Police said the plot involved hiding explosive devices in hand baggage. The plan was uncovered in a joint operation by the Yard's anti-terrorist branch and the security service that lasted several months, the Metropolitan Police said. The police said that many arrests had been made. Meanwhile, John Reid, the British home secretary, said that the alleged plot was designed to "bring down a number of aircraft through mid-flight explosions, causing a considerable loss of life".

He said that while the security services would deliver 100% effort and dedication, they could not guarantee a 100%success rate in fighting terrorism. "We are probably in the most sustained period of severe threat since the end of world war two," Reid said in a speech to the Demos think-tank. He called for all parts of society to band together in a common effort, in his view the only way to assure Britain's common security.

"Our security forces and the apparatus of the state provide a very necessary condition for defeating terrorism but can never be sufficient to do it on their own." He warned of "insecurity in the heart of our communities". 

Source: Aljazeera.net