British Ban Libyan Airline, Cite Support of Terrorism

The British government announced Thursday that beginning Nov. 1, it is banning all flights in and out of the country by Libyan Arab Airlines, charging that the national carrier is involved in “support of terrorist activity.”

The measure was decided at a 45-minute Cabinet meeting one week after a Jordanian physician and suspected member of the Abu Nidal terrorist group was given 25 years in prison for plotting an attack in Britain.

Rasmi Awad, 43, was convicted on charges of participating in a plot allegedly backed by Libya to bring hand grenades into London for terrorist attacks.

A former Libyan student, who testified at Awad’s trial last week, said he received instructions from Libya to pick up four grenades at Heathrow Airport from a man in the airline’s uniform. He did so and informed Scotland Yard. Police substituted dummy grenades for the real ones and arrested Awad when he took delivery of them.

‘Inappropriate,’ Transport Aide Says

“The involvement of Libyan Arab Airlines in support of terrorist activity makes it inappropriate in the government’s view for air services between the two countries to continue,” Transport Secretary John Moore said.

In Washington, a State Department spokesman said, “We think this will be a useful step in the counterterrorist effort. We have long believed the government of Libya has used Libyan Arab Airlines and its ground facilities to support terrorist operations.”

Moore said Britain is informing Libya of the ban through the Saudi Arabian Embassy, which looks after Libyan interests in Britain. Until the ban takes effect, Britain will step up security measures surrounding Libyan Arab Airlines flights into and out of Heathrow, he said.

The airline flies two round trips a week to London from Tripoli. British Caledonian, the only British carrier on the route, suspended its flights last August because it feared Libyan retaliation for its attempts to block the covert sale of two of its old aircraft to Libya.

The action against the Libyan airline was widely expected after Awad’s conviction. Although police said they were unable to identify Awad’s possible target, they believed he might have been setting up an attack at Heathrow similar to last winter’s Vienna and Rome airport massacres.