Authorities in the UK now have eight people held in connection with the recent terror activities and the related investigation.

An eighth person has been arrested in connection with car bomb attacks on Glasgow Airport and London, Scotland Yard said.

The man was arrested at an undisclosed location and is currently being held in custody, police said. Seven others, including one woman, have already been arrested as part of the “fast-moving” inquiry.

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Here is a roundup on the latest news and reaction to the terrorist attacks in London and Glasgow.

UPDATE 12:15 Eastern:

The U.S. is adding more air marshals on flights to Europe.

The U.S. is adding air marshals to overseas flights because of concerns about potential terrorism threats originating in Britain and Europe, the homeland security chief said Sunday.

[...]

The U.S. increased the number of air marshals on flights between the United States and Europe last August and stepped up the pace over the past few months, Chertoff said. Last August, British police foiled an alleged plot by Muslim extremists to use liquid explosives to blow up as many as 10 flights between the United States and Britain.

“We haven’t singled out Glasgow until a couple of days ago as a particular location for focus, but there has been a strategy of mixing up the deployment of these air marshals, sometimes more in one destination, sometimes more in another destination,” he said.

“Going forward, we will be doing some enhanced air marshal work and similar types of activities with respect to U.K. travel.”

While some may paint this as over reaction, it is, regardless of the somewhat humorous outcome, a correct response.

Authorities found a suspicious package and evacuated the American Airlines terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Sunday, but the package proved harmless, officials said.

The package was found on the curb at 10:20 a.m., said Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The NYPD bomb squad determined there was no danger, he said.

“It turned out to be a package containing cologne,” Coleman said.

Terminal operations at JFK are back to normal.

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U.K. police make 5th terror arrest

Police searched several houses near Glasgow International Airport on Sunday in connection with a fiery attack on its main terminal and a foiled car bomb plot in London, and police arrested a fifth suspect in the case.

Britain’s new prime minister, Gordon Brown, said the country was dealing with terrorists associated with al-Qaida. And Lord Stevens, Brown’s new terrorism adviser, said the two attacks in Britain indicate that “al-Qaida has imported the tactics of Baghdad and Bali to the streets of the UK.”

Four suspects were in police custody Sunday — and a fifth man was under guard in hospital — after a flaming Jeep crashed into a Scottish airport on Saturday and two car bomb plots were foiled in central London on Friday.

Here at home, U.S. tightens security at some airports

U.S. airports and mass transit systems will tighten security in response to apparent terrorist incidents in Britain, the Bush administration said Saturday.

The United States, however, is not raising its terror alert status, President Bush’s spokesman and the Homeland Security secretary said. “There is no indication of any specific or credible threat to the United States — no change in the overall security level,” Tony Snow told reporters in Maine.

Britain raised its security alert to the highest level possible, an indication that terrorist attacks are imminent.

Acting out of “an abundance of caution” during the upcoming Fourth of July holidays, Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff said the government is putting in place plans to increase security at airports, on mass transit and at transportation facilities.

I will update if there are any new developments.

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If you have been reading the various news accounts of the current terror plot then you probably read this quote:

Hannah Pillinger, 24, seemed less concerned by the announcement. “Eight hours without an iPod, that’s the most inconvenient thing,” she said, waiting at the Manchester airport.

Uh, no Hannah. Having your whinney butt blown out of the sky would probably top that.

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I’ll be updating this throughout the day. Here are some early quotes:

William Teach (Pirates Cove) — “If one has to wake up and hear the radio blaring out about terrorism, it’s good that it is because it was stopped, not because the attack was successful.”

James Joyner (Outside The Beltway) — “Thankfully, the plot was disrupted and the intelligence (or so we’re told) indicates that a backup attack was not planned for. Still, the new countermeasures will further disrupt the economy, especially the fragile air travel industry.”

John Hawkins (Right Wing News) — “There’s a lesson here. Just because the Democrats are tired of fighting the war on terror doesn’t mean that the terrorists feel the same way.”

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Coffee makes us severe, and grave, and philosophical. ~ Jonathan Swift

In The Bullpen (Chad Evans) Brits Foil Airplane Bomb Plot Involving Six Planes — “British authorities have foiled what is described as a “major threat” by British Home Secretary John Reid. The plot was to carry bombs in handbags on board 20 airplanes destined for the U.S. from England and detonate the explosives over both British and American cities. Sky News is reporting the explosives involved “liquid chemical devices” that would make detection nearly impossible.”

My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy (Beth) British police bust a major terror plot – “bigger than 9/11″ — “Obviously I can’t add anything right now, except to say CAN WE PLEASE dispense with the PC bull**** and start actually doing criminal profiling? Can we PLEASE start getting tough with air passenger restrictions, like they do in Israel?”

Wizbang (Lorie Byrd) UK Police Thwart Massive Terror Plot — “On MSNBC an expert being interviewed made the point that the amount of explosives necessary to bring down a plane is quite small and the components, many liquid, could be easily disguised as cosmetics or other items, such as drinks, that are normally allowed on flights. The point was made that the shoe bomber’s bomb was small enough to fit into a shoe.” [The post contains many updates and links to other sources. Read the whole thing. Jim]

Hot Air (Allahpundit) Breaking: Scotland Yard busts “major plot” to blow up airplane (Update: A dozen planes?) — [Read all the updates and links. Jim]

Iowa Voice (Brian) Major Terrorism Bust — “Now, ask yourselves this: what happens to this country if we elect the anti-war Democrats to the House and Senate?

I shudder to think….”

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