LONDON, Jan 7, (Agencies): The British government has warned the aviation industry of a possible al-Qaeda attack in a letter outlining the heightened risk, the BBC said on Friday. A security source told Reuters that counter-terrorism advice to the transport sector had been updated to indicate a possible heightened threat of attack, based on monitoring of suspected terrorists, although there was no sign of an imminent assault. The BBC said it had obtained a letter from the Department of Transport addressed to the air transport sector. “There are indications that al-Qaeda may be considering an attack against a UK airport or aviation sector target,” the BBC said, quoting the letter. The letter said that “the economic, political and psychological significance of the UK aviation sector coupled with the large crowds present within some of its major assets would enable a successful attack to fulfill al-Qaeda’s objectives”.

The BBC said the letter, however, emphasised that no changes to security measures had been made as a result and that the planned method of attack was unclear. A senior Iraqi official said last month that he believed al-Qaeda was planning attacks in the United States, Britain and Europe around Christmas, one year after a failed attempt to bomb a US-bound airliner. British police and security services have investigated dozens of suspected plots and arrested hundreds of suspects since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. The UK Department of Transport declined to comment on the report. Police said earlier the national threat level in Britain remained at “severe”, the second highest, meaning an attack was highly likely. It was raised a year ago.

Fifty-two people were killed in London in 2005 when four British Islamists blew themselves up on underground trains and a bus. The Metropolitan police, responsible for coordinating counter-terrorism operations nationally, also said that it had no knowledge of a separate threat gauge for airports and railway terminals being raised from “substantial” to “severe”. Threat levels for specific national infrastructure sectors are not normally made public. The British Transport Police had also earlier played down suggestions of a heightened state of security. The Home Office (interior ministry) said that if there was any intelligence of an imminent threat or a plot under way the threat level would be raised to “critical”, its highest level.

Meanwhile, police patrolled transport hubs across London on Friday amid continuing fears of a terrorist attack. Britain’s media said the security threat level for airports and railway stations has been raised, as governments in several European countries warn of a heightened risk of terrorism. Police were on patrol at major hubs like St Pancras and King’s Cross train stations in what seemed to be an exercise in high visibility policing aimed at reassuring the public. A government security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said the heightened awareness came from increased “chatter” among suspects under surveillance by the authorities, but that no threat was imminent.

British Transport Police declined to comment on the deployment of officers and said the public would not notice significant changes in the presence of officers. However, the police denied a Sky News report that officers had been ordered to cancel days off. Britain’s Home Office said that any imminent, serious threat to public safety would prompt a change in the overall threat level — and would see it raised to “critical,” the highest point on the system’s five point scale.

Minor day-to-day revisions of policing are standard practice to handle a threat from terrorism that Prime Minister David Cameron said in December “is as serious today as it ever has been.” Britain’s move comes after France and Germany increased security after warning of a heightened threat of terrorist attack. In October, the US State Department advised American citizens living or traveling in Europe to be wary amid reports that terrorists were planning a “Mumbai-style” attack on a European city.

The next month, German authorities ordered increased security measures, including a beefed-up police presence in railway stations, airports and other public places. France is also especially vigilant on terrorism-linked matters following warnings in the last few months that French citizens were targets for al-Qaeda. France’s terror alert status is at its second-highest level.

More than 170 people were killed in a 2008 gun attack on multiple targets in the Indian city of Mumbai.
“There is a continuing need for everyone to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to the police,” the Home Office said in a statement. BAA, which runs Heathrow and five other terminals, said security at its airports remained at a high level and that the company is vigilant at all times. The Daily Telegraph reported on its website that train stations across London were put on high alert. Quoting an unnamed security source, it said there was no imminent threat but activity from extremist cells had led to an adjustment in policing levels.

Last month, nine men suspected of plotting attacks on the US Embassy London and the London Stock Exchange were charged with terrorism offenses, following the largest anti-terror raid in two years.
Britain had not seen a terror attack since the October warning, but a Dec. 11 attack in Stockholm, Sweden was linked to the UK. Taimour Abdulwahab, who blew himself up on a busy street in Stockholm, injuring two people, had lived and studied in Luton, about 34 miles (54 kms) northwest of London, for years before killed himself in the attack.