MI5 "Knew Of Plot In Advance"

By Philip Johnston
Last Updated: 2:24am BST 03/07/2007
Courtesy Of: The Telegraph

The internet was buzzing with claims yesterday that MI5 had prior intelligence on the London car bomb attack.

The suggestion was fuelled by the fact that nightclubs were warned a few weeks ago by police that they were potential targets for car bombers.

An advice booklet for bars, pubs and nightclubs was produced by the security services and included a section on "vehicle borne improvised explosive devices".

But a Whitehall source said that the booklet's distribution to clubs just a few weeks ago was long-planned and "purely coincidental''.

MI5 said it had no advance intelligence of the Haymarket bombs, though the threat level had been at ''severe''.

However, MI5 may have been monitoring those involved in a cell at some stage - which, if true, could provoke claims that they were allowed to slip through the net...