The terrorist attack which came out of the blue and has changed flying forever
Major security changes followed Glasgow car bomb
The failed terrorist attack on Glasgow Airport ten years ago was a watershed in terminal security that has permanently changed the way we fly.
Initial shock at the unprecedented assault on a Scottish airport was swiftly followed by far-reaching measures that were copied across the globe.
Glasgow’s terminal reopened just 24 hours after two men crashed a Jeep laden with gas canisters into its entrance doors at 3:15pm on 30 June 2007 – one of its busiest days of the year.
However, the UK government’s Transport Security and Contingencies Directorate (Transec) said the attack “demonstrated not only the attractiveness of aviation as a target, but also the vulnerability of the landside areas”.
Kafeel Ahmed, one of the terrorists, died a month later from burns suffered after the car burst into flames.
The other, Bilal Abdulla, was jailed for at least 32 years.
Vehicles were immediately banned from the vicinity of the building – a move copied at airports across the UK overnight.
As the Glasgow Airport development masterplan put it: “The terrorist attack led to wide-ranging changes regarding vehicle access to airports throughout the world.”
Police said had it not been for a concrete stanchion, the Jeep would have been able to enter the terminal.
Detective Superintendent David Swindle, who led the investigation into the attack, said: “You can never know how many, but there would have been fatalities.
“Also, if it had not been for the intervention of people at the scene, they might still have been able to cause harm.”
Steel bollards now guard airport terminals to prevent another vehicle-based assault, with passengers switched to nearby drop-off areas instead.
The Glasgow incident, along with two failed car bomb attacks in London the previous day, also had a knock-on effect on railway station security.
Transec said it accelerated work to control vehicle access to stations. This led to the closure of drop-off areas and taxi ranks at Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central.
The airport attack provided a further catalyst to security and safety measures, ten months after liquids were banned from passengers’ hand luggage after the discovery of a plot in August 2006.
Security has also been further tightened at Glasgow’s terminal with the addition of a second perimeter to provide an exclusion zone to protect people congregating outside.
This has been replicated elsewhere – Edinburgh Airport’s multi-storey car park forms part of its protective barrier.
Passengers at Glasgow Airport yesterday said they felt reassured rather than inconvenienced by the additional measures.
One said: “It makes you feel more secure with the bollards, it definitely does.” Another said: “It’s for the greater good. I would rather walk the extra two minutes with more security there than be dropped off right at the door.”
Travellers were also unperturbed by the increased presence of armed police. One woman said: “I prefer them to be there to prevent it than not be there and it happen again.”
COMMENT “I would rather walk the extra two minutes with more security there than be dropped off right at the door.”
GLASGOW PASSENGER
on changes to security measures
Ten years ago a terrorist attack at Glasgow Airport failed because of a concrete door post and the actions of bystanders at Glasgow Airport. Hundreds could have been killed.
In the aftermath, Scotland found comfort in our ordinary heroes – Stephen Clarkson, John Smeaton, Alex Mcilveen and others – and the attack became the subject of typically Scottish stand-up humour.
Many changes were brought about as a result of Glasgow, and major public transport hubs and other buildings have some key risks removed. But there is no reason for complacency.
A series of recent attacks in European cities as well as London and Manchester – many of them involving vehicles – underline the need for vigilance.
Another attack could happen again at anytime. Scotland is as open to an another terrorist incident as anywhere in Europe.
And while we must do everything to maintain our hard-won freedoms, as a society we must be alert to the risks. Glasgow was a narrow escape.