Britain has raised its security level to its highest degree of "critical," as the Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that an incident in which a blazing jeep crashed into the main terminal building in Glasgow airport in Scotland was "an attack".
The announcement by the Prime Minister came on Saturday after an emergency meeting of senior ministers and intelligence chiefs held hours after the incident in which eyewitnesses said two Asian men drove a Cherokee Jeep at speed towards the building with flames coming out from underneath.
Brown, in a televised statement, thanked the security and emergency services for foiling attacks in London on Friday and "now today the attack in Glasgow".
Justifying raising the security threat level to "critical", which means another attack was imminent, Brown said "It is right to raise the levels of security at airports and crowded places in the light of the heightened threat."
Earlier, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith had said the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) raised the level and appropriate security measures have been put in place.
It is the highest possible level and was also in place after the 7 July 2005 suicide bomb attacks on London.
{{/usCountry}}It is the highest possible level and was also in place after the 7 July 2005 suicide bomb attacks on London.
{{/usCountry}}"I know the British people will stand together, united and resolute," said Brown.
All flights have been suspended following the incident which happened at 3:15 pm Last afternoon (1945 IST).
Two people had been arrested in connection with the incident, media reports quoted police as saying.
The incident came as British police launched a massive manhunt for al-Qaeda terrorists suspected to be behind the foiled car-bombing attempts amid indications that the terror plot was to avenge Salman Rushdie's knighthood and Iraq war.