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SECURITY chiefs fear Al-Qaeda terrorists trained as scuba divers could mount attacks against a royal review of the fleet being held to mark the 200th anniversary of the battle of Trafalgar.
A senior Ministry of Defence (MoD) police officer has disclosed that militants using techniques learnt in western diving schools to attack Royal Navy ships are considered the main threat to the event.
Officials fear Al-Qaeda divers could attach bombs to the hulls of the ships, detonate explosives strapped to their bodies in suicide attacks or even board vessels and kill some of those on board.
The Queen, in her office as Lord High Admiral, will review about 40 ships from the navies of nations including France and Spain. She will be on the deck of one of the Royal Navy ships.
The review of the fleet, which takes place on June 28, is the first in a series of events celebrating the 200th anniversary on October 21 of the battle in which Nelson destroyed the Franco-Spanish fleet.
… A number of Royal Navy vessels now have machineguns mounted on their decks to defend ships against possible “swarm attacks” by terrorists in boats. That measure was taken in 2002 in the wake of the arrest, during a joint UK- Moroccan operation, of an Al-Qaeda cell based in Morocco that was planning to attack Royal Navy vessels in the Straight of Gibraltar.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk …
A senior Ministry of Defence (MoD) police officer has disclosed that militants using techniques learnt in western diving schools to attack Royal Navy ships are considered the main threat to the event.
Officials fear Al-Qaeda divers could attach bombs to the hulls of the ships, detonate explosives strapped to their bodies in suicide attacks or even board vessels and kill some of those on board.
The Queen, in her office as Lord High Admiral, will review about 40 ships from the navies of nations including France and Spain. She will be on the deck of one of the Royal Navy ships.
The review of the fleet, which takes place on June 28, is the first in a series of events celebrating the 200th anniversary on October 21 of the battle in which Nelson destroyed the Franco-Spanish fleet.
… A number of Royal Navy vessels now have machineguns mounted on their decks to defend ships against possible “swarm attacks” by terrorists in boats. That measure was taken in 2002 in the wake of the arrest, during a joint UK- Moroccan operation, of an Al-Qaeda cell based in Morocco that was planning to attack Royal Navy vessels in the Straight of Gibraltar.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk …