MI5 agents have revealed new details about the "Liquid Bomb Plot," a devastating terror attack foiled in 2006 that aimed to smuggle liquid explosives disguised as soft drinks onto planes bound for the U.S. and Canada. The plot, directed from Pakistan by an Al Qaeda mastermind, had the potential to kill up to 5,000 people and cause carnage rivaling the 9/11 attacks.

Operation Overt, the largest surveillance operation in UK history involving over 800 officers from MI5 and Scotland Yard, successfully thwarted the conspiracy. The revelation comes in a new ITV documentary, "Terror in the Skies: Stopping the Liquid Bomb Plot," where serving MI5 officers speak publicly for the first time about their role in averting disaster.

The Plot and its Potential Impact

The plotters intended to detonate liquid explosives in mid-air, targeting seven flights departing within a two-and-a-half-hour window to destinations including San Francisco, Toronto, Montreal, Washington, and New York. Ringleader Abdulla Ahmed Ali was inspired by Osama Bin Laden and even considered taking his infant son on a suicide mission.

Former Home Secretary John Reid stated that the successful execution of the plot could have led to the downfall of the UK government. He explained the strategic decision to withhold raising the public terror threat level, fearing it would alert the plotters. "If as a result of delaying we miscalculated and the conspirators murdered two, three thousand people, my judgement was that no government could have sustained that," Reid said.

Jonathan Evans, then MI5 deputy director, recalled the immense pressure, telling Reid, "if this goes wrong, I'm out of a job, you're out of a job, and the government will fall." He added that Britain might not have fully recovered from such an attack, with the death toll potentially exceeding the 2,977 victims of 9/11.

Former U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff noted that an attack on the scale envisioned could have had such a profound impact that "you might not even have civil aviation now." Former U.S. National Security Advisor Juan Zarate confirmed White House discussions about the plotters being "on the brink" and concerns over authorities waiting too long to act.

Investigation and Foiling the Plot

The plotters were apprehended after MI5 and anti-terror police tracked Ali, alerted by his frequent trips to Pakistan. Surveillance equipment was secretly installed in a flat in east London where Ali and another conspirator, Tanvir Hussain, were suspected of making bombs. An MI5 officer described the high-stakes operation of entering the flat, stating, "There was an imperative to get in there and find out what these guys were doing... 'if I f*** this up, this is going to bring to an end maybe the biggest counter terrorism investigation in the country's history.'"

Inside the flat, officers discovered rows of bottles, glass jars, batteries, and a large jar containing a "white and gloopy liquid," identified as hydrogen peroxide, a key component of the liquid explosives. CCTV footage later showed Assad Sarwar, identified as the plot's "quartermaster," at a Woolworths store.

The investigation cost an estimated £35 million, with subsequent court cases adding another £100 million.

Convictions and Aftermath

In 2009, Abdulla Ahmed Ali, 28, Assad Sarwar, 29, and Tanvir Hussain, 28, were convicted of conspiracy to murder. Ali received a minimum sentence of 40 years, Sarwar 36 years, and Hussain 32 years. The trio had claimed the plot was a publicity stunt for an anti-UK foreign policy documentary, but a jury found them guilty.

The discovery of the plot led to immediate chaos at international airports with overnight restrictions imposed on the amount of liquid passengers could carry on board planes. This measure significantly altered air travel security protocols.

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