BOMBS FOR 10 PLANES

The thwarted plot shifted attention once more to Britain’s Islamic community just over a year after the London transit attacks, which were carried out by three Britons of Pakistani descent and a Jamaican convert to Islam.

The 24 arrests in Britain triggered worldwide security alerts, and experts said they could herald a new age of terrorism where attackers have access to explosives that are easy to carry and to conceal. US intelligence officials said the plotters hoped to stage a dry run within two days, with an attack to follow soon after.

Emergency security measures provided a stark vision of the possible future of air travel.

Mothers tasted baby food in front of airport security guards to prove it contained no liquid explosives. Liquids were banned from flights. Travellers repacked their luggage in airports, stowing all but the most necessary items in the hold.

US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said authorities believed the alleged terrorists planned to detonate liquid explosives. Security experts warned it was possible attackers could hide their bomb ingredients in containers for talcum powder or medicine bottles and then assemble the weapon once behind a locked restroom door.

An American law enforcement official who was briefed on the investigation said it appeared the liquid to be used was a “peroxide-based solution” to be detonated by a power supply from an electronic device that was not specified, but could be anything from a disposable camera to a digital music player.

The official asked not to be identified because British authorities had asked that no information be released.

In Pakistan, an intelligence official said an Islamic militant arrested near the Afghan-Pakistan border several weeks ago provided a lead that played a role in “unearthing the plot,” that helped British authorities arrest suspects in Britain.

A senior Pakistani government official, who like the intelligence official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment on the matter, said “two or three local people” suspected in the plot were arrested a few days ago in Lahore and Karachi.

British police arrested 24 people in what they said was a plot to blow up aircraft bound for the United States by using explosives smuggled in hand luggage.

US counterterrorism officials said United, American, and Continental airlines bound for New York, Washington and California were targetted by the terrorists.

Raids were carried out at homes in London, the nearby town of High Wycombe and Birmingham, in central England. Searches continued throughout the day, and police had cordoned off streets in several locations. A wooded area in High Wycombe was also being searched by police.

Hamza Ghafoor, 20, who lives across the street from one of the homes raided in Walthamstow, northeast of London, said police in vans circled the block on Wednesday and that they generally swoop into the neighbourhood to question “anyone with a beard.”

In Paris, French Interior Minister Nicholas Sarkozy said the group “appears to be of Pakistani origin,” but did not give a precise source for the information. Britain’s Home Office, which announced the arrests, refused comment.

A British police official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation, said the suspects were “homegrown,” though it was not immediately clear if they were all British citizens. He said authorities were working with Britain’s large South Asian community.

The British government raised its threat assessment to its highest level — critical — which warns that a terrorist attack could be imminent. The US government, fearing the plot had not been completely crushed, raised its threat assessment to its highest level for commercial flights from Britain to the United States.

Britain’s home secretary said the threat level would remain at critical as a precaution.

“Whilst the police are confident that the main players have been accounted for, neither they nor the government are in any way complacent,” John Reid said. “This is an ongoing, complex operation.”

Prime Minister Tony Blair briefed US President George W Bush on the situation, but his Downing Street office said there were no plans to cut short his Caribbean vacation. Blair issued a statement praising the cooperation between the two countries, which “underlines the threat we face and our determination to counter it.” In Wisconsin, Bush placed the blame for the plot on al-Qaeda style terrorism: “This nation is at war with Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our nation,” he said. In British airports, extreme security measures were put in place, with laptop computers, cell phones, and portable music players banned from being carried on board. Liquids and gels, such as drinks and hair care products, were also barred. Only the minimum — passports, wallets and essential medications — were allowed in airplane cabins.

The security procedures were to remain in place at least throughout the weekend, British Airports Authority chief executive Tony Douglas told reporters at Heathrow. The measures at one of the world’s largest aviation hubs sent ripples across the globe. Heathrow airport was closed to most flights from Europe, and British Airways cancelled all its flights between the airport and points in Britain, Europe and Libya. Low-cost airline easyJet cancelled all flights from London’s Gatwick, Luton and Stansted airports. Most European carriers cancelled flights to Heathrow because of the massive security delays.