrasment, also how many people are usually inside one? Easy way of taking a few soldiers out no?

[vade_101 0]

Well for one thing they aren't "tanks" per se. they are Scimitar Recconaissance Vehicles from the HCR so maybe they are a little more useful for sitting and watching for stuff. And as for "scrubland" they have closed down Windsor Great Park (about 2 mins from where i live) and the place is absolutely crawling with police (not just Thames Valley, who are the local force ... i've seen Metropolitan and Surrey police). They have vans or patrol cars on every major junction, loads of Foot Patrols in town and they mounted Vehicle Checkpoints by all the motorway junctions round here. Also there are more Armed police than i have ever seen before.

The army deploying to Heathrow isn't a "new" thing either ... its one of the reasons they are kept at windsor .. i think they did it pretty regularly during the 80s/90s when PIRA made threats against the airport.

[MrMilli 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Shabadu @ Feb. 12 2003,15:05)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I don't think the APC is a good idea. It's too much of a target. If they have rocket launchers what a target an APC would make. Think of the embarrasment, also how many people are usually inside one? Easy way of taking a few soldiers out no?<span id='postcolor'>

if they have rocket launchers what a target a 747 would make, or a packed airport terminal.

[Shabadu 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (MrMilli @ Feb. 12 2003,16:31)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">5--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Shabadu @ Feb. 12 2003,155)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I don't think the APC is a good idea. It's too much of a target. If they have rocket launchers what a target an APC would make. Think of the embarrasment, also how many people are usually inside one? Easy way of taking a few soldiers out no?<span id='postcolor'>

if they have rocket launchers what a target a 747 would make, or a packed airport terminal.<span id='postcolor'>

That's a ridiculous comment. We already know the planes are a target. What I'm saying is how would it look if they took out an APC?

[vade_101 0]

I don't think that they have any APC's at Heathrow ... the Armoured Vehicles are Scimitar Armoured Recconaissance Vehicles (Scimitar CVR(T)). And i would be very surprised if they "left" them anywhere a Rocket Toting Terrorist could get at them (the RPG not being the easiest weapon in the work to conceal). The Danger does come from terrorists with SAMs around the airport .. but they have changed the flighpath for the jets coming into Heathrow (its oddly quiet around here without them)

[MrMilli 0]

It would look a lot better taking out a empty light armoured vehicle of three crew when people are in it, than hitting a plane with 160 odd in it.

[interstat 0]

Scare mongering anyone?

Why does the government keep making the situation worse in this country by announcing how big a threat terrorists are, its not as if its gonna solve the problem. Seems as if New Labour wish to make the population act like cattle and not question anything. How do we know that there is no terrorist threat at all or is a very minor one. Terrorism is being used as a tool to subdue the public and make them believe the propaganda this twisted government puts out.

I tell you another thing as well, because its all in the south of the country, it gets more press coverage and attention, if Doncaster or Scarborough were under attack (I know that there isn't much to attack there in reality) this media sensationalisation would be less. The touchy-feely BBC just follows the governments line, as for ITV its just tabloid journalism as far as I'm concerned.

What about the dossier that was published months ago purporting to show that Iraq has WOMD, when in fact it was pure stealing of a postgraduate thesis from the internet. Why aren't media chasing thats tory (apart from Channel 4 news, hip hip for John Snow)

Wake up Britain, get rid of New Labour and its sham democratic government!

[Shabadu 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (MrMilli @ Feb. 12 2003,18:57)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">It would look a lot better taking out a empty light armoured vehicle of three crew when people are in it, than hitting a plane with 160 odd in it.<span id='postcolor'>

You obviously don't get it.

[interstat 0]

I get it (if your referring to me), just thought I would throw in a political slant to the whole proceedings.

As for downed airliners and rocket launchers, I reckon any would be terrorist wouldn't be so dumb as to attack an airport when troops have positioned themselves there, wait six months when they aren't there. Or possible attack something less obvious, such as poison the water supply or blow up a few secluded power stations.

[E6Hotel 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (interstat @ Feb. 12 2003,20:36)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">What about the dossier that was published months ago purporting to show that Iraq has WOMD, when in fact it was pure stealing of a postgraduate thesis from the internet.  Why aren't media chasing thats tory (apart from Channel 4 news, hip hip for John Snow)<span id='postcolor'>

Did you actually read the plagiarized sections?  They were statements of fact provided as background information, not analysis.  More than likely, a headline like "DOSSIER IMPROPERLY FOOTNOTED!" won't sell many papers.

Semper Fi

[maddogx 13]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">

Quote (MrMilli @ Feb. 12 2003,18:57)

It would look a lot better taking out a empty light armoured vehicle of three crew when people are in it, than hitting a plane with 160 odd in it.

You obviously don't get it.

<span id='postcolor'>

I think he was referring to MrMilli and he is right so. The terrorists aren't interested in attacking military targets. They want to scare people, and the best way to do that is target the people that are the most vulnerable: innocent civilians!

[interstat 0]

OK I didn't read the dossier, but hey it is still not right for the govenrment to release a document that copy's a postgrads thesis off the net and then present it to the public as a Goverment researched document, that is meant to convince people to got o war.

I don't doubt Iraq has got a WOMD, so do a lot of other countries, but is war really necessary after the international communtiy (including US and UK) went about trying to contain Iraq up until SEPT 11th and would of been happy going on containing him if that event had not of happened.

[E6Hotel 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (interstat @ Feb. 12 2003,21:15)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">OK I didn't read the dossier, but hey it is still not right for the govenrment to release a document that copy's a postgrads thesis off the net and then present it to the public as a Goverment researched document, that is meant to convince people to got o war.<span id='postcolor'>

But that's the point I'm making -- it WAS a government researched document.  It's just that a source used in the research wasn't credited properly (assuming APA standards apply to intelligence briefs?).  It doesn't affect the accuracy of the material presented, and accuracy is all that counts in intel.

Semper Fi