Western intelligence officials think they may have uncovered an al-Qaida plot to stage Mumbai-style terrorist attacks against London, Paris and Berlin. The attacks (which were reportedly to have been carried out by British Muslims training with al-Qaida) were in the final stage of preparation. A combined operation involving U.S., British, French and German intelligence agencies was key to derailing the plot.
After learning of plans to carry out the attacks, the U.S. military launched a series of drone strikes against aimed at leaders of the plot in North Waziristan. The territory is part of Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas, a region of the country that has long been a base for al-Qaida and other jihadists.
Information about the plot may have come from a German terrorist suspect known only as Ahmad S., who was detained while attempting to fly from Kabul to Europe. The suspect is reportedly a member of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, an al-Qaida-linked terror group which has recently stepped up efforts to attract new recruits in Germany.