Police arrested a Venezuelan man carrying a live hand grenade at Britain’s Gatwick Airport Thursday and beefed up security measures amid government fears that London and Washington could be targeted by al Qaeda. In the United States, anti-aircraft missiles protected the Pentagon — a target in the September 11, 2001, attacks — and F-16 fighters were placed on 24-hour alert near Washington. Police circled New York’s Grand Central Station, stopping and searching vans while extra police patrolled streets. In London, British police said they had arrested the 37-year-old Venezuelan man under anti-terror laws. He was being held overnight in a city center police station. Airport authorities suspended flights from Gatwick’s North terminal for more than four hours and were trying to clear a backlog of departures after reopening it at 12:45 p.m. EST. British Airways canceled their Friday departure to the Venezuelan capital Caracas, the starting point for the flight carrying the man with the grenade. His flight also stopped in Colombia and Barbados and it was unclear where he boarded it. Full Story
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