Sunday, May 28, 2006

WE CATCH 2 BUS LOADS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

EXCLUSIVE:NOTW delivers 66 on-the-run foreigners to Home Office.. to show how easy it is

By Mazher Mahmood

THE News of the World has given bungling Home Office officials a lesson in catching illegal immigrants.

They say they haven't a clue how many are in Britain. And they can't find hundreds who've gone on the run.

But within a few hours we managed to round up TWO BUSLOADS of them.

We drove them to an immigration detention centre with the message: Try not to lose them this time.

We delivered 70 in all—49 on a luxury coach and 21 crammed into a minibus. It would have been MORE if the coach driver hadn't chucked 20 off for safety reasons.

Last night a red-faced Home Office spokesman spluttered: "We are grateful to the News of the World for its work to bring these cases to light. Tackling illegal working is a top priority."

It took our undercover reporters less than two days to track down almost 100 illegals in London. All they had to do was put the word round they were seeking cheap labourers.

BUSLOAD No1 came from the East End. A regular at the White Hart pub in Green Lane put our reporters on to an illegal worker called Manjit Singh.

He told us: "If you want cheap labourers, you can get hundreds.

"The only thing is they're all illegal and don't have any paperwork. You have a lot of skilled Eastern European workers.

Clowns

"But if you want a gang of grafters then I'd suggest Indian boys. They'll work a whole day for £40.

"The Home Office are clowns. They can't track us down and nowhere we have worked has ever been raided. We are safe."

Manjit, in his 30s, told how he'd paid £9,000 to be smuggled to Britain on a fake visa from Jullundar in India. He has been living and working in London illegally for three years.

He took us to nearby Rosebery Avenue, East Ham, where scores of illegal workers live. Inside a terraced house next to a Sikh temple turban-headed Makhan Singh asked: "How many people do you need? We'll get as many as you want.

"We've got 12 living in here and we all do building work, but we don't work on the books. There are more of us living over the road."

There were two single beds in the cramped, foul-smelling front room with another mattress thrown on the floor. Washing was hung over the open door.

Within minutes nearly 20 people crammed into the room, all seeking work. They openly admitted being illegal immigrants. Meanwhile Manjit used his mobile to line up more.

Our investigators moved on to a makeshift employment agency in the back yard of an off-licence in Plashett Road, east London.

There Bhola Singh promised: "I can get you a hundred people by clicking my fingers. None of them have any papers. It's cheap labour."

True to his word, 40 men filed in the next day to sign up for work.

Yesterday at 9.30 am, our luxury 53-seater coach pulled up outside the Ruskin Arms pub in East Ham. Scores of workers, some clutching lunchboxes, piled on board.

At one point they were sitting on each other's laps! When our law-abiding driver threw some off they begged to be let back on.

BUSLOAD No2 came from Southall, west London, where hordes of illegals converge in the Northwood Road car park every morning from 6am.

They are picked up by a fleet of minibuses and paid from £30 a day to work on building sites.

Our investigators approached a man with a green turban called Nishan Singh, who came to Britain a year ago on a fake visa.

Swooped

He said: "How many days work do you have and how many people do you need? There's a ring of us. I can get them easily. No one has any papers, brother."

He handed over his phone number and said that he would turn up with 20 people.

Yesterday when our minibus arrived outside a Sikh temple in Southall there were many more than we'd allowed for. Twenty-one of them squeezed aboard.

Somewhat to the surprise of all the illegals, BOTH buses headed straight to the Colnbrook Immigration Detention Centre near Heathrow where 25 uniformed police officers stood in wait.

The convoy was ordered into a secure compound where 35 immigration officers swooped.

Each illegal was searched and placed in detention. All mobiles were confiscated.

One passenger said in Punjabi: "Don't worry, lads, I know we're f****d but stay calm. Say nothing."

Last night a Home Office spokesman confirmed that of the 70 we delivered, 66 people had been arrested and detained. Among them were EIGHT failed asylum seekers already sought by immigration.

Our investigation will heap even more shame on the government. Home Secretary John Reid admits he has no idea how many illegal immigrants are in Britain. The Home Office's own figures claim there are between 310,000 and 570,000, believed to be a huge underestimate.

Our Investigations Editor Mazher Mahmood is famous as the Fake Sheik. Now, after his On The Buses coup. he'll also be known as the Fake Blakey...

Sunday, May 21, 2006

VICTIMS WIN 7/7 VICTORY

EXCLUSIVE: Compensation DOUBLED following News of the World campaign

By Ian Kirby & Sara Nuwar

TRAGIC victims of the 7/7 London bombings are to have their compensation payments DOUBLED, the News of the World can reveal.

Home Secretary John Reid has promised to fork out the extra cash after the first anniversary of the suicide bomb horrors.

And immediately delighted relatives hailed the move as a thrilling victory for this newspaper's hard-fought campaign to win help for the suffering victims.

Last night Mr Reid told us he had ordered the extra payments after talks with families of those severely injured and traumatised in the blasts.

"I have decided to make a special payment recognising the special circumstances of the 7/7 attacks," he said.

Delays

The government will also SCRAP its £500,000 ceiling on compensation packages to ensure sufficient cash is available for medical treatment.

The one-off extra payments will be followed by an overhaul of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, designed to slash red tape and speed up its payouts.

Last year we disclosed that hundreds of crippled victims had been left dependent on charity because of CICA delays.

We launched our What About the Victims? campaign on the front page, calling for immediate action. It demanded: NO CEILING on compensation, SPEEDY assessment to ensure a victim's long-term security would be sorted within six months, and a MINISTER to look after their rights. Survivors and relatives of 7/7 victims delivered a 10,000-strong petition to Downing Street in October and the then Home Secretary Charles Clarke ordered a review.

It concluded that it would be unfair to give the victims special treatment. But Prime Minister Tony Blair later over-ruled this verdict. Now he has also agreed to our plea for a nationwide two-minute silence at midday to mark each July 7 anniversary.

So far the CICA has paid out £2.1million to those injured or who lost a relative in the horror.

Families of those who died in the bombings—at Aldgate East, Edgware Road and King's Cross tube stations and on the No27 bus in Tavistock Square—welcomed Mr Reid's announcement.

John Taylor, whose 24-year-old daughter Carrie was killed at Aldgate, said: "It's great news and about time. The News of the World fought a fantastic campaign." And Dania Gorodi, 48, whose sister Michelle Otto, 46, died in King's Cross, added: "I'm absolutely thrilled your campaign has paid off.

"It will make a huge difference to people's lives and your paper has been a tremendous support for the families."

John Falding, whose girlfriend Anat Rosenburg, 39, died at Tavistock Square, said: "I'm delighted. The survivors have had enough to cope with, without the hassle over money."

Sunday, May 14, 2006

Jordan babies target in £1m kidnap terror

EXCLUSIVE: Nightmare for celebrity couple as cops warn them of plot

By Lucy Panton

A CRACK team of elite cops raced to protect top model Jordan after dicovering a millionpound plot to kidnap one of her children.

The mega-wealthy blonde and her family have been given special protection after Scotland Yard's snatchbuster squad got a tip-off that three-year-old Harvey and 11-month-old Junior were under threat.

Detectives discovered a gang of foreign and London crooks planned to take one of the tots hostage and issue Jordan and pop star husband Peter Andre with a £1million ransom demand.

Officers last night described it as "a very real threat".

As soon as the news reached police through underworld informers, an investigation was launched to identify and infiltrate the gang.

Jordan, 27, and Peter, 33, had no idea their tots were targets until worried cops contacted them.

The terrifying scam mirrors a plot against the Beckhams six years ago, when the News of the World uncovered plans to snatch Victoria and son Brooklyn. Liaison officers from the same unit that handled that case have spent the last month in constant contact with Peter and Jordan to protect them and the children. A police source revealed: "We uncovered the plot at an early stage and it appeared sophisticated.

"It was immediately taken very seriously and security was put in place around the family."

A panic button and a monitored alarm system have been installed at Jordan's £750,000 country home in Maresfield, East Sussex.

An official Scotland Yard spokesman confirmed last night: "The Metropolitan Police specialist kidnap unit are investigating intelligence about a threat to kidnap and extra security has been put in place to protect the family."

Jordan—real name Katie Price— has also been offered police minders when she takes her children out. A friend said: "Obviously Katie's main concern is for her kids.

"She's used to being in the limelight and knows the risks which that brings—particularly when her fortune has been so widely discussed. She has been targeted by burglars in the past.

"But this is different—it's a sinister turn because it puts the boys at risk. Katie is working closely with police to do everything in her power to keep them safe."

Friends fear the pin-up queen's fame and showy displays of wealth—including her fleet of cars and £3.5million holiday home in Cyprus— make her a prime kidnap target.

Just this week the former Page Three girl, reckoned to be worth £10million, spoke of her ambition to become "the world's richest woman" before she's 30.

Jordan—whose first son Harvey was fathered by former Manchester United star Dwight Yorke—declared: "I know I'll top that Rich List."

The model, who is trying to reinvent herself in a bid to go upmarket, was recently snapped by David Bailey for swish American Vogue magazine and is determined to conquer the USA.

Her five-acre Sussex spread is already protected by a £10,000 security fence topped with barbed wire. Now it is under surveillance by cops, too.

Only last June—around the time their son Junior was born—Jordan and Peter were forced to beef up security after ram-raiders broke through the perimeter. They bypassed the alarm sensors but fled empty-handed when Jordan's mum Amy spotted them and alerted the police.

Officers probing the latest threat do not believe the cases are linked. Our insider said: "There's an awful lot of work going on to build up evidence and nail this gang."

The timetable of the snatch plot and details of exactly where the villains planned to strike is being kept secret.

Our investigation into the similar Beckham plot led to the arrest of five men accused of planning to hold the England captain's wife to ransom.

When the prosecution case collapsed one of the criminals, Alin Turcu, tried to sue us—but a High Court judge ruled that our exclusive story WAS accurate.

7/7 Victory

Survivor gets £10 compensation

By Keith Gladdis

A SURVIVOR of the 7/7 London bombings has received just £10 from the government.

Professor John Tulloch, 63, whose blood-soaked face became one of the enduring symbols of the atrocity, suffered head and thigh injuries and hearing loss due to perforated eardrums.

But he revealed: "I have so far only received £10 to cover the cost of the photos of my remaining scars that the government has asked for."

However, he said he has been given a "few thousand pounds" by the London Bombings Charitable Fund.

The sociology lecturer was sitting opposite terrorist Mohammed Sidique Khan when he detonated his bomb near Edgware Road station.

Six peope died, but incredibly the professor walked away—saved by his briefcase which took the full force of the blast.

His story highlights the shocking delay in helping victims of the bombing—an issue first raised by the News of the World in our What About the Victims campaign.

Last night Prof Tulloch, from Penarth, South Wales, backed our crusade. He said: "I'm so grateful for the News of the World campaign. It's very important to make sure compensation is adequate for all concerned. I was one of the lucky ones. My heart goes out to those who suffered appalling injuries and need constant care."

Tory MP for Monmouthshire David Davies yesterday said the miserly sum paid to Prof Tulloch was "appalling". He added: "It's almost a year since the bombings. This is another example of government incompetence."

The compensation claims are handled by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. So far, it has made 106 payments totalling more than £1million to victims of the attacks, which killed 52 and injured 750.

A CICA spokesman said: "We are working hard to make sure that victims of these terrible bombings receive the compensation they are entitled to as quickly as possible."

News of the World wins 2-minute silence for the victims

A NATIONWIDE two-minute silence WILL be held to remember the victims of the 7/7 London bombings—following a News of the World campaign.

The tribute to the 52 innocent people who died in the horrific attacks is to be announced by Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell this week.

The silence will take place at midday on the first anniversary of the horror. Mrs Jowell told the News of the World: "A nationwide silence will bring the country together in memory of the 52 innocent people who died on 7/7, and the hundreds of others whose lives will never be the same again.

"It will be a chance for us all to stand together, a moment of remembrance, reflection and respect. I am very grateful to the News of the World for its wholehearted support for a tribute."

Last night injured victims of the 7/7 bombings welcomed the decision.

Emotional

Nina Kovacevic, 29, who was hurt in the bus blast in Tavistock Square, said: "I am pleased. It's a great way for the country to remember those who perished. And they should be remembered. It will be a very emotional time."

Nina, a project manager at a design consultancy, had flesh gouged out of her shoulder in the blast, strips of skin were torn from her face and back and her head was split, leaving a five-inch gash.

She added: "I hope everyone in Britain will mark the day with this silent show of respect." Retired journalist John Falding, whose girlfriend Anat Rosenburg, 39, died in the bus attack, said: "I think the two-minute silence will bring comfort to people who still need some public recognition of their private grief."

Grahame Russell, whose 28-year-old son Philip also died on the bus, said: "It's only right. It is respectful."

Bomber blunder

THE Security Services had evidence 7/7 bomber Mohammad Sidique Khan was intent on violence, it emerged last night.

Khan, 30, ringleader of the attack, was covertly recorded talking about plans to wage jihad. He discussed whether to say goodbye to his family, suggesting he was seeking martyrdom. The details form part of an Intelligence and Security Committee report released last week.

Sunday, May 07, 2006

MI5: We will have new 7/7

Give 7/7 dead two minutes' silence

By Sarah Newar

SPOOKS at MI5 have warned the 7/7 bombings WILL happen again—because they don't have enough spies.

A disturbing report will reveal intelligence services are overstretched and have failed to penetrate Muslim terror groups.

It says another bombing is a CERTAINTY unless gaps are plugged.

Three attacks have been thwarted since the London bombings. And another six possible plots are being monitored now.

But intelligence agents have told MPs there must be other undetected terror cells who will succeed.

An official enquiry into 7/7 by the super-powerful Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee concludes that MI5 failed to infiltrate radical British Muslims because of a severe "resource problem".

Spy chiefs are still desperately short of surveillance teams, undercover agents and translators.

The committee's report, published on Thursday, will reveal that at one stage just 20 agents were trying to keep tabs on 400 terror suspects linked to al-Qaeda.

And surveillance on 7/7 ringleader Mohammad Sidique Khan, 31, was called off because of lack of manpower.

He recruited Hasib Hussain, 18, Shehzed Tanweer, 22, and Jermaine Lindsay, 26, for the suicide bombings.

The report warns Britain will face another attack unless MI5—still geared to fighting decades of Irish terrorism—is overhauled.

Danger

The committee, made up of MPs and chaired by former Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy, examined top-secret papers and heard evidence from senior spies.

They are the only independent body monitoring the security and intelligence services and have full access to its shadowy commanders.

Their report is important because it is the only authoritative inquiry into the 7/7 bombings.

It concludes that MI5 had too many white, middle-class agents who could not work undercover in tight-knit Muslim communities.

And although the intelligence budget doubled since the New York attacks in 2001, the money was too late to stop the bombings here.

A senior intelligence source told the News of the World: "With Irish terrorism there was a clear pattern. With Islamic extremists it is harder to tell whether these are kids talking tough, bigots or genuine terrorists.

"That is why another attack will happen at any time."

Tory homeland security spokesman Patrick Mercer said: "There is no doubt that there is a clear and present threat. The only priority now for the security services is the prevention of further Islamic fundamentalist attacks."

"There are continued warnings of attacks in Britain by Osama bin Laden and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. These have to be taken seriously."

He added: "I am waiting to see how much truth we are going to get from the government about these events.

"After 9/11 and the Madrid bombings both the American and Spanish governments carried out extensive independent inquiries.

"All we are getting is a narrative which has come from the hands of civil servants and a heavily-censored report by MPs.

"It is crucial we have an independent inquiry before we are attacked again."

THE News of the World today demands that the victims of the 7/7 London suicide bombings are remembered with a two-minute silence.

The 52 people murdered in the bloodiest terrorist attack in British history DESERVE a fitting tribute.

Last year Britain came to a standstill in respect exactly a week after the atrocity. Response to that silence, organised by London Mayor Ken Livingstone, was a magnificent success at the bombing scenes and across the country.

But relatives of the victims have been pressing the government for an official silence on the one-year anniversary.

Now with less than two months to go nothing has been finalised. And The News of the World is demanding action.