Missiles in London - for what purpose?

[pdq1]

Is the aim to stop a 9/11 attack and shoot down a hijacked plane in the vicinity of the olympic games. The plane may not reach its intended target but wouldn't the debris kill just as many innocent civilians in highly polulated London.

[seadogg]

Maybe the reasoning is that a large number of fragment from the shot down plane would do less harm than if it was directed at the stadium, Only a guess though.

[237SJ]

If there is any chance of a hijacked passenger plane (a very slim chance as the hijackers can`t get into the flight deck anyway) heading towards London, it would be intercepted long before it gets there. Small, light aircraft are probably the sort of thing they could expect. As mentioned, shooting one down sooner rather than later might be a damage limitation exercise.

[ELVIS68]

I'd be more worried about another 7/7 attack, the security at the stadium may be super tight but will the tubes?

[Hopkirk]

It's all bluster to deter any plotters.

As someone said here recently, it's a bit like when they sent the tanks to Heathrow - all for show.

[DTCwordfan]

That's why they have started arresting suspects just like the bunch this week. There will be a number of raids more in the few days to come. before "kick-off."........

The athletes etc must start arriving this weekend I would think.....

[Gromit]

There were similar weaponry protecting the Bejing and Athens Olympics. It is now part of the process of protecting the games regardless of any real threat.

There will be four Typhoon jets deployed to counter any threat from the air as well as helicopters. part of detering any attack is to show your enemy it will be unsucessful, which is what the missiles are designed to do.

[ELVIS68]

The Red Arrows flypast might be more spectacular than usual then

[emmie]

which is what i said when heard what they intended to do. Putting missiles on the top of tower blocks, without the tenants permission is just not on.

[emmie]

we live in one of the most built up cities in the world, so the debris from a rocket, plane would scatter for miles, killing thousands. If a terrorist did get through it won't be by firing a missile but using a lone person walking through undetected into the Olympic park.

[mightyWBA]

It's better to have them on show than folks asking where they were if some nutter does decide to crash a plane into the Olympic site.

The bigger concern is suicide bombers,if they were stopped they'd simply detonate the bomb,blowing those around them up.
Who guards the guards anyway?

I think it was the Atlanta Olympics when the authorities cleaned up the streets, rounded up hundreds of known criminals and bad guys who happened to be out of jail at the time and stuck them in holding camps while the Olympics were on..Just in case.
Then a former U.S.soldier set off a bomb killing 2 people.

[emmie]

WBA, you can't guard against everything, that is the problem.

[sinderella]

i wonder if those tennants would be moaning if the plane was heading towards them and there was no defence in place?

[Old_Geezer]

Echo Hopkirk, it's all for show.

If they wish to bring a plane down, in the varnishingly small chance a plane attack was attempted, they'd need to spot it and deal with it well before it got anywhere near a populated area.

But there are easier ways for terrorists to attack if they wished to try.

I would be moaning if the plane was heading towards me and there was no defence in place. I would be moaning if the plane was heading towards me and there was a defence in place. I would also be moaning if a ludicrous show "defence" made my home a target for terrorists.

[Snafu03]

A cheaper alternative would be to allow all muslims free entry to Thorpe Park for the 3 week period the Olympics are on.

[youngmafbog]

We could of course lock up(or preferably shoot) all Muslim fanatics who threaten us whilst claiming vast sums of our money to propogate their twisted views and kill and mainm us.

Oh no, forgot, its their ooman right to be able to blow us up whilst we pay for them. Instead lest take all benfits away from pensioners and jkeep these terrorists in their new cars and big homes.

This country has gone bonkers.

[youngmafbog]

Applogies pdq, to answer your question. I think it serves little purpose other than they can turn round and say they were trying if something does go wrong.

As the IRA once pointed out the terrost only has to get lucky once, the defence needs to be lucky every time.

[emmie]

sinderella, if a plane is heading your way, and the soldiers fire off a missile, that plane if it's hit will splatter into thousands of pieces, which will rain down on those below.

[pdq1]

I thought most terrorists do not use logic when committing their horrible crimes and are willing to sacrifice themselves for their cause. Being blown up by a missile would be no different from blowing themselves up with a makeshift bomb. Tanks on the lawn at Heathrow didn't achieve anything for the terrorists just tampered with liquid drinks to cause an explosion.

Similar with the olympics no one expects a plane hijacking but more subtle personal means. The IRA overcame the British government and security services by planting the bombs before the conference started. I wonder how secure the olympic centre is in the weeks preceding the start of the games?

[decentartist]

We need to give the troops training exercises, its a good news story so deflects from the economy, it keeps the public in their place.

[Confusious]

Possibly a combination of both!