by John Mannion
At the SAS Base at Credenhill and other military units, the recall system was put into operation. Military personnel at key locations had, in any case, taken themselves off leave and stand downs and were already arriving back at their place of work to participate, as required, in any forthcoming military response to the situation. A situation which was, by now, being given maximum media coverage, not only in Britain but throughout the world.
At the Permanent Joint Headquarters at Northwood, on the outskirts of London, senior officers from all three services were discussing the detail of the assets available. Coming straight from a video conference with General Fullerton at the MOD, General Ainsworth, Director Special Forces was addressing his colleagues:
‘The CT Squadron, along with other SAS units, will be ready for deployment as soon as the RAF Chinooks and Merlins arrive at Credenhill. The same is true of the three hundred plus Special Forces Support Group (SFSG) personnel at St Athan. Owing to overseas deployments, leave, etcetera, all available SFSG personnel becoming available for this operation will be attached to A Company SFSG, which consists primarily of 1 Para personnel, and B Company SFSG, consisting mainly 1 Para with 1 Platoon of RAF Regiment. Currently F Company, made up of Royal Marines, is deployed to Afghanistan and C Company, made up from 1 Para is on stand down. However, C Company personnel are, where possible, reporting for duty and this will enhance forces available.’
CHAPTER 26
Adam’s wife, Helen, woke at 7am and, remembering that she had the day off, drifted in and out of sleep until around 8.30. She lay there for a while, thinking about her colleagues who would now be at their workstations, having struggled through the morning traffic, and giggled to herself. She felt as if she was playing truant!
She decided she was going to have a lazy morning. Wrapping herself up in her thick, soft, white towelling robe she went downstairs and put the kettle on. Popping back upstairs, she started to run a bath, adding the last dregs of her favourite bath gel. She knew Adam would get her more for Christmas and today she planned to spend ages just luxuriating in the lovely smelling bubbles, reading her book and sipping coffee.
By 10am she was finished and back downstairs, still in the bathrobe, making another coffee and some toast. Taking it into the living room, she switched on the TV and sat down to eat. When she’d eaten she planned to finalise the Christmas shopping list, and also double check they’d not forgotten any food, drink or sundry items. She and Adam were hosting Christmas this year. It was the first time, and she was really excited but also a little nervous. She wanted everything to be perfect and hoped they wouldn’t poison anyone!
She suddenly became aware that the programme she’d expected had been interrupted and the presenter was saying ‘Breaking News’. Interest heightened, she turned up the volume to hear:
‘Incidents at nine nuclear power stations’ and there, in the background, was Oldbury.
The first thought that ran through her head was, ‘Shit! He’s going to get out of doing the shopping.’.
She reached for her mobile and tried reaching Adam, but it went straight to answerphone. She then dialled 1571 on the landline, to check whether he’d called and left a message while she was in the bath.
‘You have no messages,’ came the automated reply.
Ringing Adam’s mobile again, she left a message asking him to contact her. All the while, the news broadcast was reporting on the incident’s ‘explosions, casualties’, but not really giving out any details. She knew Adam was scheduled to work on the gate today, and a creeping fear started to develop within her.
Turning the TV volume up, she went upstairs and dressed. By now her heart was thumping, and she was feeling nauseous. What if there’d been a leak and he’d been contaminated and was radioactive? Her imagination was wild at the best of times, and now was out of control.
Downstairs again, she wondered what she should do. It was pointless phoning the police office or going out to Oldbury itself. No. She’d stay put, watch the reports, and wait for Adam to call her. Then the doorbell rang. She was rooted to the spot. Who could it be? She wasn’t expecting anyone. Images of two uniformed police officers – like in films – came into her mind.
The bell rang again, she lifted herself up and slowly walked into the hallway and towards the front door. As she approached, she could see through the glass panel that it appeared to be just one person, and no uniforms. Relieved, she opened the door to find Jane Chambers smiling at her.
‘Hello, Helen. I was passing and thought I’d pop in. You told me at the Christmas bash last week that you were having the day off today.’
‘Come in, come in,’ said Helen. ‘Have you seen the news? I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve not heard from Adam and my imagination is running riot. Are you able to stay for a while?’
Sgt Chambers had rung Jane, his wife, and told her of Adam’s death. They both knew Helen was at home that day, and Jane had told him, after the Christmas party, that she found Helen easy to get on with. Knowing that it would be a while before Helen was officially informed of Adam’s demise, he didn’t like the idea of her being on her own, especially as he was concerned that Helen may hear the bad news from some other source beforehand.
As Helen busied herself in the kitchen making hot drinks, Jane’s heart ached for her. She’d already decided she would stay until Helen was told, and then for as long as she was needed afterwards. The two women watched the television, occasionally talking about the unfolding situation. By now the reporters were talking about gunfire and terrorists and Helen was so glad Jane was with her.
The door bell rang again and this time Helen, unthinking, rose to answer it. Jane discreetly entered the hallway behind her. It was James, Adam’s best friend in the Force, and someone she got on with very well.
‘What are you doing here?’ she asked surprised yet smiling. Then she realised his face was serious.
‘Let’s go through to the living room, Helen,’ he said, maneuvering the two of them out of the hall. He nodded imperceptibly to Jane.
‘Oh my God! Is Adam hurt? Which hospital’s he in? Are you here to take me there?’
James uttered the words, ‘I’m really sorry, Helen.’
All she could hear was a long, piercing, disembodied scream.
In Gloucester, Emma Jones’ parents were also watching events as they unfolded on the TV channels. The scheduled programmes had all been suspended. They were concerned about Emma and their grandchildren – not thinking that any harm may have befallen them, but the effect the situation was having on them. They wondered how long it would be before it was safe for them to go home.
Emma’s dad had tried calling Emma and also the HR department where she worked. Emma wasn’t answering and the HR phone lines were constantly engaged.
‘She’ll be in touch, when she can,’ he reassured his wife.
The couple busied themselves around the house, occasionally stopping to see if the presenters had anything new to report. Both were feeling anxious that Emma hadn’t been in touch yet, but neither said anything.
The ring of the phone caught them unawares.
‘Hi, Em,’ answered her dad, convinced it was his daughter at last.
‘Is that Mr Groves?’ asked an older female voice he didn’t recognise.
‘Yes,’ he replied, wondering what this woman wanted.
‘Mr Groves, I’m Mrs Banks, the HR Director at Oldbury and your daughter, Emma’s boss. You’re no doubt aware of the ongoing incident here. I’m sorry to do this over the phone, but Emma’s been hurt and the children need to be collected from here as soon as possible. Would you be able to drive over? We’ve set up a temporary admin post in the Community Centre at Thornbury. Do you know where that is?’
Mr Groves, confused by this unexpected development, responded, ‘Yes, yes, I do. We’ll leave straight away, but how’s Emma? Where’ve they taken her?’
A reticent Mrs Banks responded, ‘I’ll be able to give you more information when you arrive, Mr
Groves. Just now the nursery children are our main priority.’
Emma’s parents, having first fitted the child seats in the back of their car, drove as fast as they legally could to Thornbury. Arriving at the Community Centre they were met with a scene of organised chaos and noise. There were lots of people milling about, and one area was full of small children. They could see Simon and Sarah sitting listening to a story.
A tall, smartly dressed woman, holding a clipboard, approached them.
‘I’m Mrs Banks,’ she said. ‘And you are?’
‘Mr and Mrs Groves,’ came the reply.
She ticked their names and then asked them to come with her into a small side room, where she closed the door and asked them to take a seat.
They emerged twenty minutes later, shocked and red-eyed. Looking across the large hall, they saw their grandchildren were now playing with toys, oblivious to the enormity of the day’s events and the impact those events would have on their lives. As Mr and Mrs Groves walked over to the children, first Simon and then Sarah noticed them. Their little faces lit up and they came running across, ‘Ganma!’ ‘Dandad!’ Bending down, arms outstretched to catch them, both grandparents hugged the little ones tightly. They told the children that Mummy was very busy and so they were coming with them now. The two small children were very excited at this turn of events.
The Groves’ thanked Mrs Banks as she escorted them out of the building. She said she would be in touch, and repeated her condolences in hushed tones so the children couldn’t hear. Then she turned and went back inside, waiting for more relatives to arrive.
Before heading home to Gloucester, the Groves detoured to Emma’s little house and collected clothes, toys and the Advent calendars for the children. Someone would have to come back in the next couple of days and find the Christmas presents which Emma had hidden around the house.
On the journey to Gloucester, Simon chattered on about the bangs and all the policemen rushing about and the ‘Nee Naws’ he’d heard. Sarah, meanwhile, went through her repertoire of carols several times. In the front, the two adults wept silently.
In Bradford, Mr and Mrs Khan sat watching with horror as more and more details of this nationwide terrorist outrage unfolded. All the while Mr Khan felt a creeping dread coursing through his body. They’d not heard from Ahmed for several months now. It had been gnawing away at him for some time. The long silences and absences. The decision over a year ago to visit Pakistan to do ‘good works amongst the poor’. Choosing to live away from his home and his family. Nor did he seem to be using his brilliant chemistry degree. Or was he?
As he watched the television, Mr Khan allowed himself to think, ‘Could Ahmed be involved?’
CHAPTER 27
Ed and his team, having arrived in their office at the Yard at 7.30am on the morning of Monday, 20th December, immediately embarked upon another day on the trail of the Underground and nightclub bombers and their accomplices, making phone calls and going over more CCTV footage.
Theo and Stuart were just about to go out to conduct further enquiries when, at approximately 10.00am, they all became aware of increased activity at the other end of the sprawling, open plan office in which they had but a small corner to call their own.
Ed’s curiosity had just got the better of him, and he was about to investigate the cause of this flurry, when in came Deputy Assistant Commissioner Braithwaite surrounded by other senior officers. The group had a sense of urgency about them and were talking animatedly amongst themselves.
The group came to a sudden halt in the centre of the sprawling room. DAC Braithwaite raised his right hand in a gesture indicating he required a halt to all conversation. A deathly quiet descended on the room. All eyes were now fixed on the DAC, who paused for a moment, taking in his surroundings, before addressing his audience:
‘Ladies and gentlemen, could I have your attention please? I have some dire news to report. At just before 9am this morning, a co-ordinated assault took place on nine nuclear power facilities in the UK. Information is still garbled but, from what can be ascertained, terrorist cells have launched attacks on the facilities. They forced entry into each of the establishments, overwhelming the Civil Nuclear Constabulary security force on duty, before proceeding deep into the establishments. Their intention, we must assume, is to cause maximum damage to the reactor buildings within. Local police forces have responded to the attacks by deploying armed response units, as per Op Plans, to the sites in order to contain the situation. COBR has been activated, and it is anticipated that military units will be deployed. Casualties have been reported from all locations and the situation at this time is still fluid. Updates are coming in constantly as the situation develops. I have already spoken briefly about the events to your senior officers. They will now give their teams any new instructions in the light of these developments. That’s all I have for now. You will be kept up-to-date with further developments as information comes to hand. Thank you.’
With that the DAC left the room, which now descended into a babble of voices and a flurry of activity as the senior officers, who had entered the room with him, approached their respective teams.
DI Ward hurried over and stood beside Ed. ‘Ed, I want you and the team to focus on, and respond to, information coming in regarding the attack on the Oldbury site. Pursue lines of inquiry directly, or use local assets. Liaise with local Counter Terrorism Teams, etc. Other teams will be focusing on the attacks at the other locations. These attacks, and the recent attacks in the capital, must now be viewed as part and parcel of one strategic plan so we will have to work with that in mind. That is why we’re not pulling you from any lines of enquiry you and your team may be pursuing in respect of the London attacks. You may well find the lines of enquiry start to overlap. That’s what I would expect, although we must all keep an open mind. Liaison among team members, and with other teams, must be first rate and we all must be prepared to think outside the box.’
Over the coming days, all information coming into SO15 from around Britain was sifted through with a fine toothcomb. The movements of the trucks used in the assaults on the power stations were traced back through the use of CCTV footage from roadside cameras, motorway cameras and from footage gathered from along the routes as the terrorists transited through villages.
The movements of the truck used in the Oldbury assault were quickly traced back as far as the Leigh Delamere service area on the M4 motorway. The arrival of the truck at the service area, in the early hours of the morning of 20th December, was clear from security footage taken from CCTV coverage of the truck park. Two men of Asian origin could be seen jumping down from the vehicle soon after its arrival. The two men calmly walked from the vehicle, across the truck park, to a recently arrived blue Ford Mondeo car parked nearby. It could be seen from the footage that there were two other men in this vehicle, and the two from the truck joined them, getting into the rear of the Mondeo.
An hour later a group of six men, also of Asian appearance, was seen clambering out of an old van in the service station car park. The footage showed them walking straight past the services and motel and making their way towards the truck park. They walked across the truck park and stopped beside the vehicle from which the other two had earlier decamped. The camera observed Ahmed and his team opening the cab and trailer doors, jumping on board the vehicle; four entering the trailer. The truck then pulled away from the service area en route for Oldbury. Minutes later, the four men in the blue Mondeo drove back onto the M4 motorway. They were also picked up on motorway cameras heading east onto the M25, then M23, eventually reaching the Port of Dover, where they were observed boarding a ferry to France. France, like most other nations, has not quite established the same level of CCTV coverage as the UK, resulting in the disappearance of the terror suspects, at least for the time being.
Ahmed’s cell did, however, leave behind them in their abandoned old van a wealth of forensic evidence for local Counter Terrorism officers to find, by way of finge
rprints and DNA. This would prove useful in not only identifying the terror cell members, but to the investigation generally.
Ed and his team traced back the movements of Ahmed’s cell as far as Swindon, Wiltshire. In order to facilitate their investigations, the team temporarily moved their base of operations to Swindon Police Station. There, using a combination of CCTV footage and interviews with members of the public, they eventually traced Ahmed’s Swindon address.
Accompanied by local Counter Terrorism and firearms officers, they stormed the now empty apartment. They found messages from Ahmed and his accomplices on a computer, which explained their reasoning for the forthcoming attack and their personal messages of disdain for the corrupt society they felt they needed to turn back toward God. Apart from the messages, there was little other evidence that the occupant of the tiny apartment was anything other than a very tidy, if perhaps eccentric, young man.
Neighbours, who had gathered in the street, described Ahmed to the detectives and the gathered Press, as a likeable young man. Always pleasant and respectful, but someone who kept himself to himself with only a few visitors seen calling at his address in the preceding months.
The trail eventually led the officers back to the starting point for the truck, which had been used in the Oldbury assault. This turned out to be a large warehouse, located on an industrial estate on the outskirts of Slough.
Ed and his team, who had now moved their operating base to Slough Police Station, studied the CCTV footage gathered in the Slough area. Once again this footage proved vital in piecing together the movements of the terror cells.
CHAPTER 28