*****UPDATE - HOMELAND SECURITY RAISES SECURITY ALERT LEVEL TO "HIGH"/ORANGE (whatever that means)*****

(NOTE: This post is more of a rundown of today's terror related events - UK attack thwarted, Ohio cell phone horders, missing Egyptian "students". Check back for UPDATES)

It appears that the Brits have distrupted an extremely large terror plot, involving as many as 20 planes. Turn on FNC now (2am ET), and check this out from Sky News...

Police say they have disrupted a major plot to blow up planes in mid-flight with explosive devices smuggled aboard as hand luggage.

Sky News has been told the plan was to hit around a dozen planes over UK and US cities.

Police are said to have arrested 20 people in London - the culmination of a major covert counter-terrorist operation lasting several months.

Passengers trying to board international flights from the UK are not being allowed to carry on hand luggage.

The Home Office's level of security - indicating public risk - has been raised from 'severe' to 'critical'.

Sky News' Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said he understood the threat was imminent and those arrested were mainly young, British-born Asian men.

He said the alleged plan involved people boarding flights and detonating explosives on planes over UK and US cities.

The swoop followed a pre-planned intelligence led operation by the Met's anti-terrorist branch and security service.

A police statement said: "This is a major operation which inevitably will be lengthy and complex. We will provide further information as soon as possible."

Lengthy queues at airports have been reported and a Transport Department spokesman said delays were inevitable.

"Passengers are being asked to allow themselves plenty of extra time and to ensure that other than the few permitted items listed above, all their belongings are placed in their hold baggage and checked in.

"These additional security measures will make travel more difficult for passengers, particularly at such a busy time of the year.

"But they are necessary and will continue to keep flights from UK airports properly secure."

Developing...

Allah has a running post going on this...

Ace reminds us of monday's story of a UK to US flight being turned back after a passenger's name turned up on an American no fly list. This story flew below the radar, (no pun intended), partly because it's not that out of the ordinary, and partly because of the ongoing war in the Middle East.

*UPDATE*
Britain raised their terror alert obviously, but then we raised our alert for international flights coming to the U.S. No link yet, but Fox News and Sky News are both reporting that the United States Dept. of Homeland Security has raised our level to High/Orange. I don't know what that means, but apparently they've done it.

**UPDATE**
Carry on luggage has been banned in the United States, including ANYTHING liquid, like bottled water, lotion, etc. Apparently the attack was going to come from some type of liquid chemical or device... Developing... If you're in the U.K. no carry on luggage for you either.

I can't wait to hear how this plot was broken up, and hear liberals and Michael Moore chant "there is no terrorist threat!"

Michelle Malkin's awake and catches the media refusing to use the M word. But come on Michelle, it would be racist bigoted.. ACCURATE, to call these terrorists MUSLIMS! What makes you think you're going to get accuracy or honesty out of the media?

Michelle also directs our attention to Stephen Taylor's blog. Taylor has video of both the British Airports Authority and Scotland Yard press conferences.

*SPECIAL NOTE FOR LIBERALS*
Just thought you might like to know that your leading blogs, the DailyKos and the Huffington Post are both dead silent on this so far. Why? Why have they been silent all week while we've busted media photo scandals left and right? Don't you ever feel the least bit uneasy about your prioritie? Attacking good men like Joe Lieberman simply because he has the courage to not change his opinion based on polls, despite the fact that he agrees with you 90% of the time is apparently of the utmost importance, but massive terror plots and lies in the media don't concern you at all. No, why would they.

*SPECIAL NOTE FOR CONSERVATIVES
It's now been established that Bush and Blair have conversed on this plot in the past. It has been known about by both countries for months. If liberals had their way, every movement made by intelligence agencies would have been highly publicized, driving terrorists deeper underground and making it impossible to track and catch them.

Find your liberal friends today, sit them down, and tell them THIS is why we can't know everything. If we know it, the terrorists know it, and they adjust their tactics! If we knew about this months long investigation, the bust would have never happened, and who knows what would have. Ask them if they get it now!? Then sit back and relax while they explain to you that this is all a hoax cooked up by Karl Rove to bring up the President's poll numbers. Listen intently while they assure you that there are no terrorists, except that war criminal George Bush. When you spit out your coffee, try not to hit them in the face.

More:
Blogs of War, Dan Riehl, Flopping Aces, Protein Wisdom, Iowa Voice, BizzyBlog, Atlas Shrugs, MsUnderestimated, USS Neverdock, High Country Conservative, Old War Dogs.

The bust is an interesting development on a day that police in Ohio busted a couple guys (one named Osama by the way) on terrorism charges. I'm certain it's a case of racial profiling though... I'm sure the men have perfectly good explanations for why they had $11,000 cash, 12 out of the 600 cell phones they'd recently bought, airplane passenger lists and details about airport security, etc. etc. (h/t Michelle Malkin)

MARIETTA, Ohio - Two men were charged Wednesday with money laundering in support of terrorism after authorities said they found airplane passenger lists and information on airport security checkpoints in their car.

Deputies stopped Osama Sabhi Abulhassan, 20, and Ali Houssaiky, 20, both of Dearborn, Mich., on a traffic violation Tuesday and found the flight documents along with $11,000 cash and 12 phones in their car, Washington County Sheriff Larry Mincks said.

It wasn't clear what significance the airline information might have. Assistant County Prosecutor Susan Vessels declined to comment on whether the manifests were for upcoming flights or those that already flown. She also would not give the origin or destination of the flight or flights.

Abulhassan and Houssaiky admitted buying about 600 phones in recent months at stores in southeast Ohio, said sheriff's Maj. John Winstanley. They sold the phones to someone in Dearborn, a Detroit suburb, Winstanley said.

Investigators going through the car after the pair were pulled over in Marietta also found a map that showed locations of Wal-Mart stores from Ohio through Kentucky, Tennessee and into North and South Carolina, Vessels said.

Michelle goes on to remind us about Dearbornistan (incase you forgot), as well as why terrorists might want hundreds of disposable cell phones.

AJ Strata explains the importance of the timing... Which reminds me, I would like to go on record as saying "Karl Rove's fingerprints are all over this" before the left gets to. Suckas!

Debbie Schlussel explains why the "Muslim-Americans are just like us" line is a bunch of crap. Debbie also said something that struck an eerily coincidental personal note with me:

Washington County, Ohio Sheriff Larry Mincks--whose men arrested the two--says there are frequent visits to the area by Middle Eastern men driving rental cars usually from Michigan or Virginia, "trying to purchase as many TracFones as they can," and shipping them to the Middle East. Now, I know why it's so hard for me to find a TracFone. Store clerks at CVS et al say Arabs all over the Detroit area have been buying them out in bulk amounts.

Whoa! When I was talking to my mom today, she told me that my grandmother would be calling me to ask me about TracFones, as she's considering getting one. I guess they had discussed them, my mom didn't know anything, and knowing the tech junkie type that I am suggested that I might know something. I can honestly say I don't know anything about TracFones though. My other grandparents got me one like 7 years ago (yeah, they've been around a while) before we all had our cool little cell phones through the major wireless companies, but I never took it out of the box (sorry guys).

Anyway, my grandmother didn't call yet, but my mom mentioned that my grandmother had swung by Kmart (we only have one, in South Burlington, VT) and that she was told that they were sold out! Is it possible that the Muslims in places even like Vermont are rounding up TracFones to use for any number of terror related activities? Whoa, that just hit me weird that Debbie said that though, considering what a strange non-everyday subject this is, and that I'd just been talking about it today.

More on the Ohio busts from JunkYardBlog

Now keep your eyes peeled for mysterious Egyptian "students" wandering around your neighborhood (seriously). By now you should have heard about the 17 Egyptians who flew in to JFK on student visas, set to attend Montana State University, and the fact that only 6 of them actually showed up at school. It seems they scattered once the landing gear was down. Malkin has full details, including some correctly aimed blasts at Chertoff.

I suppose they could have landed with a map of every Walmart in the country and set out looking for TracFones to.... stay in touch. When they hit the first store and realized that their brethren had scooped 'em all up, then set off for the next one, and so on.

Seriously though, these guys could be anywhere. They've arrest three so far, one in Minneapolis and the other two in New Jersey, which means there are eight still out there. Keep a look out for these dudes (NIN image):

Others trying to "blog like an Egyptian" (what, no rimshot?):
Noblesse Oblige, The Yelling Box, Flopping Aces, Old War Dogs, Blue Crab Boulevard, The Captain's Journal, Lump on a Blog, Pro Cynic, Cop The Truth, Sierra Faith