Antiterrorism chief resigns after revealing plan for raids

A senior British police officer jeopardised an operation by carelessly exposing a top secret document outside 10 Downing Street.

Armed antiterrorist police apprehend a suspect outside the library of John Moores University in Liverpool, England, on Wednesday during a series of raids that were prompted by a security blunder by Bob Quick, Britain's top antiterrorism police officer.Show less

LONDON // The head of British counterterrorism policing resigned yesterday after inadvertently disclosing details of an al Qa'eda operation when he arrived to brief Gordon Brown, the prime minister. The blunder occurred on Wednesday morning when assistant commissioner Bob Quick arrived at Downing Street for a meeting with Mr Brown and Jacqui Smith, the home secretary. As he was photographed emerging from his chauffeur-driven car, the top sheet of his bundle of papers was clearly legible, headlined "Secret: Briefing Notes - Operation Pathway". It gave details of an operation involving months of covert surveillance by police and the UK's intelligence services. The disclosure forced the police to hurriedly bring forward raids aimed at thwarting a suspected terrorist attack believed to involve the detonation of improvised explosives on the streets of Britain. In a series of swoops in Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Lancashire on Wednesday afternoon, more than 500 police officers, many of them armed, arrested a dozen men, most of them in their 20s and including 10 Pakistanis in Britain on student visas. The men, including some students detained on the crowded campus of John Moores University in Liverpool and employees of a nearby internet cafe, remained in custody last night over the suspected al Qa'eda plot. Searches were continuing at several homes in north-west England. Currently, the terrorism threat in Britain is classed as "severe", the highest level there is. It is officially categorised as meaning that an imminent terrorist attack is "highly likely". Amid a public outcry over Mr Quick's blunder, Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, announced yesterday morning that "with great reluctance" he had accepted Mr Quick's resignation. The mayor added: "It is a matter of sadness and he has had a very, very distinguished career in counterterrorism." Chris Grayling, the Conservative Party's home affairs spokesman, described Mr Quick's resignation as "the right decision", adding: "it is unacceptable for Britain's most senior antiterrorist officer to have had such an extraordinary lapse in judgement. "To put the security of his police officers and the operation at risk has rendered his position untenable." However, Ken Livingstone, Mr Johnson's predecessor as mayor of London, said "the only ones who will be celebrating will be al Qa'eda" over the loss of such an experienced antiterrorism expert. In a statement, Mr Quick said: "I have today offered my resignation in the knowledge that my action could have compromised a major counterterrorism operation. "I deeply regret the disruption caused to colleagues undertaking the operation and remain grateful for the way in which they adapted quickly and professionally to a revised timescale." After being informed of the resignation by Sir Paul Stephenson, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, the home secretary said: "Although the operation was successful, he felt that his position was untenable. I want to offer my sincere appreciation of all the outstanding work he has done in this role." The document that Mr Quick allowed to be photographed included the names of several senior officers involved in the operation, sensitive locations and details about the nature of the overseas threat. It prompted a "D notice" to be issued by the government - a system under which the British media agree not to publish any information that would be harmful to national security. Charles Shoebridge, a former counterterrorism officer with both the British army and the Metropolitan Police, said: "I think it is fairly unprecedented for such a serious counterterrorism operation to be so compromised by such a senior officer." John O'Connor, the former head of the Met's Flying Squad and now a commentator on police issues, told Sky News that Mr Quick was responsible for "a terrible lapse of judgement". He added: "He's obviously been under a lot of pressure from the security services who are not going to put up with that kind of breach of security and they've realised he's not fit for purpose in that job. To make a slip like that is unforgivable." Daniel Sandford, the BBC's home affairs correspondent, commented: "What happened yesterday was something that put public lives at risk. The way the arrests had to be carried out put students' lives at risk - the normal way of arresting people is dawn raids in their homes, completely contained with houses surrounded by officers. "But the pictures showed students being held up in a university library while people are being arrested outside a glass window. You can't think of a more risky situation in which someone could be arrested. "The fact that his actions, in having a paper so broadly exposed in front of the cameras, led them having to make arrests in that kind of dangerous situation just shows why it is that he's had to go this morning." Although Mr Quick, 50, has resigned from his antiterrorism role, it is believed that the father of five will remain in the police force. Three months ago, he caused an outcry among politicians from all parties when he authorised a raid on the parliamentary office of Damian Green, an opposition MP. He later had to apologise after accusing the Conservatives of conducting a smear campaign against him. [e-mail]