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Journalism of Courage
A Shield of bulletproof glass is to be installed in the British House of Commons following reports that Al Qaeda might make an attempt to assassinate premier Tony Blair, who along with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is believed to be on the hit-list of the terrorist network.
The shield is to be installed across the public gallery in the chamber and the work on the new barrier will be completed during a specially extended easter recess. Visitors will then watch parliament through the glass and listen in with speakers, the Sunday Express tabloid reported today.
Musharraf and the Saudi royal family are also believed to be on the terrorist hit-list because of their cooperation with the us in crackdown against Al Qaeda, it said.
Musharraf, who recently survived a couple of assassination bids, is believed to be at risk because he is trying to persuade hardliners in his military and intelligence services to hunt former allies in Al Qaeda, who are hiding in mountains in the North West frontier with Afghanistan. He wants them to act to head off a planned US offensive to capture Osama bin Laden. The man leading plans for the spring offensive is General John Abizaid, the boss of US Central Command, who also just escaped death last week.
Security chiefs fear ministers and MPs are sitting targets after a string of high-profile death plots by the terror group which last week culminated in an attempt to blow up the senior American general in West Asia. According to the report, a confidential security review in Parliament has also concluded that X-ray machines are not sophisticated enough to prevent a terrorist getting into the chamber with new high tech liquid or plastic explosives.
Laden is still believed to be keen to accomplish a repeat of the carnage of 9/11 but security sources have told the tabloid that Al Qaeda has changed tactics and is just as keen to murder high profile target as they are to perpetrate a ‘‘mass casualty attack’’ on western soil.
No specific plot that threatens Blair’s life has been uncovered but intelligence analysts have ruled that an assassination attempt against a high-profile British or US leader is likely in the next 12 months. Defence chiefs in London have also ordered UK’s senior commander in Iraq, Maj Gen Andrew Stewart, to be on his guard.
