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Sharm el-Sheikh terror plot foiled: Police arrest five jihadists planning massacre of British holidaymakers

03 November 2012 07:48 (UTC +04:00)

Five jihadists were caught by Egyptian police as they collected pistols, rifles and rocket-propelled grenades for a Mumbai-style assault. It is thought the slaughter of tourists in the Egyptian resort was to take place in the run-up to Christmas. Anti-terrorist cops held the suspects near the border with Gaza on Friday as they took weapons to a safe house in Egypt. The arrests come after an appeal by al-Qaeda leader Ayman Zawahiri for jihadists worldwide to attack and kidnap Westerners in a new wave of violence. It is believed the attack could have been similar to the one in Mumbai, India, in 2008 when rampaging terrorists killed 164 people. Last night a security source revealed: â€œThere are increasing fears that Zawahiri is demanding more attacks on civilian areas with a focus on Americans and Brits. â€œBritish security is pretty good these days so al-Qaeda is turning its attention to the softer target of British tourists who are holidaying abroad.â€