Brown calls international meeting after failed plane bombing

Gordon Brown today called a high-level international meeting in London to discuss methods of countering radicalisation in Yemen, in the wake of the Christmas Day airline bomb attack.

The move came after the British Prime Minister announced an immediate review of security at UK airports, which may lead to the introduction of hi-tech full-body scanners that could detect explosives of the kind smuggled on to a US-bound plane from Amsterdam.

Suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, is believed to have developed radical Islamist views during visits to Yemen, and the country’s foreign minister this week appealed for international help to take on as many as 300 al Qaida operatives believed to be using it as a base.

Mr Brown said the January 28 meeting would be a stand-alone event involving key international partners held alongside the conference on the future of Afghanistan being held in London on the same day.

Downing Street said his plans have already received strong support from the White House and European Union, and Britain also aims to secure backing from Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries in the coming days.

Abdulmutallab allegedly attempted to ignite explosives stored in his underwear as Northwest Airlines Flight 253 from Amsterdam, carrying 280 passengers, made its final descent towards Detroit.

He reportedly told FBI investigators that al Qaida militants in Yemen gave him the bomb and that there were others like him there ready to carry out further attacks.

In recent weeks, the Sana’a government has launched several major offensives against militants with US backing and a recent web posting by al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula claimed the bomb plot was a response to US attacks on its members.

Yemeni officials said Abdulmutallab arrived in the Middle Eastern country at the beginning of August to study at the Sana’a Institute for the Arabic Language (SIAL), after previously graduating in engineering at University College London.

In an article on the Downing Street website, Mr Brown claimed today that it was “increasingly clear” the would-be bomber did not become an extremist while a student in London but said the UK had to remain vigilant for the radicalisation of young Muslims.

The January 28 meeting will aim to identify the counter-terrorism needs of the Sana’a government and bring forward commitments on capacity building, training of Yemeni forces and better co-ordination of the international effort in the region, said Downing Street.

Writing on the Number 10 website earlier today, Mr Brown promised that the UK would move quickly to enhance airport security following the "wake-up call'' of the attack over Detroit.

The Dutch government has already announced that full-body scanners, which take a “naked” image of passengers, will be introduced for flights to the US from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.