Alarm for Heathrow as secret anti-terror files found in street
HEATHROW airport has launched an investigation after a memory stick containing top secret information – including measures to protect the Queen – was found in the street.
The USB stick, which was found in a road in Queen’s Park, north-west London, contained 174 documents, many of which were marked confidential or restricted, about the airport.
The files reportedly contain revealing information such as security measures used to protect the Queen at the airport, the types of ID needed to access restricted areas and the locations of CCTV cameras and tunnels linked to the Heathrow Express.
It also contained details of the radar system used at the airport, and the timetable of patrols used to guard the site against a terror attack.
A spokeswoman for the airport said security plans had been reviewed in light of the incident.
She said: “Heathrow’s top priority is the safety and security of our passengers and colleagues.
“The UK and Heathrow have some of the most robust aviation security measures in the world and we remain vigilant to evolving threats by updating our procedures on a daily basis.
“We have reviewed all of our security plans and are confident that Heathrow remains secure.
“We have also launched an internal investigation to understand how this happened and are taking steps to prevent a similar occurrence in future.” One of the documents is said to have referred to recent terrorist atrocities as an example of the kinds of threat Heathrow could face.
The documents on the memory stick included pictures of X-ray and other scanning equipment used by the Queen at the royal lounge in Terminal Five.
Threat
It also contained details of the high-security Windsor Suite, used by foreign dignitaries and top celebrities.
A total of 75 million passengers fly from Heathrow every year, going to 185 destinations in 84 different countries.
The man who found the USB stick, under leaves in the street, only realised that it held the classified information when he used a computer at a nearby library.
He said: “I was curious about what it contained so, a few days later, when I went back to the library I plugged it into the computer. All the files were there. I couldn’t believe it.”
A security source said: “In the wrong hands this would represent a profound threat in terms of terrorism or espionage.
“Aviation security is under the microscope because of the desire by terrorists to bring planes down in a spectacular fashion. Security services would not want this leaked or sold to hostile parties.”
The memory stick was found just weeks after Britain’s terror threat level was raised to critical, the highest possible level, following the attempted Parsons Green Underground bombing.