On Monday, a British jury convicted three British Muslims of plotting to blow up more than half a dozen planes over the Atlantic, but three years ago, officials in the United Kingdom were worried that their investigation of the plot was almost foiled by then-Vice President Dick Cheney.
In August 2006, British law enforcement were closely monitoring the activities of several men believing they were planning to destroy seven trans-Atlantic flights at once in an effort to outdo the September 11 attacks.
The government of Prime Minister Tony Blair kept the Bush administration, including President George W. Bush, apprised of the investigation so as to assuage any concerns about the UK being able to foil the plot and bring the men to justice.
But according to British officials involved in the operation, Cheney almost destroyed the investigation when he ordered the arrest of Rashid Rauf in Pakistan.
The capture of Rauf, who was working with the plotters in Britain, forced UK law enforcement to move in sooner than they had wanted, primarily before Ali, Hussain, and Sarwar had purchased their airline tickets—the key proof for prosecutors to prove the conspiracy in court.
Furthermore, several members of the plot were never arrested, according to British sources who claimed Cheney’s action prevented this from happening.
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