Great Britain downgrades terror threat level

London, Aug 14: Britain has downgraded the threat of a terrorist attack from the highest level imposed last week after police said they had foiled a plot to blow up airliners, the government said today.

Home Secretary John Reid said the switch from 'critical' to 'severe' means an attack is not thought to be imminent, although the threat remains.

"There is still a very serious threat of an attack," he said. "I want to stress, therefore, that the change in the threat level does not mean that the threat has gone away." The United States said it had also scaled back the threat level for flights from Britain but would remain vigilant.

A British Airways flight to New York was turned back to London's Heathrow airport yesterday because of a security scare over a mobile phone that did not belong to any of the 217 passengers, officials said. The phone was later found to be safe.

British Airways said the captain of the airliner 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.

Reid said yesterday that 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 cancelled 30 percent of its flights from Heathrow yesterday in a growing dispute with airport authorities over how to apply the tougher security.

Airlines said cancellations and disruptions showed no sign of easing.

REUTERS

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