London Olympics Terror Threat: 'Flight Ban' for al-Qaeda Boss

Britain has banned an al-Qaeda chief from all flights bound for the UK in view of a potential terror threat to London Olympics.

In view of intelligence inputs which warned that Sami Mohamed Ali al-Fadli, 20, may launch an attack either on a UK location or on an aircraft bound for the country, Home Secretary Theresa May ordered the ban on the terror suspect. Accordingly, Fadli is being banned from boarding all UK-bound flights.

Officials also fear that Fadli, who is thought to be in Yemen, might launch a suicide bomb attack on an aircraft on-flight, according to the Sun. "This man is regarded as a very real threat. Information about him indicates that he could also be in a position to influence and lead others," the paper quoted a British intelligence official as saying.

Officials have become suspicious of Fadli's dubious whereabouts, especially in the wake of warnings of a potential al-Qaeda threat to the London Games. Fadli, who lived in Britain for some time, was initially believed to be a Kuwaiti national. But suspicions arose later after it emerged the he could be hailing from Iraq. Officials have also failed to trace any of his close relatives in the UK, the Sun report said.

An intelligence source told the paper: "This man is deemed to pose a significant threat. While here he linked up with other extremists. The security services concluded that his presence was not conducive to the public good. A major concern is that an attack could be attempted here or on an aircraft travelling here.

"As a result, action has been taken to exclude him from Britain. His name has been added to the no-fly list and the list for pre-departure flight checks. His leave to remain has been withdrawn and his travel documents revoked."

Passenger details on flights will now be digitally scanned for the name of Fadli, who became the second terror suspect to face a flight ban order after Algerian Reda Masouf, 18.