Tony Blair defied an assassination threat from al-Qa'eda to take part in the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations in central London, it can be revealed for the first time. Tony Blair with the Queen: the Prime Minister became a target after he deployed British air power and troops to Afghanistan
The risk to the Prime Minister was disclosed to a new BBC documentary by Lord Stevens, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner in 2002. He positioned marksmen around Buckingham Palace in readiness for an attack by bombers or snipers. Lord Stevens, talking for the first time about the alleged plot, said: "There was a threat against the Prime Minister over the Queen's Jubilee period. It was an assassination threat. There was good reason to believe that the threat was credible."
Mr Blair had become a target after backing the overthrow of the Taliban in Afghanistan by the deployment of British air power and troops. He was also using his diplomatic influence to try to generate support for President George W Bush to invade Iraq. The climax of the celebrations in the summer of 2002 was a street party in The Mall attended by the Queen and senior members of the Royal Family. |
