Armed cops step up patrols amid fear of terror attack on Birmingham hotels

Oct 31 2010 by Ben Goldby, Sunday Mercury

POLICE armed response vehicles are patrolling 24 hours-a-day around Birmingham after intelligence chiefs warned of a Mumbai-style terror attack on the city.

The West Midlands force has DOUBLED the number of armed officers in the city, TREBLED the armed vehicles on patrol and deployed specialist marksmen trained to carry out “head shots” on terrorist gunmen.

The move comes after a Birmingham man was killed in the Al Qaeda heartland of North West Pakistan last month, leading to fears that he was at the centre of a terror cell intent on copying the Mumbai attacks by targeting hotels in European cities.

More than 170 people were shot dead in the 2008 Indian terror atrocity after heavily armed militants took over two five-star hotels.

Preparations by cops for a similar attack in Birmingham were revealed last night by a senior police source.

“Top-ranking members of the firearms team were called down to London two weeks ago for a COBRA meeting to discuss the threat of terrorists laying siege to a city as they did in Mumbai,” he said.

“The police have received information from Pakistan that a similar attack in this country would most likely happen in Birmingham, London, Leeds or Manchester. They fear an attack on a major hotel, just like in Mumbai, but it could happen anywhere in the city.

“The response has been to step things up in Birmingham.

‘‘Usually there is only one Armed Response Vehicle on patrol, but now there are three patrolling the city at all times – they’re on the move 24 hours-a-day.

“On top of that, there are two specially equipped Land Rovers staffed with armed officers, and at least one specialist trained to take head shots, just like an army sniper.

“Tactical firearms experts have also been deployed and, despite what the Government says about budget cuts, there have been no qualms about handing out plenty of overtime for this.