British airliner turned back over security scare

By Michael Smith

LONDON (Reuters) – A British Airways flight to New York was
turned back to London’s Heathrow airport on Sunday because of a
security scare over a mobile phone that did not belong to any
of the passengers, officials said.

The phone was later found to be safe, as the government
said the threat to Britain of a terrorist attack had been
downgraded to severe from the critical level last week when
police said they had foiled a plot to blow up transatlantic
airliners.

Despite the downgrading, the Transport Department warned in
a statement: “This (still) means that a terrorist attack is
still highly likely.”

British Airways said the captain of the airliner, which was
carrying 217 passengers, had decided to return to London as a
precautionary measure.

“A mobile phone was located on board the aircraft which
none of the passengers appeared to own,” it said in a
statement.

Mobile phones were banned from flights departing from
British airports under new tough security measures introduced
after the disclosure of the alleged plot to smuggle bombs on to
aircraft disguised as drinks.

Police said on Thursday they had foiled an attempt by
would-be suicide bombers to blow up simultaneously up to 10
airlines flying to the United States. Twenty-four people were
arrested.

Home Secretary (interior minister) John Reid said on Sunday
another attempted terrorist attack on Britain was highly
likely.

“We think we have the main suspects in this particular
plot, but there could be others out there, perhaps people we
don’t know,” Reid told BBC television.

“It is highly likely there will be another terrorist
attempt. The threat of a terrorist attack in the United Kingdom
is still very substantial,” he said.

Reid said at least four plots had been thwarted since July
last year when four Islamist suicide bombers killed 52 people
on London buses and trains.

The new security measures have caused chaos at airports on
both sides of the Atlantic.

British Airways canceled 30 percent of its flights from
Heathrow on Sunday in a growing dispute with airport
authorities over how to apply the tougher security.

Airlines said cancellations and disruptions showed no sign
of easing.