Anti-terror strategy 'flawed'

Britain could suffer a September 11 style attack by al Qaeda because of serious flaws in the Government's anti-terrorism policy, according to a confidential new report.

The Unicorn Project, commissioned by a group of major institutions and businesses to assess the terrorist threat, condemned the Government's antiterrorism policy as "unco-ordinated, condescending, outdated and incoherent".

A team of security analysts lead by Major Gen John Holmes, a former commanding officer of the SAS, produced a damning 63-page report detailing a number of failures.

The initial objective of the report was to find out how business in London could help the counter-terrorism effort and how best to maintain security in Britain's commercial centres.

But after a seven-month investigation, where personnel from more than 180 private companies, government departments and security agencies were spoken to, it concluded that the Government's policy lacked leadership and direction and had failed to impart any worthwhile message to both the public and commerce.