No doubting the main story this morning with all the main papers barring the Indy leading with the story of the arrests in Birmingham yesterday centring on an alleged plot to kidnap a soldier.
BEHEAD A HERO is the Headline in the Mirror,
A GANG arrested yesterday allegedly plotted to kidnap a serving British Muslim soldier and behead him on video in a Ken Bigley-style execution.
Nine men were held in and near Birmingham in a series of swoops amid fears that a young target who had served in Afghanistan was on the point of being grabbed.
In a terrifying new "first" in UK terrorism, it was planned to torture the victim and force him to make videos condemning his "war crimes" before being executed.
His murder would then have been posted on the internet to scare off other British Muslims from joining the armed forces.
Under the headline Welcome to Britain,the Sun reports
TWO terror suspects were on the run last night after armed cops dramatically smashed a horrific plot to behead a British soldier — in Tipton.
The bloodthirsty scheme — to kidnap, torture and murder a squaddie — would have seen the sick “execution” in the Black Country town broadcast live to the world on the internet.
Hate-filled extremists were said to have been just “days away” from seizing their target — a fellow Muslim — when police swooped at 4am.
The Mail headlines
Al Qaeda was behind 'plot' to behead soldier
The Times reveals
Muslims serving in the Armed Forces, Civil Service and the police are targets for British-based Islamists after detectives foiled an alleged plot to kidnap and behead a soldier home on leave from Iraq.
Security sources said last night that a gang of British extremists had allegedly drawn up a hitlist of Muslim soldiers who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan to become the first victims in the UK of an al-Qaeda style “online” kidnap and beheading.
The suspects are believed to have narrowed their choice to a shortlist of three men. Last night one of the soldiers was understood to be in protective custody after a six-month intelligence operation culminated in a series of predawn raids in Birmingham involving 700 police. A number of the would-be kidnappers are believed to be still at large. Senior officers alleged that the plan was to force the soldier, under torture, to denounce his role in the Army and behead him on camera.
The Telegraph headlines
Police raids 'foiled plot to behead soldier'
And reports
David Shaw, the assistant chief constable of West Midlands police, said the investigation was still in its early stages and could last for weeks. "This remains a dynamic, fluid operation and it is by no means finished," he said. "We are literally right at the foothills of what is a very, very major investigation for us."
Security sources said the investigation started months ago but only moved into a higher gear in the past few weeks amid concern that the suspected plot was coming to a head.
MI5 began watching the alleged plotters after a tip-off. It was received shortly after the death of Jabron Hashmi, an Army corporal, whose family live close to some of the predominantly Muslim areas raided yesterday. Cpl Hashmi, 24, a Muslim born in Pakistan, was killed fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The Indy although not leading on the story tells
Birmingham's Muslims fear reprisals after anti-terror raids
Outside the blue-and-white police cordons, locals gathered to stare with a mixture of bafflement and horror as forensics officers combed through the properties. Many expressed amazement that apparently upstanding members of the community had been arrested. As the details of the alleged plot to target a Muslim in the British armed forces emerged, shock turned to bewilderment.
Anxiously, locals insisted that they were as horrified by the work of terrorists as any other British nationals, that Islam was a religion of peace and that they would never condone violence in the name of faith.
A community which six years ago, before the September 11 attacks, was largely left in peace, famed for its diligence and law abiding nature, was again associated with terrorism. Wearily Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs alike voiced their fears of abuse to come.
It leads with
Austin Mitchell: Treatment of model family makes me ashamed to be a Labour MP
The Labour MP for Grimsby makes a heartwarming case of a family deported from his constituency.He concludes
It leaves a nasty taste. An out-of-control Immigration and Nationality Directorate is doing what it wants to get deportations up. The minister goes along, ratifies its decisions (he hardly ever rejects them), observes its deadlines and strings MPs along, pretending to listen while doing nothing. Perhaps scarring young souls will teach them not to come here when they grow up.
Perhaps it will win votes to Labour from the lumpen lunatics who've deluged the Grimsby Telegraph's website with abuse of their soft, immigrant-loving, geriatric, fool of an MP. Perhaps we'll win enough National Fronters to compensate for the loss of the many liberals this has alienated. I don't know. But I do know how I feel. Ashamed.
Branson launches stem-cell storage venture says the Telegraph
Sir Richard Branson's latest venture is a bank which will allow parents to store stem cells from their children.
For around £1,500, the new company will take a sample of blood from a child’s umbilical cord and place it in frozen storage.
Some scientists believe advances in medicine will in the future allow stem cells to be used to cure diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and cancer.
If this happens, a child who falls ill later in life may have a much better chance of survival if they have an exact stem cell match in storage.
The Guardian reports that
Blair forced Goldsmith to drop BAE charges
According to the paper
The attorney general, Lord Goldsmith, changed his mind about whether there was enough evidence to bring corruption charges against the arms company BAE after pressure from Downing Street, legal sources have told the Guardian.
In emergency meetings before Christmas, Lord Goldsmith initially agreed with lawyers and prosecutors that the Serious Fraud Office could bring charges against the former head of BAE Sir Dick Evans.
The Independent reveals
TV footage of Castro shows improvement in his health
A new video shown on Cuban television of Fidel Castro with the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez during a surprise visit to Havana this week shows him to be in what seems to be an improved state of health, casting doubt on rumours that he is at death's door.
The clip was released exactly six months after the Cuban leader astonished Cuba and the rest of the world by revealing that he had undergone majorsurgery and was temporarily ceding power to his brother, Raoul.
The Mail continues to attack the Home Office,
Prison overcrowding 'has led to 11,000 criminals going free'
The figure comes from an analysis of official projections of the prison population made four years ago, before a series of measures were brought in that cut the numbers sent to jail.
The Mirror meanwhile focuses on the office of the Deputy Prime Minister
PREZ: I'M DEMOB HAPPY
BLUNDERING John Prescott yesterday admitted he was demob happy at the idea of getting out of Government.
He hinted to the Commons he did not care if his department was axed in a reshuffle.
Asked if he was worried by reports it is to go, he said: "I leave whoever is the next Prime Minister to make that judgement." He then told stunned MPs: "I'm in a rather happy demob stage."
The Telegraph reporting from the latter exchange
It's time to quit, Cameron tells Blair
Adopting a more aggressive stance towards an embattled Mr Blair, the Conservative leader said that his authority was "draining away".
"When is Mr Blair going to realise it is all over?" Mr Cameron said.
It was the first time that Mr Cameron had directly told Mr Blair at Prime Minister's Questions that it was time for him to leave 10 Downing Street.
BEHEAD A HERO is the Headline in the Mirror,
A GANG arrested yesterday allegedly plotted to kidnap a serving British Muslim soldier and behead him on video in a Ken Bigley-style execution.
Nine men were held in and near Birmingham in a series of swoops amid fears that a young target who had served in Afghanistan was on the point of being grabbed.
In a terrifying new "first" in UK terrorism, it was planned to torture the victim and force him to make videos condemning his "war crimes" before being executed.
His murder would then have been posted on the internet to scare off other British Muslims from joining the armed forces.
Under the headline Welcome to Britain,the Sun reports
TWO terror suspects were on the run last night after armed cops dramatically smashed a horrific plot to behead a British soldier — in Tipton.
The bloodthirsty scheme — to kidnap, torture and murder a squaddie — would have seen the sick “execution” in the Black Country town broadcast live to the world on the internet.
Hate-filled extremists were said to have been just “days away” from seizing their target — a fellow Muslim — when police swooped at 4am.
The Mail headlines
Al Qaeda was behind 'plot' to behead soldier
The Times reveals
Muslims serving in the Armed Forces, Civil Service and the police are targets for British-based Islamists after detectives foiled an alleged plot to kidnap and behead a soldier home on leave from Iraq.
Security sources said last night that a gang of British extremists had allegedly drawn up a hitlist of Muslim soldiers who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan to become the first victims in the UK of an al-Qaeda style “online” kidnap and beheading.
The suspects are believed to have narrowed their choice to a shortlist of three men. Last night one of the soldiers was understood to be in protective custody after a six-month intelligence operation culminated in a series of predawn raids in Birmingham involving 700 police. A number of the would-be kidnappers are believed to be still at large. Senior officers alleged that the plan was to force the soldier, under torture, to denounce his role in the Army and behead him on camera.
The Telegraph headlines
Police raids 'foiled plot to behead soldier'
And reports
David Shaw, the assistant chief constable of West Midlands police, said the investigation was still in its early stages and could last for weeks. "This remains a dynamic, fluid operation and it is by no means finished," he said. "We are literally right at the foothills of what is a very, very major investigation for us."
Security sources said the investigation started months ago but only moved into a higher gear in the past few weeks amid concern that the suspected plot was coming to a head.
MI5 began watching the alleged plotters after a tip-off. It was received shortly after the death of Jabron Hashmi, an Army corporal, whose family live close to some of the predominantly Muslim areas raided yesterday. Cpl Hashmi, 24, a Muslim born in Pakistan, was killed fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The Indy although not leading on the story tells
Birmingham's Muslims fear reprisals after anti-terror raids
Outside the blue-and-white police cordons, locals gathered to stare with a mixture of bafflement and horror as forensics officers combed through the properties. Many expressed amazement that apparently upstanding members of the community had been arrested. As the details of the alleged plot to target a Muslim in the British armed forces emerged, shock turned to bewilderment.
Anxiously, locals insisted that they were as horrified by the work of terrorists as any other British nationals, that Islam was a religion of peace and that they would never condone violence in the name of faith.
A community which six years ago, before the September 11 attacks, was largely left in peace, famed for its diligence and law abiding nature, was again associated with terrorism. Wearily Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs alike voiced their fears of abuse to come.
It leads with
Austin Mitchell: Treatment of model family makes me ashamed to be a Labour MP
The Labour MP for Grimsby makes a heartwarming case of a family deported from his constituency.He concludes
It leaves a nasty taste. An out-of-control Immigration and Nationality Directorate is doing what it wants to get deportations up. The minister goes along, ratifies its decisions (he hardly ever rejects them), observes its deadlines and strings MPs along, pretending to listen while doing nothing. Perhaps scarring young souls will teach them not to come here when they grow up.
Perhaps it will win votes to Labour from the lumpen lunatics who've deluged the Grimsby Telegraph's website with abuse of their soft, immigrant-loving, geriatric, fool of an MP. Perhaps we'll win enough National Fronters to compensate for the loss of the many liberals this has alienated. I don't know. But I do know how I feel. Ashamed.
Branson launches stem-cell storage venture says the Telegraph
Sir Richard Branson's latest venture is a bank which will allow parents to store stem cells from their children.
For around £1,500, the new company will take a sample of blood from a child’s umbilical cord and place it in frozen storage.
Some scientists believe advances in medicine will in the future allow stem cells to be used to cure diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and cancer.
If this happens, a child who falls ill later in life may have a much better chance of survival if they have an exact stem cell match in storage.
The Guardian reports that
Blair forced Goldsmith to drop BAE charges
According to the paper
The attorney general, Lord Goldsmith, changed his mind about whether there was enough evidence to bring corruption charges against the arms company BAE after pressure from Downing Street, legal sources have told the Guardian.
In emergency meetings before Christmas, Lord Goldsmith initially agreed with lawyers and prosecutors that the Serious Fraud Office could bring charges against the former head of BAE Sir Dick Evans.
The Independent reveals
TV footage of Castro shows improvement in his health
A new video shown on Cuban television of Fidel Castro with the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez during a surprise visit to Havana this week shows him to be in what seems to be an improved state of health, casting doubt on rumours that he is at death's door.
The clip was released exactly six months after the Cuban leader astonished Cuba and the rest of the world by revealing that he had undergone majorsurgery and was temporarily ceding power to his brother, Raoul.
The Mail continues to attack the Home Office,
Prison overcrowding 'has led to 11,000 criminals going free'
The figure comes from an analysis of official projections of the prison population made four years ago, before a series of measures were brought in that cut the numbers sent to jail.
The Mirror meanwhile focuses on the office of the Deputy Prime Minister
PREZ: I'M DEMOB HAPPY
BLUNDERING John Prescott yesterday admitted he was demob happy at the idea of getting out of Government.
He hinted to the Commons he did not care if his department was axed in a reshuffle.
Asked if he was worried by reports it is to go, he said: "I leave whoever is the next Prime Minister to make that judgement." He then told stunned MPs: "I'm in a rather happy demob stage."
The Telegraph reporting from the latter exchange
It's time to quit, Cameron tells Blair
Adopting a more aggressive stance towards an embattled Mr Blair, the Conservative leader said that his authority was "draining away".
"When is Mr Blair going to realise it is all over?" Mr Cameron said.
It was the first time that Mr Cameron had directly told Mr Blair at Prime Minister's Questions that it was time for him to leave 10 Downing Street.
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