The plot: 9 plans, 29 terrorists, 2700 would-be victims

Brendan Loy has assembled the details of the latest terrorist plot into a cohesive whole:

A total of 24 individuals were arrested in Britain overnight... five still remain at large. Their plan was to smuggle the peroxide-based liquid explosive TATP and detonators onto nine different planes from four carriers — British Airways, Continental, United and American — that fly direct routes between the U.K and the U.S. and blow them up mid-air. Intelligence officials estimate that about 2,700 people would have perished... ...Worries another U.S. official: "Plan A has been stopped, but the concern: Is there a Plan B?"... ...One official said: "We were very lucky to have acquired the intelligence about the modus operandi of the attacks. If we hadn’t got the intelligence, they probably would have succeeded and there would have been little or no forensic evidence showing how they had done it. The modus operandi could have made waves of attacks feasible..." ...The suicide bombers allegedly intended to carry out three "phased" attacks on nine or 10 jets over a period of several months. The plan, it is understood, was to blow up the aircraft over the sea so that investigators would be unable to discover how the explosive - possibly a peroxide-based liquid explosive - was taken through the airport security without being detected. ...Imagine the terror if three airliners went down over the Atlantic — followed by three more airliners a few weeks later. Followed by three more airliners a few weeks later...

Brendan Loy: The plot: 9 plans, 29 terrorists, 2700 would-be victims