Martin Bright and Paul Harris Sunday November 10, 2002 The Observer

Emergency security measures, including a rapid reaction force of Army reservists and a squadron of fighter jets on permanent stand-by, have been set up to cope with a terrorist strike in Britain, The Observer can reveal.

Amid warnings that an attack by al-Qaeda is imminent, plans have been drawn up to evacuate major cities and deal with large numbers of contaminated corpses. Police snipers are being trained to kill suicide bombers and anti-radiation pills are being distributed to hospitals.

The disclosure comes just two days after Home Secretary David Blunkett warned of the threat from terrorist dirty bombs and poisoned gas attacks in a mistakenly released security alert. His statement, withdrawn at the last minute, was intended as a warning for the public to be extra vigilant in the run-up to Christmas.

Whitehall sources told The Observer that the intelligence services believe the threat of attack on Britain is growing steadily. The Bali bombing and the attack on a French supertanker in Yemen have led Western security forces to conclude that al-Qaeda is regrouping and preparing for further attacks. 'There is considerable new intelligence and the background noise is growing that there is increased activity from al-Qaeda,' said one intelligence source.

Studies after last year's terrorist attacks in New York showed Whitehall officials that Britain was largely unprepared for such huge disasters. The civil emergency plans drawn up for the Cold War had been largely abandoned. But the past 12 months have seen a desperate scramble to set up measures to prevent any attack or, in a worst case scenario, cope with the consequences of a major terrorist outrage.

Special fighter jets, termed Quick Response Aircraft, have been based at RAF Marham in Norfolk, RAF St Mawgan in Cornwall and RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset to provide additional cover from hijacked planes. The pilots have already had psychological training to prepare them for the task of shooting down any civilian aircraft being used as a terrorist weapon.

Plans for a 'Reserve Reaction Force' will be in place by the end of the year to help the emergency services. Numbering up to 6,000 reservists, the RRF has been divided across the country into 11 brigades. Plans have also been drawn up for the evacuation of key areas of London in the event of a major attack on the capital and anti-terrorist advice given to major retail outlets and sports stadiums.

Stocks of pharmaceuticals, including medical countermeasures against anthrax, smallpox and radiation, have been distributed throughout the NHS system. Local councils have been told to prepare contingency plans for major terrorist attacks involving chemical or biological attacks or radiation from a dirty bomb. The instructions warn: 'Chemical materials are likely to be fast-acting. The immediate reaction window may be less than one minute.'

Local authorities must also prepare for temporary mortuaries and 'body holding areas' for the massive amount of casualties expected. The body holding areas are recommended to be inflatable tents and shelters because of the emotional problems with re-occupying normal buildings after they have been used for such a grisly task. The detailed instructions even tell councils to prepare plans for permanent memorials for the victims. Mike Hancock, a Liberal Democrat MP who sits on the defence committee, said: 'There is an attitude that because we are British we can muddle through, but we are not talking about the blitz anymore.'

-- Anonymous, November 10, 2002