Pakistan - News and Discussion -7

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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>French minister says plotters likely Pakistani </b>
Thursday, August 10, 2006

PARIS (Reuters) - The perpetrators of a foiled attempt to blow up airliners flying from Britain to the United States are likely to be of Pakistani origin, France's Interior Minister said on Thursday.

"In two to three days we'll have more concrete information on the modus operandi of this terrorist group, that appears to be of Pakistani origin," Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy told reporters.

British police arrested 21 people in connection with the plot on Thursday.

Sarkozy also said that France would order full searches of all handluggage on flights to the United States, Britain and Israel as part of stepped up security after the foiled plot.

He said France would leave its current security alert level at red, the second highest, and that security on the Eurostar rail link between France and Britain would be increased.

"We have decided ... to conduct 100 percent searches of handluggage on all flights bound for the United States, Britain and Israel," Sarkozy said.

"We will also carry out random .............<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->