GLENEAGLES
G8 summit raised threat to Scotland
THE G8 summit at Gleneagles brought Scotland into the “middle of the frame” for terrorists, according to newly released files.
Eight world leaders met in the Perthshire town in 2005, with topics including climate change and the plight of some African nations on the agenda.
Jack McConnell, the then Labour first minister, also used the event to showcase Scotland on the world stage.
However, the three-day event was marred by protests at nearby Auchterarder and in Edinburgh, which included violent clashes with police.
On its second day, July 7, three bombs were detonated on the London transport network, killing 52 and injuring more than 700 people – the deadliest terror attack on British soil since Lockerbie. Covering 2005,
National Records of Scotland has released previously unseen documents detailing the planning of the summit, including a report from the Ministerial Group of Civil Contingencies.
The report, presented to the cabinet by then justice minister Cathy Jamieson, identified the summit as a target for terror but prophetically said the UK capital “is a more likely target than anywhere in Scotland”.
The report said: “There is real urgency about this. The threat from terrorism – in terms of conventional chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attacks – remains at a historically high level.
“London is a more likely target than anywhere in Scotland, but the G8 summit will certainly bring Scotland into the middle of the frame temporarily.”
Despite the bombings in London, the summit itself appeared to run smoothly.
About 11,000 police were brought in, with arrest numbers ranging from 350 to 500 in some estimates.