Security breach

The week's news at a glance.

London

A top-secret police dossier detailing ways that terrorists might strike Heathrow airport was discovered lying in the road this week near one of the terminals. The passerby who found the papers promptly sold them to The Sun tabloid. According to the newspaper, the documents describe the most vulnerable areas of the airport and identify 62 sites where missile launches would be most accurate and hardest to prevent. They also reveal sensitive information about counterterrorism measures police have been taking, including evacuation plans and the placement of snipers. The Sun returned the documents to Scotland Yard, which is investigating how they were mislaid. “I’m just glad it was me that found them,” said the man who provided the documents to the newspaper, “and not some mad follower of Osama bin Laden.”

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us