UK names suspects in transatlantic airline bomb plot

LONDON - Britain has named 19 people suspected of being involved in a plot to blow up transatlantic airliners and ordered their assets frozen, a day after police said they had foiled attempts to cause mass murder.

The Bank of England, acting on instructions from the government, published the names and addresses of 19 suspects, saying it would be illegal to release their funds.

The list gave the first details of some of those allegedly connected to the plot. Police said the plan was to carry out multiple suicide attacks by smuggling chemical bombs on to planes disguised as drinks.

Those arrested are aged 17 to 35 and lived in areas of east London, in the southeastern town of High Wycombe and in Britain's second city of Birmingham. Police are holding 24 people following arrests on Thursday after a series of raids in those areas.

The suspected plot sparked chaos at Britain's airports at the height of the holiday season with hundreds of flights cancelled as airlines imposed strict security measures. The security measures remain in place.

"(The bombers) were a couple of days from a test, and a few days from doing it," said a US intelligence official, declining to be named.

US officials said as many as 10 planes might have been struck. Transatlantic jumbo jet flights usually carry more than 300 people, suggesting a death toll in the thousands.

"We are confident we have disrupted a plan by terrorists to cause untold death and destruction," said the London police force's Deputy Commissioner Paul Stephenson. "Put simply, this was intended to be mass murder on an unimaginable scale."

Pakistan said it played a role in thwarting the suspected plot and had arrested an undisclosed number of people. A senior government official said Pakistan arrested two Britons of Pakistani descent last week in a co-ordinated operation.

British Home Secretary (Interior Minister) John Reid said police were confident all the main figures had been caught but the US TV network ABC quoted unnamed US officials as saying five suspects were still on the loose.

The US Homeland Security department said all were British citizens.

Last month, al Qaeda called on Muslims to fight those backing Israel's strikes on Lebanon and warned of attacks unless US and British forces pulled out of Iraq and Afghanistan.

British security sources said they had been watching the suspects for eight months.

Here is the full list of suspects as published by Britain's central bank:

1) ALI, Abdula, Ahmed
Age: 25
Date of birth: October 10, 1980
Address: London

2) ALI, Cossor
Age: 23
Date of birth: December 4, 1982
Address: London

3) ALI, Shazad, Khuram
Age: 27
Date of birth: June 11, 1979
Address: High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, southern England

4) HUSSAIN, Nabeel
Age: 22
Date of birth: March 10, 1984
Address: London

5) HUSSAIN, Tanvir
Age: 25
Date of birth: February 21, 1981
Address: London

6) HUSSAIN, Umair
Age: 24
Date of birth: October 9, 1981
Address: London

7) ISLAM, Umar
Age: 28
Date of birth: April 23, 1978
Address: High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

8) KAYANI, Waseem
Age: 29
Date of birth: April 28, 1977
Address: High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

9) KHAN, Assan, Abdullah
Age: 21
Date of birth: October 24, 1984
Address: London

10) KHAN, Waheed, Arafat
Age: 25
Date of birth: May 18, 1981
Address: London

11) KHATIB, Osman, Adam
Age: 19
Date of birth: December 7, 1986
Address: London

12) PATEL, Abdul, Muneem
Age: 17
Date of birth: April 17, 1989
Address: London

13) RAUF, Tayib
Age: 22
Date of birth: April 26, 1984
Address: Birmingham, central England

14) SADDIQUE, Muhammed, Usman
Age: 24
Date of birth: April 23, 1982
Address: London

15) SARWAR, Assad
Age: 26
Date of birth: May 24, 1980
Address: High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

16) SAVANT, Ibrahim
Age: 25
Date of birth: December 19, 1980
Address: London

17) TARIQ, Amin, Asmin
Age: 23
Date of birth: June 7, 1983
Address: London

18) UDDIN, Shamin, Mohammed
Age: 35
Date of birth: November 22, 1970
Address: London

19) ZAMAN, Waheed
Age: 22
Date of birth: May 27, 1984
Address: London

- REUTERS