The links between three attempted terrorist attacks in London and Glasgow are becoming "ever clearer", British police have said. An incident involving the ramming of a four-wheel-drive vehicle, believed to have contained gas cylinders, into doors at Glasgow Airport has been linked to two failed car bombings in central London.
A Mercedes car containing petrol, gas cylinders and nails was found outside the Tiger Tiger nightclub complex in London's Haymarket on Friday. Another car loaded with similar materials was later discovered parked on a nearby street.
The attempted attacks bear striking similarities to two previous al-Qaeda plots focused on London - one to target landmark buildings with gas-filled limousines; another to bomb the city's Ministry of Sound nightclub.
A fifth individual was arrested yesterday in connection with the failed attacks as the police investigation fanned out across Britain. A police source said there was reason to believe those arrested were not British citizens. Officers searched premises in Liverpool, Staffordshire and near Glasgow.
The latest arrest was that of a 26-year-old man, detained yesterday morning in Liverpool. It followed the overnight arrest of a 26-year-old man and 27-year-old woman on the M6 motorway in Cheshire and the arrest of two men who drove a four-wheel-drive vehicle at the entrance to the main terminal building at Glasgow Airport before setting the vehicle ablaze. Passersby helped to overpower the two men and police later arrested them. One, thought to be the driver, doused himself in petrol before setting it alight.
The man suffered severe burns and is still in a "critical" condition at Paisley's Royal Alexandra Hospital where he is being treated under armed guard. Meanwhile, a controlled explosion was carried out at the hospital on another car thought to be linked to Saturday's incident.
A number of houses in Houston, a village near Glasgow Airport, were also searched in connection with the attack. Maya Logan, who lives in the village, told reporters she had recently seen a four-wheel-drive vehicle parked outside one of the premises raided by police. Another resident, Callum Graham, talked about seeing two men of Asian appearance entering the house where Ms Logan had seen the vehicle. "As far as I know, people had no dealings with them," he said. "We think they have only been there a few months."
Peter Clarke, head of Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism unit, said police were making swift progress in the hunt for suspects. He said forensic searches of vehicles seized in all three incidents were proving "extremely valuable" and thousands of hours of CCTV were being examined.
"We are learning a great deal about the people involved in the attacks here in Glasgow and in the attempted attacks in central London. The links between them are becoming ever clearer," he said yesterday. "I'm confident, absolutely confident, that in the coming days and weeks we will be able to gain a thorough understanding of the methods used by the terrorists, the way in which they planned their attacks and the network to which they belong."
In response to the three attempted attacks, the British government has raised the terror alert to its highest level, meaning an attack is considered imminent. Security has been tightened at airports across the UK. The attempted attacks come almost two years since the July 7th strikes on London's transport system, in which four young British Muslims blew themselves up and killed 52 commuters.
Some Muslim groups in Britain condemned last week's incidents and urged Muslims to co-operate with police. "We are utterly appalled by this sinister plot and commend the professionalism of the security services in aborting it," the British Muslim Initiative said in a statement.