Poland: Euro 2012 al-Qaeda plot thwarted
Anti-terror police have thwarted an Al-Qaeda plot to bomb the 2012 Euro football tournament in Poland, it has emerged. The secret operation - codenamed 'Stand' and carried out by Poland's equivalent of MI5 and MI6 - kept track of a suspected terror cell for more than four years after a tip-off from the CIA, reports Polish news magazine Angora.
Secret service chiefs believe the sleeper cell was planning to blow up an entire stadium of fans at the height of the tournament, being co-hosted by Poland and the Ukraine. It was planned as one of the Islamic terror network's most spectacular attacks, to be carried out live on TV in front of a world wide audience of millions.
At first terror experts knew only that the cell planned a "major offensive" in Europe but intercepted messages that showed the tournament was going to be the target. The terrorists were allowed to plant their explosives during refurbishment works on a stadium in Poland before being arrested and held by para-military units.
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