Posted: December 7, 2003 Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist network plotted to detonate a dirty nuke bomb floated into London on one of its armada of mystery ships, but the plan was foiled by security forces, says an official.
The device was to be delivered on a cargo ship and moored at a dock ready to be detonated when the wind was right, according to the People newspaper in London. If it had exploded, it would have contaminated a huge area and forced the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of terrified people.
The plot, thwarted by security forces, was revealed by Homeland Security shadow minister Patrick Mercer, a Tory terrorist expert and former senior army officer. A cargo ship suspected of carrying the bomb -- the 26,000-ton MV Nisha -- was stormed by the elite Special Boat Squadron in the English Channel two years ago, said Mercer.
But the Indian-owned vessel was carrying sugar. The real al-Qaida ship bound for Britain was frightened off by the raid.
The bomb would have been unlikely to cause many deaths because the radiation given off would be weak. The plan was to cause panic and paralyze the City.
Mercer said: "Although there would not be mass deaths there would be huge terror."
Bin Laden still has a fleet of rogue ships which could be used as floating bombs.
Last week London Mayor Ken Livingstone revealed four al-Qaida attempts to target London had been thwarted. Others were targeting the Jewish community in north London with ricin, hitting an airliner at Heathrow with a ground-to-air missile and an attack on a soft target like a disco.
Since Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin broke the story that Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida had obtained 15 ships whose whereabouts are unknown international law enforcement authorities, officials in Washington and in other capitals around the world have been taking precautions against terror on the high seas.
Worldwide there is heightened awareness of the potential for a major maritime terrorist attack. A once-secret, 181-page al-Qaida training manual obtained by G2 Bulletin shows Osama bin Laden's terrorist network has been focused on seaports as top-level targets for more than two years.
Al-Qaida encourages the recruitment of agents who work as "employees at borders, airports and seaports." Targets listed for "blasting and destroying" include:
"Places of amusement";
Embassies;
"Vital economic centers";
"Bridges leading into and out of the cities";
"Strategic buildings";
"Important establishments";
"Military bases";
"Important ministries such as those of defense and internal security";
"Airports";
"Seaports";
"Land border points";
Radio and TV stations. G2 Bulletin sources say there are reports al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations have been practicing high-seas terror attacks by hijacking ships, kidnapping crews and studying diving – much as the Sept. 11 skyjackers learned to fly airliners.
Al-Qaida's mystery armada is believed to be somewhere in the Indian or Pacific oceans. When the ships left their home ports in the Horn of Africa weeks ago, some were destined for ports in Asia.
G2 Bulletin sources say other potential targets of the al-Qaida armada, besides civilian ports, include oil rigs. Another threat is the ramming of a cruise liner.
A recent Rand Corp. study warns terrorists might use container ships in terror attacks meant to cause massive casualties. The report warns cargo ships or shipping containers could be used to deliver weapons of mass destruction for terror groups such as al-Qaida.
The report, produced in cooperation with the European Commission, said: "The potential threat of terrorists using containers poses a large risk to our economies and to our societies. Ultimately, this means that the marine sector – and specifically the container transport sector – remains wide open to the terrorist threat."
Rand says the international community has not become sufficiently aware of al-Qaida's threat at sea, with most counter-insurgency efforts being focused on stopping an attack from the
