Airlines warned of terror threat from weapons hidden in cameras

Teams of al-Qa'ida suicide-hijackers could be plotting to seize airliners flying between America, Britain, Europe or Australia, using items such as cameras that have been turned into weapons or bombs, the CIA warned yesterday.

New evidence suggested that the terror network was planning a repeat of the tactics used on 11 September 2001, the agency said. The British security service, MI5, confirmed yesterday that it had been briefed on the threat.

A memo circulated by the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said: "The plan may involve the use of five-man teams, each of which would attempt to seize control of a commercial aircraft either shortly after take-off or before landing at a chosen airport. This type of operation would preclude the need for flight-trained hijackers."

George Bush said atthe White House yesterday that al-Qa'ida had "designs on America". He added: "The threat is a real threat. We obviously don't have specific data. We don't know when, where, what. I'm confident we will thwart the attempts."

The 26 July memo, believed to be based on information obtained from at least one al-Qa'ida prisoner as well as from electronic eavesdropping, said: "The hijackers may try to calm passengers and make them believe they were on a hostage, not suicide, mission." It added: "The hijackers may attempt to use common items carried by travellers, such as cameras, modified as weapons. No equipment or operatives are known to have been deployed to conduct the operations."

Security has been tightened at British airports as a precaution, and cameras and other electrical equipment are being examined. A British anti-terrorist source said: "When you get something new like the camera angle, people in the aviation industry and the travelling public need to be informed. UK airlines have been advised about this."

MI5 has continued to obtain a steady flow of intelligence about al-Qa'ida, but no specific threat has been identified.

In America, the TSA sent a directive to airlines on Monday telling them to immediately begin more intensive screening of travellers flying into the US and then connecting to foreign destinations.

TheTSA warned that terrorists might try to exploit loopholes allowing people to enter the US without a visa if they were in transit. Officials believe terrorists might try to board a flight in a country with less stringent checks. Italy, which was mentioned in the TSA memo, said that it had no specific information of any threats.