Suspects may have met with al Qaeda

The officials allege that Matiur Rehman, described as an explosives expert in Pakistan who is now at large, met two of the British suspects in Pakistan. But officials, who say the plot displays signs of al Qaeda participation but who are still investigating that angle, do not know whether Rehman was involved in the plot.

After the two people returned to Britain, they received a wire transfer of money from Pakistan, the officials said. Authorities in Britain on Thursday announced the arrests of 24 people in connection with the plot. While the investigation continues, the government officials say the primary players are in custody.

Pakistani officials said the arrests of two British citizens and five Pakistanis last week directly contributed to terror arrests made Thursday in Britain. The original information about the plan came from the Muslim community in Britain, according to a British intelligence official.

The tip resulted from a person who had been concerned about the activities of an acquaintance after the July 7, 2005, terror attacks in London, the official said. US government officials say there were two phone calls made from London to the United States recently by suspects. Those calls were tracked down and investigated, but there is no evidence of any involvement of people in the United States in the alleged plot.

The alleged plot to smuggle liquid explosives onto planes has led to new security measures at airports around the world. Passengers in the US faced a second security check which began yesterday, the day after huge lines of people dumped shampoo, lotion and water before boarding planes.

A number of men were in the “final stages” of a plot to blow up as many as ten jets leaving Britain for the United States, US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said. The Bank of England yesterday froze the accounts of 19 suspects who were arrested in connection with the plot, a British Treasury spokesman said.