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| Saturday, 18 September 2004 |
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Reporter smuggles fake bomb gear into UK parliament LONDON, Friday (Reuters) An undercover reporter smuggled fake bomb-making equipment into the British parliament a day after fox hunting protesters made a mockery of security by bursting into the debating chamber. In the second major embarrassment in 24 hours for British security officials, The Sun tabloid said its reporter had worked for three weeks in the House of Commons as a waiter. With security heightened after the invasion by pro-hunting protesters, reporter Anthony France was still able on Thursday to smuggle in components for a bomb which included batteries, wire and a timer. Photographed serving tea to John Prescott, deputy to Prime Minister Tony Blair, the reporter said: "Had I been a terrorist, I could have left the 'device' in a toilet or in the restaurant where I worked. It could easily have blown up the chamber." The tabloid's expose of the security shambles prompted Peter Hain, the government leader in the chamber, to say: "This confirms all my worst fears and why I have so determinedly pushed for much tighter security in the Commons." Britain, a prime supporter of the United States in its war on terror and partner its invasion of Iraq, has long feared a large-scale attack. But critics say this week's gaffes have made a laughing stock of security precautions at Britain's seats of power. First a fathers' rights campaigner dressed as Batman scaled the walls of Buckingham Palace, the Queen's London residence. Then on Wednesday, eight men opposing a law to ban fox hunting used a forged letter to enter the landmark Victorian parliament building where they were apparently helped by someone inside with a security pass. Five of them stormed the debating floor before ceremonial guards dressed in black stockings and tailcoats hauled them away. Currently, a grey-haired ex-army officer called the Sergeant-at-Arms is responsible for parliamentary security. "This is the age of the suicide terrorist and our security arrangements are antiquated," said Hain. "The blunt truth is that the House of Commons is operating as if in a bygone age." |
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