DRONES PLOT TO DOWN UK FLIGHT FOILED Extremists in bid to destroy jet

SPIES have foiled a terror plot to bring down an airliner by crashing drones into a jet engine.

The attack was designed to replicate a catastrophic bird strike on an engine.

It was one of dozens of schemes uncovered by British and US spooks.

MI5 officers working with the CIA and friendly foreign intelligence agencies managed to disrupt the plot.

It is understood that the terrorist plan involved flying several highpowered drones directly into the flight path of an airliner as it was about to take off in the UK.

British spooks believe that a drone sucked into a jet engine would be fatal and cause the plane to crash shortly after take-off – potentially killing hundreds of innocent people.

In the plot unearthed 12 months ago, the terrorists were hoping to acquire up to a dozen commercial drones with a range long enough to penetrate airport perimeters. One source said: “It was a very simple but clever plan. The drones could have been flown into an aircraft from a car park or a car sitting just beneath the flight path.

“We know that terrorist suspects have been trying to buy commercial drones in the UK and also in Europe.

“We are also aware that those suspected of being involved in terrorism were spending a lot of time in or around airports.

“But a series of measures were put into place and that threat has now been removed.”