LONDON, 1 July 2007 — The terrorist alert in Britain took a new turn yesterday when “two Asian men” drove a Jeep Cherokee on fire across a central reservation and straight into the main arrivals terminal building at Glasgow Airport, which handles over 1.8 million passengers each year.

Eyewitness reports described the green Jeep deliberately being driven at speed toward the building with flames coming out from underneath, and two Asian men in the vehicle throwing cans of petrol onto the flames to cause maximum damage. “There was an Asian guy who was pulled out of the car by two police officers, who he was trying to fight off. They’ve got him on the ground. The car didn’t actually explode. There were a few pops and bangs which presumably was the petrol,” said taxi driver Ian Crosby.

Strathclyde Police confirmed that the incident occurred shortly after 3.15 p.m. local time and that two Asian men were dragged from the vehicle and arrested, one of whom caught fire and sustained burns and is receiving medical attention in detention. Glasgow Airport, one of the UK’s busiest airports after Heathrow, Gatwick, Stanstead, Birmingham and Manchester, has been evacuated and all flights suspended.

Police did not give information about any casualties nor the extent of damage, but the blaze was quickly brought under control.

Although Downing Street is not treating the incident as a national security threat, following Friday’s foiled car bomb attacks in central London, questions are being asked why the police and the MI5, Britain’s domestic intelligence agency, did not have any inkling about the current terror campaign, which now appears to have been foiled through sheer luck and a faulty detonation. Some analysts are holding back on talk of an “intelligence failure.” As a result, a massive manhunt is under way for the people who planted two car bombs in central London on Friday as Britain braces itself for yet another round of terrorism alerts, vigilance and traffic disruption.

As Scotland Yard’s counterterrorism officers sift through hours of CCTV footage in the search for suspects, police chiefs are also coming under increasing pressure to release any footage to the public of the drivers of a green and a blue Mercedes saloon — each packed with 20 liters of petrol; significant quantities of propane gas cylinders and a substantial amount of nails.

People are puzzled why the police have not released any footage of the would-be bombers, especially if they may be in a position to assist in their hunt for the perpetrators. Earlier, a US television network reported that Scotland Yard had “crystal clear” footage of the driver of the second car, which was parked in Cockspur Street near Trafalgar Square.

Apparently, the car was ticketed for illegal parking and towed away to a police compound in Park Lane. Scotland Yard yesterday refused to comment on the report.

It also emerged yesterday that one of the police officers first on the scene bravely disabled a mobile phone found in the car, which was the likely method of detonation through a simple ring tone. The phone was wired to a light filament, which was connected to the cocktail of explosive materials found in the car. A similar phone was found in the second car, and detectives believe that both cars failed to detonate because of a fault in the connections, which resulted in the smell of smoke or vapors, which led to the original action that alerted police.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown visited Scotland Yard for an update from Metropolitan Police Chief Commissioner Sir Ian Blair ahead of a meeting of the government emergencies committee Cobra, the second such meeting convened in Whitehall in two days.

New Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, Communities Secretary Hazel Blears, Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly attended the meeting, emphasizing a new overt policy of joined-up government.

A remarkably composed and confident Jacqui Smith, who has only been in the job for a few days, speaking to the British people, reiterated that “the prime minister stressed that all parts of government must work together to combat the terror threat. I’m satisfied that across government and with the police and agencies we are doing all we can to protect the public. I must stress that we mustn’t let the threat of terror stop us from getting on with our lives.”

She urged the public to carry on reporting anything suspicious and to be vigilant, and increased the current terrorism threat level to the highest “critical” level.

Although shoppers and tourists are flocking back to the West End, there remains an air of nervousness, with police maintaining a visible presence throughout the capital. They have also increased the number of patrols and have reviewed security for a number of public events being held in the city this weekend, including the concert in memory of the late Diana, Princess of Wales at Wembley Stadium today, and the continuing Wimbledon tennis championships.

Assistant Police Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur, the most senior Muslim police officer at Scotland Yard, told reporters, “The investigation into the incident in the Haymarket is continuing, it’s often the case that after incidents of this nature people do report suspicious packages and suspicious vehicles. We have used our tried and tested systems and procedures to deal with today. We put protective cordons in place around the scene, we’ve put our plans in place working closely with our partners.”

He reassured Londoners that the police are doing everything possible to make them safe by putting out extra patrols and reviewing plans for the weekend. “Safety and security is our number one priority. I’d ask Londoners to be alert and report anything suspicious to the police. In incidents of this nature there is disruption and we’re trying to minimize that, we’re grateful to the public for their continued reporting and continued vigilance,” he added.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke, head of Scotland Yard’s counterterrorism command, earlier yesterday reported the discovery of the second car. “During the course of today we learned that a second Mercedes car, a blue 280E model, was issued with a parking ticket at about 2.30 this morning. This vehicle was parked in Cockspur Street, London W1. Cockspur Street runs between Haymarket and Trafalgar Square. This is close to where the first vehicle was found and made safe this morning. The second vehicle, in Cockspur Street, was subsequently taken to the pound in Hyde Park at about 3.30 this morning.

“This second vehicle has been examined during the course of this afternoon and earlier this evening, by Metropolitan Police Explosives Officers. The vehicle was found to contain very similar materials to those that had been found in the first vehicle in Haymarket earlier today. There was a considerable amount of fuel, and gas canisters. As in the first vehicle, there was also a substantial quantity of nails. This, like the first device, was potentially viable and was made safe by the explosives officers,” he explained.

Police now confirm that the two vehicles are clearly linked, and that simultaneous, coordinated bombs have historically been a distinguishing feature of Al-Qaeda attacks.

London Mayor Ken Livingstone told BBC Radio 4’s Today program that Londoners should not stay at home. “I think people are completely safe to walk about the streets of London today and tomorrow,” he said.