350 Possible Terror Targets in UK

June 6, 2002

LONDON, June 6 (UPI) -- Britain's MI5 intelligence agency has compiled a secret list of more than 350 potential targets, including government buildings, oil refineries and the nation's nuclear power stations, which could be at risk from suicide bombers and other terrorists, a London newspaper reported Thursday.

The Times said a range of key sites "have had their security profiles urgently reassessed" because of the threat posed by accused terrorist leader Osama bin Laden's al Qaida organization, which has been blamed for the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington.

Other sources close to the government told United Press International the list also included Buckingham Palace, Parliament and the Tower of London. The spy agency felt suicide bombers could target these buildings using trucks and other vehicles as well as from the air.

The Home Office refused either to confirm or to deny such a list existed.

"It is government policy not to comment on operational matters," a spokeswoman told UPI.

"All security measures are kept under constant review, and have been since before and after the events of 11 September," the spokeswoman added.

MI5, which falls within Home Office jurisdiction, is responsible for advising on security measures needed to protect government buildings. The Times said the agency had put more than 350 sites on a "critical national infrastructure" list after "re-examining the potential threat" they might face after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Among these are Britain's 15 nuclear power stations, where security was tightened after the British government was notified of intelligence reports of a possible attack by al Qaida on similar installations in the United States.

The Times report said locations on the MI5 list "are understood to include ... the main National Grid (electricity) sites, oil installations, petrochemical facilities, key defense companies and research centers" such as the Ministry of Defense's chemical and biological weapons research facilities.

Other sources said intelligence chiefs had also identified the Telecom Tower, one of the most distinctive features on London's skyline, and also one of the nation's most important communications centers, as a possible major target for any terrorist attack.

The Times said that "apart from the obvious measures such as security guards, closed-circuit television cameras and reinforced windows, (MI5's) security experts have taken into account the location of a building, and its position in relation to motorways, airports and approach routes."

While the overall effect of MI5's "reassessment" has been aimed at stepping up security arrangements in general in the wake of Sept. 11, the newspaper said that at present, "there is no specific terrorist threat" against any of the hundreds of potential targets in the United Kingdom.

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