MI6 cancelled all leave until after the Olympics

9:36am UK, Thursday February 02, 2012


The intelligence service MI6 has cancelled all leave until after this
summer's Olympic Games in London, according to Sky News sources.


Sky's defence and security editor Sam Kiley said it is not in response to an
impending threat from abroad, but is a precautionary measure.

He believes MI5, which is responsible for maintaining internal security, is
likely to follow suit.


Security will be tight for the Games which will watched
all over the world



The Ministry of Defence has said 13,500 security personnel will be involved
in the security operation for the Games, which begin on July 29.

They run for just over two weeks until August 12 and are followed by the
Paralympics, which run from August 29 to September 9.

The news comes after four radical Islamists admitted an al
Qaeda-inspired plot to bomb the London Stock Exchange.

The Muslim fundamentalists' group wanted to send five mail bombs to various
targets during the run up to Christmas 2010 and discussed launching a
"Mumbai-style" atrocity.

A hand-written target list found at one of the defendant's homes listed the
names and addresses of London Mayor Boris Johnson, two rabbis, the American
Embassy and the Stock Exchange.

They and five other men who pleaded guilty to a variety of terror crimes at
Woolwich Crown Court will be sentenced next week.