Intelligence sources have revealed that militants based in Pakistan, thought to be linked to al Qaeda, were planning simultaneous strikes on London and other European cities.
The attacks would have been similar to the commando-style raids carried out in Mumbai in 2008 which killed 166 innocent people, sources said.
Sources indicated today that the plot had been 'credible', and that surveillance of suspects was continuing in Britain and elsewhere in a bid to prevent them carrying out any future attack.
* Militants planning commando-style raids on London
* Intelligence sources: 'Plot advanced but not imminent'
* Drone attacks on militants in Pakistan 'foil attack'
* Current terror threat level in Britain remains at severe
* But security services have made no arrests
Mumbai was at the centre of a terror siege in November 2008 when gunmen launched ten simultaneous attacks at popular landmarks including the Taj hotel, cafes, a train terminal and a Jewish centre
'This is an ongoing investigation into a major plot in the UK. It is not over yet,' said one source.
Others suggested that the plot, although at an early stage, had moved into the planning phase and was one of the most serious detected in recent years.
Some reports indicated that prominent buildings and other high-profile locations were to have been attacked by small teams of terrorists carrying out commando-style attacks.
American forces have intensified missile strikes against militants in Pakistan from unmanned drones this month, suggesting they were pre-empting an attack.
The latest plot is believed to target the UK, France and Germany, and was unearthed after intelligence sharing between spy agencies from all three countries and the U.S.
Intelligence sources said the plot was in the ‘advanced but not in the imminent stages’ and the plotters had been tracked by spy agencies for some time.
A senior US military official told the Wall Street Journal: ‘There are some pretty notable threat streams’ and that this was an unusually serious threat.
The revelations may be linked to yesterday’s evacuation of the Eiffel Tower in Paris because of a bomb scare for the second time in two weeks.
Last week, French authorities said that they had uncovered a suicide bombing plot to attack the Paris subway linked to al Qaeda’s North African affiliate.
They said the threat might be connected to France’s recent vote to ban the wearing of burqas.
In Britain, the current threat level from international terrorism is severe. This means that a terrorist attack is highly likely.
There are five levels of threat. Severe is the forth highest and critical, which means an attack is imminent, is the highest.
Mumbai was at the centre of a terror siege in November 2008 when gunmen launched ten simultaneous attacks at popular landmarks including the Taj hotel, cafes, a train terminal and a Jewish centre.
It was carried out by nine terrorists from the Pakistan-based Islamist group Lashkar-e-Taiba which has committed previous attacks in India.
It is feared an al Qaeda linked group may have been planning an attack on the West from a lawless tribal area of Pakistan.
The CIA has launched at least 20 drone strikes so far this month in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas neighbouring Afghanistan, the highest monthly total in the past six years.
The latest known drone strike occurred on Monday, hitting a house in Northwestern Pakistan, killing four people.
Not all of the drone strikes in the latest wave are connected to the suspected European plot. But many have targeted militants who are part of the Haqqani network, a militant group connected to al Qaeda.
If the Haqqani network were involved in a European terror plot, it would be the first known instance where it sought to launch attacks outside of South Asia.
The group controls a key region abutting Afghanistan, where U.S. defence and intelligence officials believe Osama bin Laden could be hiding.
In recent weeks, intelligence officials in the UK have issued warnings that the Al Qaeda threat remains high.
Only one of the nine gunmen who perpetrated the attacks in Mumbai was captured alive. Under interrogation he said they had planned to kill 5,000 people.
Flashback: The planned terror attacks on the UK, France and Germany were said to have been similar in style to the Mumbai attacks of November 2008
Pre-empting an attack: American forces have intensified missile strikes against militants in Pakistan from unmanned drones
The revelations could be linked to yesterday’s evacuation of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
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