"John Smeaton (born 1976) John Smeaton (born Bishopton, Renfrewshire in 1976) is a former baggage handler at Glasgow Airport. He became involved in thwarting the 2007 Glasgow Airport attack. Smeaton lives in Erskine, Renfrewshire, a town outside the city and near the airport. Brought up in Erskine, he was educated at Park Mains High School. Smeaton stood as an Independent candidate in the 2009 Glasgow North East by-election. Smeaton, a baggage handler, was off duty when he saw the incident start to develop on 30 June 2007. During his break he observed two men driving a burning jeep filled with"
"2007 Glasgow Airport attack The 2007 Glasgow Airport attack was a terrorist ramming attack which occurred on 30 June 2007, at 15:11 BST, when a dark green Jeep Cherokee loaded with propane canisters was driven at the glass doors of the Glasgow Airport terminal and set ablaze. It was the first terrorist attack to take place in Scotland since the Lockerbie bombing in 1988. The attack took place three days after the appointment of Scottish MP Gordon Brown as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, but Downing Street dismissed suggestions of a connection. A close link was quickly established to"
"Smeaton, the former Glasgow Airport baggage handler who became known for his intervention during the 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack as its first candidate for a Westminster election. On declaration of his candidacy in September, he was given the third shortest odds to win the seat. David Doherty, an environmental protection graduate of the University of Strathclyde, was the Scottish Green Party candidate. The Socialist Labour Party stood Louise McDaid, who topped their party list for Scotland in the 2009 European Election. Mev Brown stood as an independent candidate. Colin Campbell stood for The Individuals Labour and Tory (TILT). Official"
"30 June 2007 a dark green Jeep Cherokee was driven into the glass doors of the main terminal of Glasgow International Airport, and burst into flames. A suspected car bomb failed to detonate, and the driver of the car, Kafeel Ahmed, on fire after allegedly dousing himself in fuel, together with a second suspect Bilal Abdullah, accused of being the Jeep's passenger, attacked the police. Fire extinguishers were used to put Ahmed out, and he was subsequently tackled by two police officers and bystanders. Abdullah was subsequently convicted of conspiracy to murder, and sentenced to life imprisonment On 30 June,"
"London, and on Glasgow airport's busiest day of the year, showed that the attackers had aimed at ""committing murder on an indiscriminate and wholesale scale."" Following the trial verdict, Abdullah was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 32 years as a result of his involvement in both incidents. 2007 Glasgow Airport attack The 2007 Glasgow Airport attack was a terrorist ramming attack which occurred on 30 June 2007, at 15:11 BST, when a dark green Jeep Cherokee loaded with propane canisters was driven at the glass doors of the Glasgow Airport terminal and set ablaze. It was the"
"murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 32 years. A dark green Jeep Cherokee, registration number L808 RDT, travelling at a speed estimated by a witness as about 30 mph (48 km/h), struck security bollards in a terror ramming attack at the main entrance to Glasgow Airport. The vehicle was reported to have several petrol containers and propane gas canisters on board. One eyewitness said flames issued from beneath the car when it hit the building, while another eyewitness said it appeared the driver was trying to drive through the terminal doors. According to reports, the"
"this claim as just before the two men set off from Loch Lomond to Glasgow airport Kafeel Ahmed sent a text message to his brother Sabeel in Liverpool telling him to go to an email account. Secondly Bilal Abdulla (the other bomber) addressed his will to Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, “Minister of War,” who were the leader and deputy leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq There were reports that al-Muhajir personally recruited people for the plot between 2004 and 2005 Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Cardiff, Belfast, Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle's airports all took measures to prevent similar action by blocking"
"Bilal Abdullah Bilal Talal Samad Abdullah (, ; born 17 September 1980) was one of two terrorists behind the 2007 London car bombs plot and the 2007 Glasgow Airport attack. He is currently serving a life sentence with a minimum of 32 years. A resident of Neuk Crescent, Houston, outside Glasgow, Bilal Abdullah was born on 17 September 1980 in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, where his father, also a doctor, worked. He qualified in Baghdad in 2004 and first registered as a doctor in the UK in 2006. He was given limited registration by the General Medical Council (GMC) from 5 August"
"Mohammed Asha Mohammed Jamil Abdelqader Asha (; born 6 September 1980) is a Jordanian doctor resident in the United Kingdom, who was a suspect arrested after the attack on Glasgow Airport on 30 June 2007. He was charged with conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause explosions, but on 16 December 2008 was found not guilty and acquitted on all charges. A Jordanian who was born in Saudi Arabia to a family originating from Palestine, Asha moved to Jordan with his family in 1991. He attended Jubilee School in Amman, a school for gifted children, where he is remembered as"
"explosive. The second man, Bilal Abdullah, was initially held at nearby Govan police station, one of the UK's high security police stations with the capability to hold terrorist suspects. He was later transferred to Paddington Green Police Station in London, along with two unnamed suspects, after the Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini gave her consent to a combined prosecution in England under English law. In the aftermath of the attack the airport was evacuated and all flights suspended. Evacuated holiday-goers, including some who were left in aircraft for up to ten hours after the event, were accommodated overnight in the Scottish"
"or about 19–20 May 1944. The Glasgow Herald of 19 May 1944 published an early list naming several officers including Kirby-Green. Post-war investigations saw a number of those guilty of the murders tracked down, arrested and tried for their crimes. Thomas Kirby-Green Thomas Gresham Kirby-Green (27 February 1918 – 29 March 1944) was a British Royal Air Force officer, the pilot of a Vickers Wellington bomber, who was taken prisoner during the Second World War. He took part in the 'Great Escape' from Stalag Luft III in March 1944, but was one of the men recaptured and subsequently executed by"
"Terence Hogan Terence Hogan (16 June 1931 – 15 January 1995), also known as Terry ""Lucky Tel"" Hogan and Harry Booth, was an English professional criminal and notorious figure in the London underworld in the 1950s and 1960s. He took part in the 1952 Eastcastle Street mailbag robbery in which £287,000 (equivalent to £ in 2019) was stolen from a post office van leaving Paddington station. Hogan was a member of the infamous ""Bowler Hat Gang"", who dressed-up as city gents to execute the robbery of an armoured payroll truck at London's Heathrow Airport in 1962, and following a short"
"Jeep Cherokee loaded with propane tanks crashed into the entrance of the Glasgow International Airport. The attackers appear to have been Muslims unaffiliated with any organization who were disgruntled about the War on Terror taking place in the Middle East. The 2010 Times Square car bombing attempt was an attempted terrorist attack using propane tanks in an improvised car bomb. The perpetrator Faisal Shahzad admitted that he had trained at a Pakistani terrorist training camp prior to the attack, and said he wanted revenge against the United States for drone strikes in Pakistan. The 2012 Brindisi school bombing claimed the"
"Cabinet Secretary for Justice Kenny MacAskill and the Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini participated in the COBRA meeting chaired by Gordon Brown. Salmond stated that ""The incident at Glasgow Airport today as well as recent events in London show that we face threats both north and south of the border – and both the Scottish and UK governments are united in our determination to stand up to that threat to protect our communities"". Kenny MacAskill, the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, insisted that the recent terrorist attack on Glasgow Airport was not committed by 'home-grown' terrorists. The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, was"
"when he had been caught with a stolen car and had met Goody at a nightclub in Soho. Field was called upon to assist in Goody's defence in the aftermath of the ""Airport Job"", which was a robbery carried out on 27 November 1962 at BOAC Comet House, Hatton Cross, London Airport. This was the big practice robbery that the South West Gang had done before the Great Train Robbery. Field was successful in arranging bail for Goody and Charlie Wilson. In 2014, Douglas Gordon Goody revealed to journalists the name of ""The Ulsterman"" as Patrick McKenna, a 43-year-old postal"
"January 1969. Queen Elizabeth II conveyed a message of condolence to Mohammed Zahir Shah, King of Afghanistan. Five police officers, including PC Simmonds, were awarded the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct in respect of their ""service exceeding the bounds of duty"" at the crash site. Also given this award were five local residents and a passenger on the aircraft who returned to the inferno to rescue family members and also put out the flames on another passenger's clothes. In terms of fatalities, the accident was (and remains as of 2019) the worst in the vicinity of Gatwick Airport. It was"
"down, arrested and tried for their crimes. Dennis Cochran Dennis Herbert Cochran (13 August 1921 – 31 March 1944), was an officer in the Royal Air Force and member of a British Armstrong Whitworth Whitley bomber crew who was shot down and taken prisoner during the Second World War. Notable for his part in the 'Great Escape' from Stalag Luft III in March 1944 when he almost reached Switzerland but was one of the men recaptured and subsequently murdered by the ""Gestapo"". Cochran was born in Hackney, London the son of Ethel Grace and Herbert William Cochran a postal worker"
"was often mistakenly referred to as a medical doctor. He was arrested in Great Britain in the aftermath of the 2007 Glasgow Airport attack. He was held hospitalised at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary in a critical condition, after he suffered severe burns in the attack. He had suffered burns to 90% of his body, and was not expected to survive—he had already been revived twice as of 4 July. A suicide note left behind indicates that the passengers of the vehicle, Ahmed and Bilal Abdullah, intended to die in the attack. Kafeel was the brother of Sabeel Ahmed, also arrested"
"Kafeel Ahmed Kafeel Ahmed (1 January 1979 – 2 August 2007) was one of two Islamic terrorists behind the 2007 London car bombs plot and the 2007 Glasgow Airport attack. He died of injuries sustained in the latter attack. Ahmed was an Indian Muslim born in Bangalore, India and raised in Saudi Arabia during his doctor parents' tenure there. He was an engineer who was studying for a PhD in computational fluid dynamics. He was often mistakenly referred to as a medical doctor in news reports. Mobile phone records have shown that, during his 2005-2007 stay in India, Ahmed had"
"carried out due to a mistake made by one of the brothers."". There is support for this claim as just before the two men set off from Loch Lomond to Glasgow airport Kafeel Ahmed sent a text message to his brother Sabeel in Liverpool telling him to go to an email account. Secondly Bilal Abdulla (the other bomber) addressed his will to Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, “Minister of War,” who were the leader and deputy leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq There were reports that al-Muhajir recruited people for the plot between 2004 and 2005 'Abu Hamza al-Muhajir'"
"Richard Reid Richard Colvin Reid (born 12 August 1973), also known as the Shoe Bomber, is a British terrorist who attempted to detonate an explosive device packed into his shoes while on American Airlines Flight 63 from Paris to Miami in 2001. Born to a father who was a career criminal, Reid converted to Islam as a young man in prison after years as a petty criminal. Later he became radicalized and went to Pakistan and Afghanistan, where he trained and became a member of al-Qaeda. On 22 December 2001, he boarded American Airlines Flight 63 between Paris and Miami,"
"leaving car bombs in London two days prior to the Glasgow Airport attack. Abdullah was the owner of the Jeep and was charged with conspiracy to cause explosions. He was remanded in custody awaiting trial, and was ultimately given two concurrent life sentences, of which he would be required to serve at least 32 years in prison. While Ahmed was on fire inside the car, Abdullah reportedly attacked Sergeant Torquil Campbell at the scene, in an attempt to prevent him from approaching the burning vehicle, running to the rear of the vehicle to try to open the back hatch. During"
"carrying. Air Commodore Sir Nigel Norman, on his way to the Middle East for an Airborne Forces Planning Conference, died as a result of the crash. The only other airman killed in the crash was Pilot Officer (Obs) Arthur Rotenberg, who is buried in St Columb Major Cemetery. The surviving crew and passengers were rescued by two nearby farm workers – William Richards and Eddie Thomas – and a nearby member of the Royal Observer Corps, George Gregory. In 1945, Gregory was awarded the British Empire Medal for his brave actions during the rescue of the crew. 1943 RAF Hudson"
"Smeaton as inspiration for his facing down and repelling a would-be armed robber. In late July, Smeaton returned to his old job as a baggage handler at the airport. Later in the year he accepted a job as head of security at a nearby company. Smeaton was awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal; this was presented by The Queen at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 4 March 2008. In July 2010 it was announced that seven others would be awarded the Queen's Commendation for Bravery for their parts in combating the threat. Scottish First Minister, Alex Salmond, along with the"
"union games held at Murrayfield Stadium. MacAskill also said that the 2007 terror attack on Glasgow Airport was not committed by 'home-grown' terrorists in that the suspects were not ""born or bred"" in Scotland but had merely lived in the country for a ""period of time"". MacAskill won election to a redrawn constituency of Edinburgh Eastern in the 2011 Scottish Parliament election. Despite notionally facing a deficit of 550 votes, MacAskill won by over 2000 votes. On 19 August 2009, MacAskill rejected an application by Libya to transfer to their custody Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, convicted of the Pan Am Flight 103"
"seen a man in wheelchair warning them to step back before the explosion. The man then took the bomb out of a bag with him and set it off, although the police were trying to stop him. The explosion only injured the bomber himself, who was taken to a hospital soon after, but shocked travelers and sent authorities scrambling. The exit was then closed temporarily. Less than two hours after the explosion, airport officials said operations are back to normal and no flights were affected. At the hospital, doctors amputated his left hand and has since been formally charged. The"
"Exhibition and Conference Centre. BAA indicated the airport main terminal re-opened for an incoming flight from Ibiza on 1 July 2007 at 07:37, and began handling departures from approximately 09:00. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology identified the vehicle of two suspects connected with the Glasgow Airport attack on the M6 motorway, between junctions 18 and 17, near Holmes Chapel, Cheshire. The police brought the vehicle to a slow halt. The suspects, medical doctor Mohammed Asha and his wife, were arrested. The police said they believed the attack was linked to the 2007 London car bombs 36 hours before. The"
"been revived twice by 4 July. ""The Sun"" reported Britain's National Health Service was paying over £5,000 a day to keep him alive, while security sources said this amount reaches £30,000 when security costs are included. On 2 August 2007, Strathclyde Police reported that Ahmed had died in the Glasgow Royal Infirmary. Kafeel Ahmed Kafeel Ahmed (1 January 1979 – 2 August 2007) was one of two Islamic terrorists behind the 2007 London car bombs plot and the 2007 Glasgow Airport attack. He died of injuries sustained in the latter attack. Ahmed was an Indian Muslim born in Bangalore, India"
"Dennis Cochran Dennis Herbert Cochran (13 August 1921 – 31 March 1944), was an officer in the Royal Air Force and member of a British Armstrong Whitworth Whitley bomber crew who was shot down and taken prisoner during the Second World War. Notable for his part in the 'Great Escape' from Stalag Luft III in March 1944 when he almost reached Switzerland but was one of the men recaptured and subsequently murdered by the ""Gestapo"". Cochran was born in Hackney, London the son of Ethel Grace and Herbert William Cochran a postal worker and former soldier. It is noted that"
"the defence of Goody in the aftermath of the ""Airport Job"" which was a robbery carried out on 27 November 1962 at a branch of Barclays Bank at London Airport. This was the big practice robbery that the South West Gang had done prior to their grand scheme – the Great Train Robbery. Field was successful in arranging bail for Goody and Charlie Wilson. Field was a crucial member of the Great Train Robber gang. He was the key link between the gang's organizers and the informants who knew the details of the Royal Mail train and he was also"
"Hindawi affair The Hindawi affair was the failed attempt of bombing an El Al flight from London to Tel Aviv in April 1986 by Nezar Nawwaf al-Mansur al-Hindawi (, born 1954), a Jordanian. On the morning of 17 April 1986, at Heathrow Airport in London, Israeli security guards working for El Al airlines found of Semtex explosive in the bag of Anne-Marie Murphy, a five-month pregnant Irishwoman attempting to board a flight to Tel Aviv with 375 other passengers. In addition, a functioning calculator in the bag was found to be a timed triggering device. She claimed to be unaware"
"the world's largest banks, police were ordered to step up 'stop and searches', and there were armed police at airports and railway stations. Further, cars have been banned from approaching airport terminals and are instead directed to outlying car parks and passengers bussed in. On 1 July, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon deplored the terrorist attack on Glasgow's airport and the foiled car bomb plot in London. Also on 1 July, Michael Chertoff, United States Secretary of Homeland Security, announced that the United States alert levels would remain unchanged at orange for airports (the second highest), and at yellow nationally (the"
"the website of ABC News alleged that United States law enforcement officials were informed two weeks prior to the Glasgow incident of possible attacks on ""airport infrastructure or aircraft"" in Scotland and the Czech Republic, leading to the placement of Federal Air Marshals on flights into and out of Glasgow and Prague. On 1 July, the American Airlines terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York was evacuated due to a suspicious package left on the kerb. On 1 July the police asked to hear from anyone with information about the dark green Jeep Cherokee, registration number L808"