14 DAY TRIAL // A covert operation against members of an al-Qaeda-related terrorist cell, which was allegedly preparing two major bomb attacks in Manchester, was compromised after someone photographed a highly sensitive document, left in plain sight by Robert Quick, the now-former head of counter terrorism in the Metropolitan Police. As a result, raids and arrests had to be performed ahead of schedule.
The MI5 and the Counter Terrorism Unit of the Metropolitan Police had twelve individuals under surveillance for months under the suspicion of planning a terrorist attack. According to The Times, they were gathering materials for a huge explosion and were planning to hit the Birdcage nightclub and The Trafford Centre in Manchester city, locations that attract tens of thousands of people every week.
On Wednesday morning, Metro Police Assistant Commissioner (Special Operations) Bob Quick was photographed by the press while walking on Downing Street, on his way to a meet with Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Home Office Secretary Jacqui Smith. The pictures revealed a document, which was in plain sight, being held face up over a bunch of folders.
The file was tagged "SECRET" and contained information about the operation, such as the number of suspects that were to be arrested and the cities across the North West of England they were living in. It clearly mentioned that raids and arrests were imminent. It was later revealed that these were planned for 2 a.m. on Thursday, under the cover of night.
The Ministry of Defense issued a D-notice too, invoking national security, preventing the UK media agencies from publishing the compromising pictures, but it was too late, as the international press had already picked it up and could not be prevented from distributing it. As a result, an urgent decision has been taken to execute the raids ahead of schedule, at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, of fear that the suspects might be alerted.
In total, twelve individuals were arrested, ten Pakistani students and one UK national, at several locations in Manchester city, Cheetham Hill, Clitheroe and Liverpool. "These are the most significant arrests for some time. There was information which led us to believe that these men were planning something major. It was not clear when or where they would strike, but they were collecting material for a large explosion. We are talking about something big," one officer noted.
Bob Quick, extended his sincere apologies for the blunder. "Assistant Commissioner Quick accepts he made a mistake on leaving a sensitive document on open view and deeply regrets it," a Scotland Yard statement read. Nevertheless, he was pressured into resigning and it was announced that Assistant (Specialist Crime) John Yates would take his place as head of counter terrorism.
"This was highly sensitive information that should not have been carried under an arm in front of a line of photographers," Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling commented for BBC News, while a senior officer described the incident for The Times as "a massive compromise of the whole operation."
Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at anti-virus vendor Sophos, cataloged this unintentional data leak as "an embarrassment for British security." However, despite the seriousness of this isolated incident, what is probably more concerning is that this is not the first time when the UK Home Office and law enforcement agencies have been involved in such data breaches. We previously reported that highly sensitive MI6 pictures of terrorist missiles and leaders had been found stored in the memory of a second-hand digital camera that had been bought from eBay.