Bin Laden in plot to bomb London
Terror blueprint for attack on Londonf
War on Terrorism: Observer special
Peter Beaumont, foreign affairs editor, Kandahar
Sunday December 16, 2001
The Observer
observer.co.uk
Chilling plans for a devastating bomb attack on the City of London have been
discovered in a terrorist base in Afghanistan, revealing a sophisticated
al-Qaeda training programme to spread its terror campaign to Britain.
The blueprint is contained in a notebook written in clear English discovered
by The Observer at an al-Qaeda camp in the former Taliban stronghold of
Kandahar.
Disturbingly for British police and intelligence services, there is no
indication whether the terrorist who drew up the plan stayed to fight and
die with Osama bin Laden's group, or whether he had already left on his
mission to Britain before the suicide hijackings of 11 September and the US
bombing of Afghanistan.
In step-by-step instructions it describes how to construct a huge
remote-controlled van bomb - identical to those used by al-Qaeda against the
US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania with lethal effect in 1998.
A scribbled note on top of one page suggests the intended target was
Moorgate in the centre of London's financial district.
The discovery of the notebook comes after the US released a video, also
apparently found in an abandoned al-Qaeda base, showing a giggling bin Laden
boasting of how he had planned the suicide hijackings. It confirms a growing
body of evidence that bin Laden - who American intelligence last night said
was co-ordinating his last stand by his fighters through shortwave radio
broadcasts in the Tora Bora area - was orchestrating a global terrorism
campaign against Western interests.
But the notebook is the first hard evidence that London was also an intended
target. It appears to confirm the fears of intelligence services and the
Metropolitan Police that an al-Qaeda sleeper cell may already be in Britain
preparing an attack.
A Scotland Yard source said yesterday that The Observer's discovery in
southern Afghanistan would be investigated by anti-terrorist officers. 'We
have to recognise that there are some very big targets in the City,' he
said.
Written in note form - apparently as an aide-mémoire by the man who would
construct the bomb - the language used suggests that the author was a
British fundamentalist who prepared the document while training in the
Sheragha Jama district of Kandahar, an area riddled with the former homes
and compounds of al-Qaeda fighters.
Other documents found with the notebook indicate it was probably written in
the early part of this year.
Although most of the al-Qaeda camps around Kandahar had already been cleared
of their document caches by US Special Forces, The Observer came across the
padlocked compound, riddled with bunkers, when local Afghan residents led us
to it.
In one small room papers had been tossed on to a bonfire by al-Qaeda
fighters who, locals said, had abandoned the area to join the fight for the
city's airport against anti-Taliban fighters. It was here that the notebook
was discovered.
It appears to be a record of meetings between al-Qaeda's master bomb-maker
and an English-speaking activist in which he is guided through each step in
building a bomb. In places the author has revisited his notes, adding
information in a small, neat hand, often underlined, suggesting he has tried
some of the procedures in the camp, had problems and been talked through his
mistakes.
The notebook is a mixture of apparently sophisticated data and simplistic
checklists consistent with the tone of documents found in the luggage of the
11 September hijackers. It provides a detailed guide about how to behave
while working under cover during the operation.
The intended target is made clear by references to what to expect when
entering Britain. The target itself is identified by scribbled notes on how
to find Moorgate, including reminders to use an A-Z and a Business Directory
.
The bomb-maker's guide is written by someone familiar with electrical
engineering and chemical procedures. The first of the 80 pages include
calculations of the weight of boxes of detonators and discusses safety
arrangements for handling explosives. The author lists equipment and
material needed to make the bomb, which will be installed in a van.
Under the heading 'Business Plan' he writes: 'Connect the wires properly.
Isolate connecting wires (Sellotape). Constantly refer to diag[ram], nobody
work alone, const[ant] double checking.'
One section describes a list of serial numbers, transistors and capacitors,
the exact grid location on the circuit board where they should be soldered.
In one instance the author reminds himself that a key component should be
placed on the circuit board 'head facing down, writing towards you'. Further
on under the heading Remote Control, he lists two makes of FM transmitter
and receiver that would be incorporated into the device, and describes the
'preparation of the detonator'.
The bomb-maker discusses the best components - including the antenna and
transmitter for the 'remote control' and where to buy them. He includes
instructions for preparing each item. He ends with the 'Rules of Activation'
for the device, which uses a digital watch as a timing device. It concludes:
'Connect load... Turn SF2 on. Leave as fast as you can.'
The unnamed author lists how he should behave, presumably to maintain his
cover while in London. He tells himself he needs to travel and earn money,
perhaps to fund the operation. He also ticks the attributes he will need:
'confidence', 'no panic', and 'don't be afraid'.
· MI5 has warned Ministers that a determined terrorist attempt to fly a jet
into the Sellafield nuclear plant in Cumbria could not be prevented because
it is only two minutes' flying time from transatlantic flight paths.
The warning came after RAF fighters were scrambled over the plant in
response to a reported hijack attempt last month. 'The position is
unthinkable,' an intelligence source said. 'By the time you listened to a
call reporting a hijack, it could be all over.'
Al-Qaeda
16.12.2001: Bin Laden plot to bomb London discovered
16.12.2001: Bin Laden videotape was result of a sting
16.12.2001: Hazem Saghiyeh: Al-Qaeda loses itself in dream world
16.12.2001: Fighters race for the border
Allies divided?
16.12.2001: Allied rifts put planning at risk
16.12.2001: Blair fears split with US over its support for Israel
16.12.2001: Leader: Don't desert Arafat
Broadening the campaign
16.12.2001: David L Mack: Iraq after Saddam
02.12.2001: David Rose: The case for tough action against Iraq
02.12.2001: Will Iraq be next? What the experts say
02.12.2001: Secret US plan for Iraq war
The campaign assessed
09.12.2001: Focus special: the future of war
09.12.2001: Mary Riddell: The perils of victory
The home front: liberties at risk?
02.12.2001: Nick Cohen: Blunkett's anti-terror scam
02.12.2001: Patricia WIlliams: This dangerous patriot's game
Observer Liberty Watch special
Drugs in Afghanistan special
02.12.2001: Mark Galeotti: Business as usual for Afghan drugs
02.12.2001: Ustina Markus: It's not just the west that suffers
Comment
Terrorism Crisis: Observer Comment in full
Terrorism Crisis: View from America
More from Guardian Unlimited
Special report: attack on Afghanistan |
