Britain counters terror threat with concrete blocks

Britain has erected a concrete barrier round its parliament buildings in the most visible sign that European nations are taking seriously the threat of action by al Qaeda after bomb attacks in Morocco and Saudi Arabia.

Dozens of concrete blocks, each about the size of a single bed, were placed around the Palace of Westminster in central London to prevent vehicles loaded with explosives from smashing into the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.

Police said the operation, after nightfall on Thursday, was "carried out on a precautionary basis" and was not a response to specific intelligence about terror attacks.

But they acknowledged the move was taken in the light of suicide attacks in Saudi Arabia and Morocco and, coming hot on the heels of Washington's decision to raise its domestic terror alert status, suggests Britain still fears it may be bombed by Islamic extremists.

"We will continue to take whatever action we believe is necessary to protect and reassure the public," London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement after the blocks had been hauled into place.

"While our message is still "alert not alarm", we would reiterate appeals for the public to remain vigilant."

Britain has long feared it might be attacked because of its unflinching support of the United States' self-proclaimed "war on terror". British troops fought alongside the Americans in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In a tape broadcast by Arab television channel al-Jazeera this week, a top aide to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden threatened jihad (holy war) against Britain as well as the United States, Australia and, oddly, Norway.

Al Qaeda has carried out no successful bomb attacks on Western countries since the September 11 attacks in the United States, focusing instead on easier targets in Kenya and Bali and, most recently, Saudi Arabia and Morocco.