Pakistan 'helped Britain thwart terror plot'

Pakistani intelligence helped British security agencies crack a terror plot to blow up US-bound aircraft from Britain, a Pakistani government official and an intelligence official said today.

The intelligence official said an Islamic militant arrested near the Afghan-Pakistan border several weeks ago provided a lead that played a role in “unearthing the plot” that helped British authorities arrest suspects in Britain.

A senior Pakistani government official also said Pakistan had helped thwart the plot and added the British government was fully aware of Islamabad’s role. “We do not want to make it public,” the official said.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.