This newspaper has long been a critic of New Labour's habit of coming up with new legislation at the drop of a hat. But only now is the true scale of the Government's frenzied lawmaking over the past nine years becoming clear. The Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Nick Clegg has discovered that more than 3,000 new offences have been created since 1997. That works out at a new offence for almost every day Labour has been in power. Such legislative productivity is quite unprecedented. Offences are being created at twice the rate seen under the two previous Tory administrations.

It is astonishing how many of these new laws and regulations relate to trivial or bizarre matters. For instance, how many of us are aware that it is now illegal to import Polish potatoes? Or that it is an offence for a ship's captain to be carrying grain unless he has a copy of the International Grain Code on board? Selling grey squirrels has been banned by this Government, as has the impersonation of a traffic warden. One wonders how widespread such practices were to demand the creation of their very own offence category. Was it really necessary, for instance, to create a specific crime of "creating a nuclear explosion"?

Yet the malignancy of this trend lies less in the nature of any individual offences created than the ethos of government this groaning pile of legislation represents. More often than not, a new piece of legislation from this Government reflects a desire by ministers to be seen to be doing something, rather than a concerted attempt to get to grips with a given problem. The instinct comes from the very top. A private memo from the Prime Minister to his inner circle that came to light six years ago gives us a startling insight into what Mr Blair regards as the true function of government. Fearing that he was being seen as "out of touch" by the public, the Prime Minister wrote of the urgent need for his ministers to come up with some "eye-catching initiatives". He also stressed that "I should be personally associated with as much of this as possible." This sums up perfectly the ethos of New Labour. At every turn a greater emphasis has been placed on appearance than on the actual business of government. This explains why we have been subjected to so much pointless, knee-jerk legislation over the years.

All these questionable new laws are having an adverse effect on our society. This is especially true of those dealing with criminal justice. The Home Office has been one of the worst offenders in terms of rushing through new laws. Yet few of these have actually made us substantially safer. The Centre for Crime and Justice Studies warned last week that the tougher penalties that have been introduced by the Government for carrying knives are, if anything, liable to exacerbate the problem of knife crime. The think tank argues that ministers should be conducting proper research into why more young people are using knives, rather than pandering to the moral panic whipped up by the right-wing media. The same criticism could be made of almost all of the 60 Bills and 430 offences introduced by the Home Office since 1997.

One of the greatest failings of New Labour in power has been its willingness to push through ill-thought through and badly drafted legislation for the sake of a few favourable headlines in the populist press. Ministers - and in particular the Prime Minister - seem to have convinced themselves that it is somehow a sign of strength to be constantly issuing new legislation. In fact, what it shows is weakness. And this heap of unnecessary and often damaging new laws will be a sorry legacy indeed of Mr Blair's years in power.

In total, the Government has brought in 3,023 offences since May 1997. They comprise 1,169 introduced by primary legislation - debated in Parliament - and 1,854 by secondary legislation such as statutory instruments and orders in council.

Remarkably, Labour is creating offences at twice the rate of the previous Tory administration. During its last nine years in office, under Margaret Thatcher and John Major, fewer than 500 new crimes reached the statute book via primary legislation.

And the rate at which offences are being created is accelerating the longer that Tony Blair remains in Downing Street. In 1998, Labour's first full year in power, 160 new offences passed into legislation, rising to 346 in 2000 and 527 in 2005.

Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, who uncovered the figures, said: "Nothing can justify the step change in the number of criminal offences invented by this Government. This provides a devastating insight into the real legacy of nine years of New Labour government - a frenzied approach to law-making, thousands of new offences, an illiberal belief in heavy-handed regulation, an obsession with controlling the minutiae of everyday life.

"The result? A country less free than before, and a marked erosion of the trust which should exist between the Government and the governed."

He said ministers had failed to grasp the simple truth that "weighing down the statute book" with new laws was "no substitute for good government".

Many offences are uncontroversial and will have widespread support, such as tougher penalties for selling contaminated food or against violent crime. But the Government has still managed to produce a surreal list of new offences.

It is now illegal to sell grey squirrels, impersonate a traffic warden or offer Air Traffic Control services without a licence. Creating a nuclear explosion was outlawed in 1998.

Householders who fail to nominate a neighbour to turn off their alarm while they are away from home can be breaking the law. And it is an offence for a ship's captain to be carrying grain unless he has a copy of the International Grain Code on board.

The Home Office, which has produced 60 Bills over a hyperactive nine-year period, is responsible for 430 of the new offences.

The flood of Bills compares with one criminal justice Bill per decade for much of the 20th century and has brought pleas for a period of calm from the department.

Terry Grange, Chief Constable of Dyfed-Powys, has accused the past two home secretaries, Charles Clarke and John Reid, of making policies "on the hoof" in response to media pressure over serious crime problems, foreign offenders and the immigration service.

Lord Ramsbotham, the former chief inspector of prisons, has urged Tony Blair to "shut up" for the sake of stability in the criminal system.

Almost every other part of Whitehall has also found things to outlaw. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has brought in 640 new offences, the vast majority through secondary legislation. The Department for Trade and Industry has produced another 592, and the Foreign Office and the Office for the Deputy Prime Minister 277 each.

Each addition swells the enormous number of offences already on the statute book, some dating back to medieval times. Even the Attorney General's office said it had no idea how many existed. A spokeswoman said: "There are thousands and thousands."

Downing Street argued last night that much of the legislation it had inherited needed to be updated. A spokesman said: "Crime has fallen by 35 per cent since Labour came to power precisely because we have given the police and criminal justice system the modern laws they have asked for to tackle crime effectively.

"Among the offences we've modernised are new laws to tackle sex offences, domestic violence, antisocial behaviour and knife and gun crime. Are the Liberal Democrats saying these were a mistake?"

Mr Blair has made clear that he favours an extension of summary justice, and fresh proposals are expected in the autumn.

The Association of Chief Police Officers disclosed yesterday that it was considering asking ministers for powers of instant justice, including the authority to exclude unruly youngsters from town centres and to break up teenage gangs.

Condemning the idea, David Davis, the shadow Home Secretary, said: "We cannot bypass the court system. It is up to the justice system to scrutinise and take judicial decisions, not the police."

Shami Chakrabarti, the director of human rights group Liberty, said the figures demonstrated that politicians were becoming "addicted to law making". She said: "The next time the cry goes up to legislate our way out of a crisis, a deep breath from the Home Office might just be more inspiring than further statutory graffiti."

Enver Solomon, deputy director of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies at King's College London, said: "It has become a New Labour trademark to criminalise a range of social harms which would be more effectively dealt with away from the clutches of the criminal justice agencies."

Twenty activities outlawed by Labour

Nuclear Explosions (Prohibition and Inspections) Act 1998

Causing a nuclear explosion.

Scallop Fishing Order 2004

If a boat breaches the restrictions in articles 3, 4 or 5, the master, owner and charterer are each guilty of an offence.

Measuring Instruments (Automatic Rail-weighbridges) Regulations 2006

A person shall be guilty of an offence if he uses for trade an automatic rail-weighbridge to which there is affixed a disqualification sticker.

Scotland Act 1998 (Border Rivers) Order 1999

Unauthorised fishing in the Lower Esk.

Apple and Pear Orchard Grubbing Up Regulations 1998

Any person who (a) intentionally obstructs an authorised person in the exercise of the powers conferred on him by regulation 10 above, or a person accompanying him and acting under his instructions or (b) without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with a requirement under regulation 10 above, shall be guilty of an offence.

Protection of Wrecks (RMS Titanic) Order 2003

A person shall not enter the hull of the Titanic without permission from the Secretary of State.

Merchant Shipping (Crew Accommodation) Regulations 1997

Failure to provide adequate facilities for crew members.

Transport Act 2003

A person commits an offence if he provides air traffic services in respect of a managed area.

Polish Potatoes (Notification) (England) Order 2004

No person shall, in the course of business, import into England potatoes which he knows to be or has reasonable cause to suspect to be Polish potatoes.

Learning and Skills Act 2000

Obstructing an inspection by the Adult Learning Inspectorate.

Care Standards Act 2000

Obstructing the work of the Children's Commissioner for Wales.

Vehicles (Crime) Act 2001

Knowingly etc selling plates which are not vehicle registration plates.

London Underground (East London Line Extension) (No 2) Order 2001

Any person who, without reasonable excuse, obstructs any person acting under the authority of the Company in setting out the lines of the scheduled works, or in constructing any authorised work or who interferes with, moves or removes any apparatus belonging to any such person shall be guilty of an offence.

Courts Act 2003

Assaulting and obstructing court security officers.

Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005

Part seven of the Act created offences of failing to nominate a key-holder where an audible intruder alarm is present.

Merchant Shipping (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2002

If any officer appointed in accordance with regulation 30(1) reports to the master or other officer in charge of the bridge a door to be closed and locked when it is not in fact closed and locked he shall be guilty of an offence.

Bus Lane Contraventions (Penalty Charges, Adjudication and Enforcement) (England) Regulations 2005

Failing without reasonable excuse to attend a hearing held by an adjudicator, or to produce any document to an adjudicator.

Vehicle Excise Duty (Immobilisation, Removal and Disposal of Vehicles) Regulations 1997

Failure to rigorously separate the accounts of ground-handling activities from the accounts of other activities in accordance with current commercial practice.

Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006

In relation to certain invasive non-native species such as the grey squirrel, ruddy duck or Japanese knotweed, selling any animal or plant, or eggs or seeds.

Abu Faraj Al-Libbi, a third-tier al-Qaida operative, was believed involved in an attempt to assassinate President Gen Pervez Musharraf and was arrested from Mardan in May 2005.

The intelligence source said the plot to blow up U.S.-bound planes was similar in pattern to the one hatched to kill President Musharraf.

"There was a mastermind, there was a planner and there were the executioners," he said.

The source said that al-Qaida's link to the London airline bombing plot was established.

Stressing the importance of key person Rashid Rauf's arrest, the source said that without his capture the plot would not have been foiled.

He acknowledged that there had been some hype about the bombing plots but said the plotters were in the planning stage and were procuring chemicals and equipment. They were not in the execution stage, he said.

The source said that Rauf had gone to the United Kingdom in 1981 when he was less than one year old. He returned to Pakistan in 2002 and had since been living here.

He had been living in Pakistan, the source clarified but declined to say when and where he had been arrested.

The source said that Pakistan was withholding the information due to British legal sensitivities and that a team of their legal experts was in Pakistan to discuss the case.

He said that Pakistani security agencies had arrested six to seven suspects, including Rashid Rauf.

This is an ongoing operation and there could be more arrests, he said. "Certainly, there will be more arrests as the investigation proceeds," he said.

The source agreed that some of the London plotters might have come to Pakistan but said that Islamabad was awaiting information, including antecedents and passport details of the plotters to ascertain facts.

The Tory leader abandoned the cross-party consensus that had existed after John Reid, the Home Secretary, revealed last week the foiled terror plot to blow up transatlantic airliners. Mr Cameron, who has just returned from holiday, attacked ministers for a series of security failures and accused Mr Reid of grabbing headlines while failing to take tougher action with Muslim extremists. He insisted that the Conservatives wanted to work with ministers but said: "I do not believe the Government is doing enough to fight Islamist extremism."

He also questioned why so few "preachers of hate" had been prosecuted or expelled. Existing laws had not been used to deal with the radicalisation "that is rife within our shores," he said. And he accused the Government of funding conferences addressed by Yusuf Qaradawi, a preacher who he claimed had said: "We must plant the love of death in the Islamic nation."

He also protested that little was done to minimise the impact of imams "who come to Britain and preach, often with little knowledge or appreciation of British values".

Mr Cameron said: "A year ago, we were promised tough and concerted action to deal with the community crisis in our midst, but precious little has actually been done."

In a clear signal that he intends to target Gordon Brown, the Tory leader accused the Chancellor of sabotaging the anti-terror campaign by freezing the Home Office budget for three years.

John Prescott called Mr Cameron's remarks "almost beyond belief".

The Deputy Prime Minister said: "At a time when we should all stand united in the face of alleged terrorist threats, he seeks to undermine that unity."

A Labour Party spokes-man said: "David Cameron may be desperate to play politics with the terrorist threat, but his facts are as wrong as his judgement."

Mr Prescott hinted yesterday that some of the 22 suspects arrested last week will be released without charge, but others will face, "very serious" charges.

The Deputy Prime Minister made his comments after a private meeting in his office with the four Muslim Labour MPs and two other MPs who represent constituencies where last week's arrests were made.

The Tory leader also called for telephone tapping evidence against terror suspects to be made admissible in courts. And he made clear that the Tories would not drop their opposition to the extension of detention of suspected terrorists from 28 days to 90 days.

The strength of Mr Cameron's attack may be linked to criticism by grassroots Tory supporters that he was "too nice" to the Government. Responding to a Tory document, called Built to Last, one party member said: "Opportunity after opportunity has been there for attack on the policies of this dreadful Government but Cameron is silent. We are being too silent, too nice to those in power and seemingly afraid to show our arm."

Tories also complained about the failure to offer explicit tax cuts.

The carriers had already expressed their unhappiness with BAA's instruction for Heathrow airlines to cut flights to ease congestion. Today, 46 flights BA flights from Heathrow and Gatwick are cancelled.

Yesterday, when the Government said small bags would be allowed to be taken on flights again, BAA said the hand baggage ban would stay in place at Heathrow airport until 4.30am today.

As passengers braved a sixth day of delays and cancellations, Ryanair attacked BAA, now owned by the Spanish construction group Ferrovial, for compounding disruption.

The airline claimed on its website that by 4am, BAA Stansted had opened just four of the 14 security points at the airport and by 5am, an hour before the first wave of scheduled departures, only half of the security points were open.

Ryanair said: "As a result of BAA's chronic inability to staff their Stansted security facilities, combined with nonsensical hand baggage restrictions, security queues are now stretching dramatically through the Stansted terminal, paralysing the operation there."

The Dublin-based airline, led by its chief executive Michael O'Leary, called on the Government to bring in the Army or police to support BAA staff while heightened security checks remain in place.

In response, BAA said it had deployed extra staff. "There can be no short cuts in security and if this means that there is continued disruption we apologise to all our customers," a spokesman for the airports operator said.

Some eight of the 267 departures scheduled from Stansted yesterday were cancelled. Those that flew were delayed by up to an hour.

At Heathrow, BA cancelled 41 flights, 18 per cent of those scheduled. An improvement is expected today, with three long-haul and 32 European and domestic flights cancelled. BA hopes to restore a normal service by the end of the week.

There was no news of likely disruptions at Stansted today but BAA urged passengers to arrive three hours before scheduled departure.

Passengers can carry on one item of cabin luggage, equivalent in size to a small laptop bag or rucksack, and no larger than 45cm x 35cm x 16cm. Cosmetics and toiletries, liquids and sharp objects are prohibited. Passengers not travelling to the US can buy drinks after passing through airport security checks.

With the crisis tipped to cost airlines about £50m, shares in the sector have fallen sharply. Yesterday, BA shares edged 1p lower to 376p while Ryanair rallied 6 cents to €7.19.

But hotels around airports are reporting a jump in room occupancy and rates since Thursday, according to the consultant Deloitte.

The brother of Assad Sarwar, one of the suspects arrested on suspicion of plotting to blow up transatlantic airlines, said Mr Sarwar had attended study groups run by an Islamic sect linked to terrorism by western intelligence.

But Amjad Sarwar said his brother had no link to terrorism. "They've got it all wrong," he told Channel 4 News. "He is an innocent guy. He's been helping the youth out considerably in the area. He condemns terrorism." He said his brother had become more religious recently and dropped out of university, attending Tablighi Jamaat weekend study groups. " He was at Tablighi Jamaat, which is a sect in Islam that encourages the youth to grow beards and pray five times a day," Mr Sarwar said.

He also handed out leaflets outside his mosque, but they were only urging people to "propagate" Islam, according to Mr Sarwar, who said his brother wanted to "get married, and get himself a decent job".

A new suspect was arrested yesterday as part of the investigations. The suspect was detained after police obtained information from a series of raids in High Wycombe. The Buckinghamshire town remains the focus of the current inquiry. Anti-terrorist officers are continuing to search 22 homes and businesses in the area as well as woods nearby.

The significance of the latest arrest, which took place at just after 1pm in the Thames Valley area, is unclear, although anti-terrorist sources have said that the "main players" were among 19 suspects named last week after a series of arrests on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

A further five people, including two women, were arrested, although one has been released without charge. The raids took place in east London, Birmingham and Buckinghamshire.

Scotland Yard revealed further details yesterday of the scale of the hunt for evidence of the alleged bomb plot. As well as searching 46 homes and businesses, they have examined 20 vehicles.

The Charity Commission and police are looking into the possible misuse of funds from the Crescent Relief fund. The father of two of the terror suspects arrested has been registered as a charity director. Abdul Rauf, father of Rashid and Tayib, is a former director of Crescent Relief (London). No evidence has been found to suggest that Abdul Rauf or any of the charity's organisers are implicated in any alleged plot.

The possible connection came as British and international intelligence services continued to investigate the backgrounds of the 23 British men and women being held in custody on suspicion of plotting to destroy up to 10 US-bound aircraft.

As part of the inquiry British and German intelligence are tracing possible contacts between two of the suspects and a man named Said Bahaji, who is wanted for allegedly being part of an al-Qa'ida cell that included Mohammed Atta, the lead pilot of the two planes that rammed into the World Trade Centre. Mr Bahaji was based in Germany prior to the strikes on New York and Washington, which he is accused of helping organise, but is believed to have fled to Pakistan.

Uncorroborated reports state that the suspected bombers had contacted Mr Bahaji through his wife who still lives in Hamburg. It is believed that calls from the bombing suspects were traced to a telephone number associated with Mr Bahaji.

The German interior minister Wolfgang Schäuble said yesterday: "There have been some contacts but we don't know for sure how concrete they have been. It would have been surprising if there wasn't any contacts to Germany considering the international network of terrorism."

Mr Bahaji's name gained prominence after Mounir el-Motassadeq, a 28-year-old Moroccan, was jailed for 15 years after pleading guilty to terrorism charges relating to 9/11. A court in Hamburg was told how he had provided logistical support to an al-Qa'ida cell which allegedly included Mr Bahaji.

In Britain police are continuing to search for evidence of a plot by suspected suicide bombers to blow up airliners with liquid explosive smuggled through security checks.

Forensic specialists were searching woodland at King's Wood, near High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, close to the scene of one of last Thursday's raids. There were unconfirmed reports that officers had found a rifle and a handgun during searches at two addresses linked to the inquiry. Counter-terrorist sources have also said that bomb-making components had been recovered.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair stressed the seriousness of the threat still facing the country. Referring to the alleged airliner bomb plot, he said: "We have been behind this group of people for some time. What we always have to do is balance waiting to gather more evidence and make sure you get all the people, against the risk to the public by not moving in earlier.

"That's the decision that was reached last Wednesday evening. There's a point where the information reaches a level of concern that means if you don't take action it is indefensible."

He added that many other alleged plots were being investigated. "What is so concerning is that those operations can turn from being what we think is preparatory to what is clearly active in a very short time."

In Pakistan up to 17 suspects are believed to be in custody, including a Briton, Rashid Rauf, who has been officially described as a "key" suspect and is the brother of Tayib Rauf, 22, one of those arrested in Birmingham last week. The Home Office refused to confirm or deny whether the Government had formally requested his extradition. There is no extradition treaty between Britain and Pakistan, but an ad-hoc request can be made under international convention.

Sources have also suggested that the authorities in Pakistan may be looking at a connection with Matiur Rehman, a senior figure in the Pakistani terrorist group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.

But British Security sources have dismissed claims by Pakistani officials that the trans-Atlantic bombing plot originated in Afghanistan. They said the Pakistani allegations appeared to be an attempt by Pakistan to retaliate against repeated charges made publicly by the Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, and privately by British and US diplomats and military commanders, that Pakistan was harbouring Taliban fighters carrying out attacks in Afghanistan.

Security sources said close links between Islamist extremists and the Pakistani secret police had helped in providing information. But the same links, said a senior official, meant that some of the statements from Pakistani officials "had to be treated with circumspection".

British and Pakistani investigators, however, are investigating whether money raised by appeals following the earthquakes in Pakistan last year were used to fund the alleged plot.

A charity, Jumaat ud Dawa, which is active in mosques in the UK, raised large sums in London, Manchester and Birmingham. The group is the charitable arm of a Kashmiri terrorist group, Lashkar-e-Taiba, which has been banned by the Pakistani government after pressure from the US government.

Security sources said several transactions had taken place between Pakistan and the bomb suspects, but refused to specify where they originated.

British sources report that the reason for the delay in informing the airlines and traveling public about the liquid bomb on the American flight was to maximize the beneficial political impact for Blair and George W. Bush, both plummeting in the polls from the situations in Iraq and Lebanon.

Earlier this week, two employees of Murdoch's London tabloid, News of the World, were charged with hacking into the voice and text cell phone messages of three members of the staff of Clarence House, the residence of Princes Charles, William, and Harry. One of those charged with the wiretapping was Clive Goodman, the Royals editor of the News of the World.

The same paper earlier tried to politically damage two anti-Iraq war British politicians -- Scottish Socialist Tommy Sheridan and Respect Party MP George Galloway. The paper charged that Sheridan was unfaithful to his wife by going to swinger's clubs. He won a quarter million dollar lawsuit against the paper. Galloway was confronted by Mazher Mahmood, an individual who uses the moniker "Fake Sheik," who posed as a wealthy Arab businessman and tried unsuccessfully to get Galloway to accept cash and make anti-Semitic remarks. In fact, Mahmood was and continues to be a reporter for News of the World, his continued employment approved by Murdoch. Goodman has merely been suspended by Murdoch but he has not been fired.

However, what prompted Murdoch and Blair to hype a new global "terror" threat was what Murdoch learned from eavesdropping on the phone calls of Prince Charles' staff at the future king's office, home, and limousine. The eavesdropping revealed that Charles was working with Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, who is to the left of Blair, to conduct the same type of political maneuver that John Major used to oust Margaret Thatcher from office. London's left-wing Mayor, Ken Livingston, was also in on the Charles-Brown plan and it was expected that in return for his support, Livingston would get a senior position in a Brown cabinet -- a development that sent shock waves through the neocon circles in London, Washington, and Jerusalem, including British Home Secretary John Reid and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

The Charles-Brown plan was briefed by Blair to Bush during the former's recent visit to Washington. However, because the phony terror plot was known to both leaders -- they decided to be away on vacation when the terror plot was "uncovered." Bush is vacationing at his Crawford, Texas "ranch," while Blair is on vacation in Barbados, staying at Sir Cliff Richard's luxurious villa.

After Blair met with Bush in Washington, he flew to California where on July 30 he attended Murdoch's News Corporation private corporate executive conference at the posh Inn at Spanish Bay golf resort in Pebble Beach. Blair met with Murdoch, Israeli former Prime Minister Shimon Peres, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Newt Gingrich, and various Fox, Star, and Sky News executives. The final touches were agreed to by Blair and Murdoch on how the fake terror plot would play out in Murdoch's media empire.

Blair told Bush that a Brown government would move to withdraw British troops from Iraq, break the "special relationship" with the Bush White House, and move closer to the European Union and the United Nations.

The Israeli attack on Lebanon created a rift within Blair's Cabinet with some former Blair loyalists signaling their support for the political coup against Blair. As a result, a suspect passenger was permitted to board an American aircraft at Heathrow with a liquid bomb to lay the groundwork for the media and travel hysteria five days later.

The wiretapping of Charles' messages also indicated that he has weighed in with various European royal families to discourage them from inviting Bush on state visits to their nations. This reportedly upset the Bush and Blair regimes, who were working together to improve Bush's image in Europe. The White House's displeasure with the monarchies in Spain, Belgium, Sweden, Luxembourg, and Norway are a direct result of the Murdoch eavesdropping on Charles' staff.

Not surprisingly, after Galloway tore into a Sky News reporter on a recent televised interview, The Sun, a Murdoch paper, is now reporting that one of the 24 British aircraft liquid bomber suspects now under arrest, Waheed Zaman, met with Galloway "many times." The paper quotes the sister of the suspect. A Galloway spokesman denies that Galloway knows the suspect. What is suspect is the Murdoch media empire that makes up news and commits illegal acts to provide cover for the false flag operations being conducted by Britain, the U.S., and Israel.

Pakistan's Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) agency has helped provide the cover story for the alleged liquid bombers. Working with British and U.S. intelligence, the ISI says it broke up the plot after arresting terrorist suspects in Lahore and Karachi. However, the ISI claims that the men were affiliated with the Kashmiri terrorist group Lashkar-e-Toiba, a group that is run and funded by the ISI itself.

The disclosure of the Charles-Brown plot has already created a backlash from the neocons. The Murdoch media is already floating the rumor that Home Secretary Reid is now Blair's chosen successor, while there will be an effort to scandalize Charles in an effort to convince the British public that it would be best to skip over him and have Prince William assume the throne upon Queen Elizabeth's death or abdication.

British commentators are noting that it is Reid, a noted neocon, who is chairing national security "Cobra" meetings in Blair's absence. Blair bypassed Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and many political observers believe that Prescott was passed over because of evidence that he was involved in supporting the Charles-Brown coup. Prescott chaired Cobra meetings in the wake of the July 7, 2005 (7/7) London transit bombings.

Meanwhile, Republican governors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mitt Romney used the occasion to boost their sagging popularity by placing their states' National Guardsmen at major airports in their states.

Police arrested 24 people last Thursday after investigators uncovered an alleged plot to blow up as many as 10 commercial airliners with liquid explosives smuggled aboard in hand luggage. One person has been released without being charged.

On Tuesday, for the third day in a row, police cordoned off and combed the King's Wood in High Wycombe, 55 kilometres west of London, for evidence. The BBC reported that investigators found several firearms in the woods but it is not clear if they are connected to the alleged plot.

Police also confirmed Tuesday that they raided an internet café last Thursday in central Slough, 40 kilometres west of London. They did not say what their investigation found.

London newspapers have reported that investigators have uncovered bomb-making materials and weapons. Other unconfirmed reports have suggested that one of the suspects may have had ties with an accused conspirator in the Sept. 11 attacks.

The Times reported that authorities are exploring a possible relationship between a suspect in Britain and Said Bahaji, a computer expert connected to the al-Qaeda cell in Hamburg, Germany, that included three of the men who piloted the hijacked airliners.

Earthquake relief might have provided networking opportunity

Meanwhile, a British House of Lords member has suggested that some of the 23 suspects might have met in Pakistan last year while providing relief following an earthquake that killed nearly 80,000 people.

"It may be that out of 22, there may be a number of them who have met someone from extremist groups in Pakistan or Kashmir," Nasir Ahmed told the Associated Press.

"Some may have met them without knowing that they were meeting [extremists] because they were helping out in the aftermath of the earthquake."

The New York Times has reported that the Pakistan-based charity Jamaat al-Dawat raised money for the survivors of the earthquake but channelled the organization's money to the alleged airline bomb plotters.

Jamaat al-Dawat has denied the charges.

Restrictions eased at London airports

Travellers at London's airports were allowed to bring one piece of carry-on luggage aboard flights on Tuesday while electronics and liquids and gels were still banned. Passengers waited in long lines as rigorous security checks continued. British Airways cancelled 20 per cent of its flights from London on Tuesday.

A report by the Times newspapers said officials were considering introducing new security measures that would include racial profiling. The suggestion has provoked a heated discussion.

Philip Baum, an aviation security consultant, says that profiling is a necessary reality.

"We must apply profiling to the entire population but we must accept that given the current world we live in, young males are likely to be targeted more than others and I think the Muslim community just has to accept this," he said.

But others, including Inayat Bunglawala of the Muslim Council of Britain, say that officials should base their security checks on intelligence, not appearance.

"Already, many Muslims do believe that they are being unfairly targeted," he said.

British Defence Secretary Des Browne said new security requirements for airports were being explored but he said it would inappropriate for him to discuss precisely what those new measures might be.

The 23 people are all British-born Muslims, mainly of Pakistani descent. Police can hold suspects for up to 28 days before either charging or releasing them.

Also on Wednesday, Home Secretary John Reid is due to meet EU counterparts to discuss the plot and ongoing operations.

One of those attending the meeting in London is French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy who has said the threat of terrorism remained "high and permanent."

"There is absolutely no question of lowering our guard," said Sarkozy.

Meanwhile the massive police investigation in Britain continues. Detectives said they had already executed 46 search warrants, with 22 of those searches continuing and another 20 vehicles examined.

Officers are still combing woodland around the town of High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire for evidence. One house in the town, according to British media, may have been used by the suspected plotters to mix chemicals to blow up as many as 10 U.S.-bound aircraft.

The chaos at Britain's major airports has begun to ease slightly after the ban on all airline cabin baggage was relaxed to allow passengers to carry a small bag on board, although it is still forbidden to take liquids on board planes.

However passengers continued to suffer major delays and airlines were still being forced to cancel some of their flights because of the extra security measures.

British Airways said it planned to operate 90 percent of its schedule on Wednesday but will cancel 46 flights from Heathrow and Gatwick.

It is also trying to deal with a backlog of 5,000 bags which are waiting to be returned to their owners.

However, despite the high level of alert, airport operator BAA said a 12-year-old boy with no documents had managed to get on board a plane at Gatwick.

The boy had run away from a care home in Merseyside and boarded a plane for Lisbon at 6 a.m. on Monday before the other passengers, according to media reports.

However, he was spotted by cabin crew who alerted the police.

"The boy had passed through our full security screening process so he had passed through the search process and I'm confident there was no threat at any stage to passengers and staff or to the aircraft," a BAA spokesman told BBC radio.

He added a full investigation was under way.