British brothers accused over Europe terror plot

Two British brothers were at the heart of an Al Qaida terror plot against British and other European cities, intelligence sources said yesterday.

The plan, revealed earlier this week, was still in its early stages, with the suspects calling contacts in Europe to plan logistics, a Pakistani intelligence official said.

One of the Britons involved died in a recent US drone missile strike on terrorist targets near the Afghan border, he said.

The revelations underscore the role of Pakistan as a haven for many would-be Islamist militants with foreign ties, a worrying prospect for Western countries who face additional challenges when tracking terror suspects among citizens who have passports and easier access to their shores.

Pakistan, Britain, along with Germany who had eight nation-als implicated in the plot, are tracking the suspects and inter-cepting their phone calls, the official said.

He said the suspects are hiding in North Waziristan, a Pakistani tribal region where militancy is rife and where the US has focused many of its drone-fired missile strikes.

“They have been making calls to Germany and London,” he said. “They have been talking about and looking for facilitators and logistics they need there to carry out terror strikes.”

Western security officials said yesterday that the plot to wage Mumbai-style shooting attacks in Britain, France and Germany was still active. Both European and US officials said the plot was still in its early stages and not considered serious enough to raise the terror threat level.