6 Doctors Among 8 Held In U.K. Bomb Plot
British Police Investigating Three Failed Car Bombings In London And Glasgow
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More Terror Arrests In U.K.
British authorities investigating a rash of car bombings seem to be focusing their inquiry on medical professionals from the Middle East. Mark Phillips reports.
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New Type Of Terrorist Profile?
Mohammed Asha, a doctor arrested in the U.K. bombings, hardly fits the standard terrorist profile. Sheila MacVicar reports radicalized professionals may be a new front in the war on terror.
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U.S. Security On High Alert
Homeland Security officials say they have no reason to believe a terrorist attack is imminent, but they are beefing up airport security in anticipation of the July 4th holiday. Nancy Cordes has more.
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Mohammed Asha's mother holds a picture of him in Amman, Jordan, Monday July 2, 2007. Asha and his wife were among those arrested by British antiterrorism police hunting those who were behind the attempted car bombings, a police source said on Monday. Asha qualified as a doctor in 2004 in Jordan and is also a registered medical practitioner in Britain. British media said Asha worked at a hospital in central England. (AP Photo/Mohammad abu Ghosh)
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A blazing Jeep Cherokee crashes into the main terminal building at Glasgow Airport in Glasgow, Scotland on June 30, 2007. (WPN)
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Police arrest a suspect at Glasgow Airport in Glasgow, Scotland on June 30, 2007. Two men tried to escape, with one being badly burned. They were stopped by police and passer-bys. (WPN)
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A badly burned suspect is arrested after he was stopped by police at Glasgow Airport in Glasgow, Scotland on June 30, 2007. (WPN)
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A police officer at Sunningdale Grove, Newcastle-under-Lyme, England, on July 2, 2007. Police were searching a property in Sunningdale Grove after a was man arrested late Saturday on a highway in central England following the car bomb attack at Scotland's Glasgow airport. (AP/Steve Bould/The Stoke Sentinel)
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Photo Essay
Scotland Airport Attack
Two men ram flaming Jeep into Glasgow Airport terminal.
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London Bomb Scare
Police thwart apparent terror attack, defusing car bomb in heart of city.
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War On Terror
Complete coverage of the military's battle against terrorism.
CBS News confirms the eighth arrest was made Monday in Brisbane, Australia. The 27-year-old unidentified man is also a doctor who had been working in United Kingdom. Police are executing a number of search warrants across Queensland, including one at the hospital where the suspect worked, Australian authorities said. More arrests are expected.
Speaking in Canberra Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister John Howard said the doctor arrested is an Indian national. Howard at the same time revealed that a second doctor is being interviewed in relation to information given to counterterror authorities by the first.
Officials say both doctors worked at the Gold Coast Hospital in southeast Queensland and were both recruited from Liverpool.
The Indian doctor was arrested at the state capital Brisbane airport as he was about to leave the country Monday night. The second doctor was being interviewed by police Tuesday but has not been arrested.
Still another medical trail, reports CBS News foreign correspondent Mark Phillips, leads to Jordan, where Mohammad Asha - who was arrested Saturday in northern England - got his medical training.
British media reports named the second detained doctor as Bilal Abdulla, an Iraqi who was believed to have been arrested at Glasgow airport. The only two people arrested at the airport were the ones driving the Jeep Cherokee that crashed through the entrance.
According to the British General Medical Council's register, a man named Bilal Talal Abdul Samad Abdulla was registered in 2004 and was trained in Baghdad.
A third doctor, believed to be from India, was arrested in Liverpool Monday and is suspected of involvement in the Glasgow attack and in the two failed car bombing attempts in London, adds Phillips.
Phillips reports that investigators have called the burned Jeep Cherokee recovered from the airport entrance, "a gold mine" of evidence.
Two other men were arrested Monday as suspects in the car bomb attack on the airport, British authorities said. Strathclyde police said two men, aged 25 and 28, had been detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
Meanwhile, U.S. security officials tell CBS News correspondent Bob Orr that they have found no U.S. connections to the U.K. terror incidents.
At this point, the FBI is not pursuing any domestic leads in this case, and government officials are referring all questions to British authorities, adds Orr.
Mohammed Asha seems a very unlikely terrorist, reports CBS News correspondent Sheila MacVicar. And although he has not yet been charged, there are suggestions that he is central to the plot to blow up two massive car bombs in the heart of London last Friday, and that he may be closely linked to the two men who attacked Glasgow airport on Saturday.
Asha was arrested along with a 27-year-old woman, believed to be his wife, as they drove on a major highway in Cheshire, in northwest England, in a joint swoop by officers from London and Birmingham.
Interviewed by CBS News at his home in Amman, Jordan, Asha's father said his son attended The Jubilee School in Amman, an elite high school initially founded by Jordan's Queen Noor in 1984 for children who show great academic promise. He graduated with straight A's in 1998.
Asha graduated from Jordan University's medical program in the summer of 2004 — at the top of his class — and then moved to Birmingham with his family, where he continued his medical studies. He was most recently a resident neurosurgeon at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire, in northern England.
CBS News confirms that in 2004 the current head of al Qaeda in Iraq was instructed by then-head Abu Musab al-Zaraqawi to recruit these people to move to the West and easily integrate until time came to strike.
CBS News has found a posting dated Feb. 20, 2006, by someone using the name Mohammed Asha, of Jordanian nationality, on an Islamic Internet chat forum. Referring to a cartoon depicting the Prophet Mohammed published by European newspapers, the post reads: "We have had to put up with you in the West for a long time. But now, after you insulted our prophet, we shall not forgive you."
The posting was found on a forum that did not appear to represent or be a regular platform exclusively for extremist view points.
An earlier statement posted online, signed by a "group of intellectuals," expresses support for the resistance in the Palestinian territories and condemns some Palestinian officials for calling it "terrorism". The name of Mohammed Asha appears among the signatories. The statement, found on the website of the al-Shaab newspaper, is dated July 19, 2002.
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.



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See all 66 CommentsJuly 2, 2007, 3:03 PM (GMT+02:00)
Five people in custody are of Middle East origin. Two more arrested Monday. One suspect still at large is described as %u201Ca planner.%u201D
Dr. Asha was arrested with his wife driving on the MI6 highway. They lived in Newcastle.
He qualified as a doctor in Jordan in 2004 and worked at the hospital from Oct. 2005.
At least one key suspect is still at large.
Counter-terror sources report that ten days ago, the US gave the Czech government specific warning of large-scale al Qaeda terrorist attacks in Prague, targeting government buildings, the US embassy, American firms and Jewish and Israel locations in the Czech capital. All American missions and military facilities in Europe were placed on alert.
France, Germany, Italy, Denmark and Spain have also tightened their anti-terror precautions.
Our sources add that the London and Glasgow bombing attempts took the Americans by surprise. They had expected the jihadists to strike elsewhere in Europe.
Once again the terrorists are shown to be cowards and not very efficient. 9/11 occurred because the US was asleep at the wheel; not because the terrorists were brilliant.
If most of these terrorist's training is traced back to the badlands in Pakistan, will the world take notice and wipe this vermin infested territory off the face of the map?
***Posted*** ***by*** ***afmca***
***A*** ***bit*** ***extreme*** ***to*** ***want*** ***to*** ***destroy*** ***a*** ***entire*** ***nation***.***Are*** ***you*** ***from*** ***India***?
Posted by janem4
They appear to be missing lately. Adresa must be getting her nails done.
This predates Clinton all the way back to 73.
There has to be a multi-layered approach (I am not a "leftie" a moderate)one that utilizes military force when necessary ex.9-11, one that also utilizes a counter recruitment to terrorism(ie preventing terrorist from becoming terrorist, public relations ie Darfur) and good intelligence for prevention.The ideology (extremism of the Quaran) must be challenged by the Muslim community. At the same time we must make efforts not to inflame and foment terrorism. The war in Iraq (according to the NIE) has helped the extremist in their recruitment. No countermeasure from the NIE to reverse the recruitment which they should have done in their report.
***Many*** ***posters*** ***on*** ***this*** ***board*** ***but*** ***not*** ***all*** ***are*** ***not*** ***from*** ***the*** ***left*** (***democrats***) ***if*** ***you*** ***have*** ***read*** ***many*** ***of*** ***these*** ***posts*** ***you*** ***would*** ***realize*** ***that*** ***a*** ***few*** ***are*** ***instead*** ***KKK*** ***and*** ***possibly*** ***Muslim*** ***extremist***. ***So*** ***the*** ***age*** ***old*** ***questions*** ***is*** ***how*** ***to*** ***you*** ***combat*** ***hatred***, ***racism***, ***greed*** ***regardless*** ***of*** ***its*** ***origins***? ***I*** ***can*** ***see*** ***the*** ***post*** ***coming*** ***now*** ***I*** ***left*** ***out*** ***the*** &***quot***;***Christians***&***quot***; ***and*** ***the*** ***Jews*** ***etc***., ***the*** ***Christians*** ***that*** ***will*** ***be*** ***referred*** ***to*** ***our*** ***the*** ***ones*** ***that*** ***are*** ***truly*** ***not*** ***Christians***, ***the*** ***Jews*** ***will*** ***be*** ***refferred*** ***as*** ***the*** ***ones*** ***who*** ***suppress*** ***the*** ***Palestinians*** ***or*** ***are*** ***Zionist***. ***Zionism*** ***a*** ***organization*** ***that*** ***was*** ***formed*** ***to*** ***give*** ***the*** ***Jews*** ***a*** ***home*** ***not*** ***a*** ***world*** ***wide*** ***conspiracy*** ***to*** ***rule*** ***the*** ***world*** ***as*** ***some*** ***will*** ***suggest***. ***The*** ***esscnce*** ***of*** ***your*** ***question*** ***is*** ***how*** ***to*** ***combat*** ***hatred***, ***education*** ***will*** ***help*** ***some*** ***others*** ***it*** ***will*** ***not***.
Thanks, George, again.
Thanks, George, again.
Found a spelling error in this article:
"CBS News has found a posting dated February 20, 2006 by someone using the name Mohammed Asha, of Jordanian nationality, on an Islamic Internet chat forum. Referring to a cartoon depicting the Profit [SOMEBODY USED SPELL CHECK WITHOUT CHECKING SPELLING] Mohammed published by European newspapers, the post reads: "we have had to put up with you in the West for a long time. But now, after you insulted our prophet, we shall not forgive you."
To janem4 - I said America was asleep - you are so quick to blame Clinton you didn't read my posting. The FBI, CIA, NSA, etc. were asleep - simple airport and airplane security could have stopped 9/11. As to our liberties, Bush/Cheney have secretly corrupted the Constitution and our laws for 6+ years. Every day you can read of their latest attempt to rule by presidential order. They bypassed the courts and the legislature. Read the Washington Post stories on how Cheney used 9/11 to annoint himself as above the law.
There are security cameras throughout the city I live, they are coming and nobody can stop them. I don't have issues with cameras in PUBLIC. At least they are in the open so everyone can see them. Everyone knows they are there. Freedom requires openness; people destroy it by secrecy.
Lord Stevens - Terrorism advisor to British Prime Minister
I thought the reason we went into Iraq is so we could "take the fight to them, then we won't have to fight them at home"? Or did I miss something?
Top of his class neurosurgeon. The things we're impressed with. Education did nothing for this guy. Learn how to save lifes....blow up innocent ones.
It's past time to drive the Moors back out....they should never have been trusted in the western world in the first place. They have one sick religion.
Top of his class neurosurgeon. The things we're impressed with. Education did nothing for this guy. Learn how to save lifes....blow up innocent ones.
It's past time to drive the Moors back out....they should never have been trusted in the western world in the first place. They have one sick religion.
The problem is we in the west have put up with them coming into the west for more than far too long. "we have put up with you in the west for far to long" Ha, get out azzholes and quite enjoying the west for the things you don't have in your own pig pen back home.
The Arab terroists are diametrically opposed to anything from the West.
And then they wonder why there is so much prejudice aginst them.
These are scary times for everyone.
the british establishment threw out a challenge by giving a muslim writer who lives in the US a national award. Salman Rushdie sure must be a good read, or he knows a lot of useful people!
The people who make up this awards panel are not directly government people, but they sure are a set of dumb people.
We in the UK are very good at clearing up after the horse has bolted, and then congratulating ourselves on how well we coped with the situation,
In actual fact we have been very lucky indeed, I passed the exact location of the first car only 24 hours prior to its discovery,
Lets hope we are as lucky the next time...because there is going to be a next time!
Nice link to a story about this;
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=465570&in_page_id=1770
***It***'***s*** ***good*** ***to*** ***see*** ***some*** ***journalists*** ***and*** ***at*** ***least*** ***a*** ***few*** ***named*** ***sources*** ***cited*** ***in*** ***the*** ***story***.
***I***'***m*** ***glad*** ***to*** ***see*** ***that*** ***the*** ***overly*** ***broad*** ***and*** ***generally*** ***useless*** ***generalizations*** ***coming*** ***from*** ***some*** ***UK*** ***officials*** ***who*** ***are*** ***posing*** ***for*** ***press*** ***coverage*** ***are*** ***not*** ***given*** ***much*** ***coverage***.
-CBS News has found a posting dated Feb. 20, 2006, by someone using the name Mohammed Asha, of Jordanian nationality, on an Islamic Internet chat forum. Referring to a cartoon depicting the Profit Mohammed published by European newspapers, the post reads: "We have had to put up with you in the West for a long time. But now, after you insulted our prophet, we shall not forgive you."
-Profit Mohammed: what a shame on CBS who hire people not capable of writing good English. By the term used oine may conclude they hired some profit minded people. Not to say the PROFIT -minded individuals are controlling this CBS News thing...
***I***'***d*** ***pour*** ***salt*** ***on*** ***his*** ***ass*** ***in*** ***the*** ***middle*** ***of*** ***the*** ***night***.
Forget about being Politically Correct (PC) for a moment. 99.9 percent of terrorism around the world is caused my muslims.
If we use Gestapo tactics and deport all muslims out of the western countries, back to pre-dominant muslim countries, we can focus on border defense and attack terrorism on a "Single" front. By that, I mean we can protect our borders from within.
As long as all you pinheads out there say "Oh, there's nothing wrong with muslims...and, oh, muslims are from a peaceful religion...etc...", you will be attacking terrorism from abroad, and from within YOUR country (including mine). You will be guarding against terrorism on (2) fronts.
Deport them all, and then we can focus on attacking on a single front.
Makes sense to me to attack terrorism on a single front instead of a dual front. Or, even a triple front (taking into account your going to support your allies). See what I mean?
Dont be politically correct people. It's gotten us nowhere but here.....
Forget about being Politically Correct (PC) for a moment. 99.9 percent of terrorism around the world is caused my muslims.
If we use Gestapo tactics and deport all muslims out of the western countries, back to pre-dominant muslim countries, we can focus on border defense and attack terrorism on a "Single" front. By that, I mean we can protect our borders from within.
As long as all you pinheads out there say "Oh, there's nothing wrong with muslims...and, oh, muslims are from a peaceful religion...etc...", you will be attacking terrorism from abroad, and from within YOUR country (including mine). You will be guarding against terrorism on (2) fronts.
Deport them all, and then we can focus on attacking on a single front.
Makes sense to me to attack terrorism on a single front instead of a dual front. Or, even a triple front (taking into account your going to support your allies). See what I mean?
Dont be politically correct people. It's gotten us nowhere but here.....
Does it make any sense at all to spend billions of dollars to buy HATRED, TERRORISM and 9/11 against our nation?
Can anybody with even a minute level of sanity support such type of NON-SENSE, PSYCHOTIC investment.
CHRISTIANITY is PSYCHOSIS and CHRISTIANS are PSYCHOTICS.
CHRISTIANS lost their reasoning capability when they were taught that SANTA CLAUSE comes on a FLYING DEER to distribute candies.
The most important step for preventing USA from destruction is to get rid of that PSYCHOSIS which asks GOD-NEGLECTED AMERICANS and UNHOLY LAND UNITED STATES to be sacrifised for the GOD-CHOSEN NON AMERICANS and HOLY LAND NON-AMERICAN TERRITORY.
Question: %u201CCan you define senior leadersip?%u201D
Mr. Bergner: %u201CI think I%u2019ll leave it at that.%u201D
Question: %u201CWould you exclude the supreme leader?%u201D
Mr. Bergner: %u201CI%u2019ll leave it at %u2019senior leadership in Iran%u2019%u201D?
Question: %u201CPut it this way: Do you think it%u2019s possible that he doesn%u2019t know?%u201D
Mr. Bergner: %u2018%u2019That would be hard to imagine.%u201D
Hmm. Hard to imagine. Where have I heard that phrase?
On July 27, 2003, Wolfowitz appeared on Meet the Press where he told Tim Russert, "It's hard to conceive that it would take more force to provide stability in post-Saddam Iraq than it would take to conduct the war itself and secure the surrender of Saddam's security forces and his army. Hard to imagine."
It would be hard to imagine a scenario where info controlled by the Bush Admin. turned out to be actually true.
Does it make any sense at all to spend billions of dollars to buy HATRED, TERRORISM and 9/11 against our nation?
Can anybody with even a minute level of sanity support such type of NON-SENSE, PSYCHOTIC investment.
CHRISTIANITY is PSYCHOSIS and CHRISTIANS are PSYCHOTICS.
CHRISTIANS lost their reasoning capability when they were taught that SANTA CLAUSE comes on a FLYING DEER to distribute candies.
The most important step for preventing USA from destruction is to get rid of that PSYCHOSIS which asks GOD-NEGLECTED AMERICANS and UNHOLY LAND UNITED STATES to be sacrifised for the GOD-CHOSEN NON AMERICANS and HOLY LAND NON-AMERICAN TERRITORY.
"We have had to put up with you in the West for a long time. But now, after you insulted our prophet, we shall not forgive you."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2006 Web posting attributed to Mohammed Asha
Really? Well your prophet is a nut.
Does it make any sense at all to spend billions of dollars to buy HATRED, TERRORISM and 9/11 against our nation?
Can anybody with even a minute level of sanity support such type of NON-SENSE, PSYCHOTIC investment.
CHRISTIANITY is PSYCHOSIS and CHRISTIANS are PSYCHOTICS.
CHRISTIANS lost their reasoning capability when they were taught that SANTA CLAUSE comes on a FLYING DEER to distribute candies.
The most important step for preventing USA from destruction is to get rid of that PSYCHOSIS which asks GOD-NEGLECTED AMERICANS and UNHOLY LAND UNITED STATES to be sacrifised for the GOD-CHOSEN NON AMERICANS and HOLY LAND NON-AMERICAN TERRITORY.
***does*** ***bush*** ***think*** ***these*** ***muslims*** ***are*** ***like*** ***southerners***?...
***lost*** ***every*** ***war*** ***they*** ***ever*** ***started***.
***no***, ***these*** ***muslims*** ***will*** ***fight*** ***to*** ***the*** ***bitter*** ***end***.
***they*** ***don***'***t*** ***surrender*** ***like*** ***those*** ***confederate*** ***snakes***.
***war***, ***hate***, ***phony*** ***christian*** ***creeps***...
***nothing*** ***good*** ***comes*** ***out*** ***of*** ***the*** ***south***!
follow. All the religions that I know of preach peace and love thy neighbor, be tolerant of others, etc.
Is it any wonder that people in the free world feel threatened by and are afraid of all Arabs?
It is a frighteneing world we live in and in which many innocent people must die.
How foolish.
follow. All the religions that I know of preach peace and love thy neighbor, be tolerant of others, etc.
Is it any wonder that people in the free world feel threatened by and are afraid of all Arabs?
It is a frighteneing world we live in and in which many innocent people must die.
How foolish, how sad.
follow. All the religions that I know of preach peace and love thy neighbor, be tolerant of others, etc.
Is it any wonder that people in the free world feel threatened by and are afraid of all Arabs?
It is a frighteneing world we live in and in which many innocent people must die.
How foolish, how sad.
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