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WASHINGTON - The United States issued its highest terrorism alert for commercial flights from Britain and raised security for all air travel Thursday after a major terror plot was foiled in London. The Bush administration said the scheme was “suggestive of an al-Qaida plot.”

“We were really getting quite close to the execution phase,” said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

Heightened security measures quickly produced long lines at airport checkpoints as the government banned passengers from carrying nearly all liquids and gels aboard flights. The ban extended to toothpaste, makeup and suntan lotion. Baby formula and medicines were exempted.

U.S. counterterrorism officials said the alleged plotters envisioned blowing up multiple aircraft using bomb components brought on board in benign state and combined once the planes were aloft.

These officials described a threat aimed at United, American and Continental Air Lines, and flights to the major summer tourist destinations of New York, Washington and California.

Virginia’s deputy homeland security director, Steven Mondul, said that in a morning conference call, federal officials pointed to New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport, Los Angeles International and Dulles Airport outside Washington as “major destinations for flights originating from the United Kingdom.” No specific warnings were issued for these facilities, he added.

Severe risk of attack
The decision to raise the threat level for flights from Britain to “red,” indicated a severe risk of terrorist attacks. The change requires airlines to give the government in advance the names of all passengers aboard planes headed to the United States from Britain. Currently, the names must be provided within 15 minutes of take-off.

National Guard troops activated
In addition to the federal government, state and local authorities responded to word of a foiled plot.

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney announced plans to activate National Guard troops to help with security at Boston’s Logan Airport for the first time since the terrorist attacks of 2001.

In Miami, police officers who normally come to work in plain clothes were told to don their uniforms. The subway system in the Washington D.C. area got a security upgrade, too, in the form of an increased police presence in and around stations.

Federal officials released few details of the reported plot, first made public by authorities in Britain.

Chertoff said there was no indication of plotting in the United States but said officials cannot assume that the terror operation in Britain had been completely thwarted. He said the plot appeared to be engineered by al-Qaida, the terrorist group that carried out the Sept. 11, 2001, attack against the United States.

“It was sophisticated, it had a lot of members and it was international in scope,” said Chertoff, who spoke at a news conference also attended by Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez and FBI Director Robert Mueller. “It was in some respects suggestive of an al-Qaida plot.”

He added, however, that “because the investigation is still under way we cannot yet form a definitive conclusion.”

Gonzales said the operation could “potentially kill hundreds of innocent people.” Britain said 21 people had been arrested, including the alleged “main players” in the plot.

‘Bojinka’
One aviation security expert, Douglas Laird, said the foiled plot eerily resembled a 1994-1995 plan code-named “Bojinka” that Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed had overseen to blow up 11 airliners simultaneously.

In that plot, al-Qaida sympathizers had planned to mix liquid explosives undetectable by most security equipment, smuggle them aboard planes in a contact lens solution bottle and then set them off using a Casio watch as a trigger, FBI documents show.

“I’m surprised they’ve waited that long to try this, 10 or 11 years, when the current system still has no way to detect such liquid explosives,” said Laird.

At the news conference in Washington, Mueller also pointed at al-Qaida. “This had the earmarks of an al-Qaida plot,” he said.

The alleged plot was “as sophisticated as any we have seen in recent years as far as terrorism is concerned,” Chertoff said.

‘A real threat’
There were no commercial passenger planes in the air from Britain to the United States when the red alert was issued, FAA Administrator Marion Blakey said. She said three cargo planes aloft from London — two Lufthansa and one UPS plane — were allowed to continue because the threat was focused on passenger planes.

The U.S. Northern Command, the military headquarters established in response to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, was “monitoring and ... a little bit more vigilant today,” said spokesman Michael Kucharek, declining to be more specific.

“I’m not going to say it’s business as usual,” he said. “We’re looking at all sources of information — this is a real threat to the nation.”

The plot was not believed to be connected to a group of Egyptian students who disappeared in the United States more than a week ago before reaching a college they were supposed to attend in Montana. Several of the 11 have since been found, although the FBI has said none of the group is believed to be a threat.

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LONDON - British authorities said Thursday they thwarted a terrorist plot to simultaneously blow up nine aircraft heading to the U.S. using explosives smuggled in hand luggage, averting what police described as “mass murder on an unimaginable scale.”

Police arrested 21 people, saying they were confident they captured the main suspects in what U.S. officials said was a plot in its final phases that had all the earmarks of an al-Qaida operation. President Bush called it a “stark reminder” of the continued threat to the United States from extremist Muslims.

Little was disclosed about those arrested, although one police official indicated they are British residents. A French official in contact with British authorities described the 21 as originating from predominantly Muslim Pakistan.

Officials raised security to its highest level in Britain — suggesting a terrorist attack might be imminent — and banned carry-on luggage on all flights. Huge crowds backed up at security barriers at London’s Heathrow airport as officials searching for explosives barred nearly every form of liquid outside of baby formula.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the terrorists planned to use liquid explosives disguised as beverages and other common products and set them off with detonators disguised as electronic devices.

NBC News’ Robert Windrem has learned each plane would have multiple plotters on board, each carrying a component of the bomb that would then be combined in flight.

Alerts raised worldwide
The extreme measures at a major international aviation hub sent ripples throughout the world. Heathrow was closed to most flights from Europe, and British Airways canceled all its flights between the airport and points in Britain, Europe and Libya. Numerous flights from U.S. cities to Britain were canceled.

Washington raised its threat alert to its highest level for commercial flights from Britain to the United States amid fears the plot had not been completely crushed. The alert for all flights coming or going from the United States was also raised slightly.

Two U.S. counterterrorism officials said the terrorists had targeted United, American and Continental airlines. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.

A U.S. intelligence official said the plotters had hoped to target flights to major airports in New York, Washington and California.

British Home Secretary John Reid said the 21 people were arrested in London, its suburbs and Birmingham following a lengthy investigation, including the alleged “main players” in the plot. Searches continued in a number of locations.

The British Broadcasting Corp. said police were evacuating homes in High Wycombe, a town 30 miles northwest of London, near one of the houses being searched. Police refused to confirm the report or to discuss any details of the searches.

‘Stark reminder’
Bush said during a visit to Green Bay, Wis., that the thwarted plot was a “stark reminder that this nation is at war with Islamic fascists.” Despite increased security since Sept. 11, he warned, “It is a mistake to believe there is no threat to the United States of America.”

While British officials declined to publicly identify the 21 suspects, French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy said in Paris that they “appear to be of Pakistani origin.” He did not give a source for his description, but said French officials had been in close contact with British authorities.

The suspects were “homegrown,” though it was not immediately clear if they were all British citizens, said a British police official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case. Police were working closely with the South Asian community, the official said.

The suicide bombing assault on London subway trains and a bus on July 7, 2005, was carried out by Muslim extremists who grew up in Britain.

The police official said the plotters intended to simultaneously target multiple planes bound for the United States.

“We think this was an extraordinarily serious plot and we are confident that we’ve prevented an attempt to commit mass murder on an unimaginable scale,” Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Stephenson said.

First time red alert status invoked
Prime Minister Tony Blair, vacationing in the Caribbean, briefed Bush on the situation overnight. Blair issued a statement praising the cooperation between the two countries, saying it “underlines the threat we face and our determination to counter it.”

White House spokesman Tony Snow said Bush also had been briefed by his aides while at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, where he has been on vacation.

“We do believe the plot involved flights from the U.K. to the U.S. and was a direct threat to the United States,” Snow said.

While Snow called the plot a serious threat, he assured Americans that “it is safe to travel.”

Chertoff, the homeland security chief, said the plot had the hallmarks of an operation planned by al-Qaida, the terrorist group behind the Sept. 11 attack on the United States.

“It was sophisticated, it had a lot of members and it was international in scope. It was in some respects suggestive of an al-Qaida plot,” Chertoff said, but he cautioned it was too early in the investigation to reach any conclusions.

It is the first time the red alert level in the Homeland Security warning system has been invoked, although there have been brief periods in the past when the orange level was applied. Homeland Security defines the red alert as designating a “severe risk of terrorist attacks.”

“We believe that these arrests (in London) have significantly disrupted the threat, but we cannot be sure that the threat has been entirely eliminated or the plot completely thwarted,” Chertoff said.

He added, however, there was no indication of current plots within the United States.

‘Close to the execution phase’
Chertoff said the plotters were in the final stages of planning. “We were really getting quite close to the execution phase,” he said, adding that it was unclear if the plot was linked to the upcoming fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

A senior U.S. counterterrorism official said authorities believe dozens of people — possibly as many as 50 — were involved in the plot. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.

The plan involved airline passengers hiding masked explosives in carry-on luggage, the official said. “They were not yet sitting on an airplane,” but were very close to traveling, the official said, calling the plot “the real deal.”

Passengers in Britain faced delays as tighter security was hastily enforced at the country’s airports and additional measures were put in place for all flights. Laptop computers, mobile phones, iPods, and remote controls were among the items banned from being carried on board.

Liquids, such as hair care products, were also barred on flights in both Britain and the U.S.

In the mid-1990s, officials foiled a plan by terrorist mastermind Ramzi Youssef to blow up 12 Western jetliners simultaneously over the Pacific. The alleged plot involved improvised bombs using liquid hidden in contact lens solution containers.

Traveling woes
Huge lines formed at ticket counters and behind security barriers at Heathrow and other airports in Britain.

Ed Lappen, 55, a businessman from Boston, who was traveling with his wife and daughter to Russia, found himself unable to travel further. “We’re safe, we’re OK,” he said at Heathrow. “Now my daughter is going to get a shopping trip in London.”

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.

Most European carriers canceled flights to Heathrow because of the massive delays created after authorities enforced strict new regulations banning most hand baggage.

Tony Douglas, Heathrow’s managing director, said the airport hoped to resume normal operations Friday, but passengers would still face delays and a ban on cabin baggage “for the foreseeable future.”

Security also was stepped up at train stations serving airports across Britain, said British Transport Police spokeswoman Jan O’Neill. At London’s Victoria Station, police patrolled platforms with bomb-sniffing dogs as passengers boarded trains carrying clear plastic bags.

Margaret Gavin, 67, waiting to board a train, said she wasn’t scared. “Why should I change my life because some idiots want to blow something up?” she said.

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GREEN BAY, Wis. - President Bush said Thursday that a plot to blow up multiple flights between Britain and the United States shows “this nation is at war with Islamic fascists.”

“This country is safer than it was prior to 9-11,” Bush said from the airport tarmac here where he was appearing at events focused on the economy. “We’ve taken a lot of measures to protect the American people but obviously we’re not completely safe. ... It is a mistake to believe there is no threat to the United States of America.”

The president laid the blame for the would-be attack squarely on al-Qaida-type terrorism.

“This nation is at war with Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our nation,” he said, his remarks carried live on television.

Bush’s spokesman had earlier declared “it is safe to travel.” The president urged Americans to be patient with the many inconveniences that will result from the increased threat level that the plot prompted him to approve.

While on vacation at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, over the last several days, Bush has been fully informed of the investigations that led to the arrest of 21 people in Britain who are accused of being involved in the plan. Officials said involved the plot involved explosives smuggled on board flights in hand luggage.

Terror level raised
White House press secretary Tony Snow said Bush on Wednesday approved raising the threat level for all flights from Britain to red, designating a severe risk of terrorist attacks. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and the Homeland Security Council also recommended that all other flights be put under an orange alert, one step below the highest level, and the president approved that as well.

“We do believe the plot involved flights from the U.K. to the U.S. and was a direct threat to the United States,” Snow said.

“You can’t go overboard when you’re trying to save lives,” Snow added, speaking to reporters traveling with Bush on Air Force One en route to Wisconsin.

Because Bush had been getting regular briefings on the developments, Snow said the president was not awakened overnight as action by British authorities was made public.

He and British Prime Minister Tony Blair held a lengthy teleconference on the matter Sunday and spoke again Wednesday by phone, Snow said.

“There were some signs,” Snow said. “They thought it was time to move,” he said of British authorities.

Bush called the cooperation between British and U.S. officials “solid” and “excellent.”

After the remarks, Bush was keeping to his plans to highlight the economy during a tour and speech at a metal plant and to attend a Republican fundraiser.

“This is an ongoing investigation that will play out over several days and weeks,” Snow said. “We will constantly evaluate the nature of the threat and adjust our measures.”

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The plot had been in the works for months, and its goal was horrific. One after another, planes would have exploded in the sky, sending hundreds of men, women and children to their deaths.

Counterterrorism officials said Thursday the plan thwarted in London appears to bear the fingerprints of al-Qaida, and may even have been “the Big One” they have been dreading since Sept. 11, 2001, particularly as the five-year anniversary of the attacks on the United States approaches.

More than 20 people have been arrested, terror threat levels have been raised to some of their highest levels and hundreds of flights have been canceled worldwide.

“In terms of scale, it was probably designed to be ... a new Sept. 11,” said Jean-Charles Brisard, a French private investigator who works with lawyers of many Sept. 11 victims. “It involved the same tools, the same transportation tools and devices.”

Rohan Gunaratna, a terrorism expert at Singapore’s Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies, said everything known so far points to involvement by Osama bin Laden’s terror group.

“It is a classic al-Qaida tactic. It is a hallmark of al-Qaida to carry out coordinated, simultaneous attacks and the aviation domain is certainly known to al-Qaida,” he said.

Al-Qaida earmarks
FBI Director Robert Mueller echoed those sentiments, saying: “This had the earmarks of an al-Qaida plot.” U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff added that the plan was “sophisticated, it had a lot of members and it was international in scope.”

There have been dozens of thwarted plots around the world since the Sept. 11 attacks, and several were murderously successful. Suicide bombers killed 52 people in London on July 7, 2005, 58 in two attacks in Istanbul, Turkey in 2003, and 202 in Bali in 2002. Islamic radicals killed 191 people in Madrid on March 11, 2004, then blew themselves up days later as police closed in.

While al-Qaida’s call for global jihad clearly acted as inspiration, there has been no direct evidence that bin Laden or his No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahri, had advance knowledge of those attacks, that they helped plan them, or that they provided financial or logistical help to those who carried them out.

The group’s failure to match the destruction it inflicted on Sept. 11 has led to speculation that a global dragnet that has forced bin Laden into hiding and ensnared many of his most trusted deputies may have degraded al-Qaida’s abilities.

Analysts said Thursday that is a theory to be believed only at the world’s peril.

‘This was really serious’
The plan thwarted by the British had the potential to dwarf the attacks of recent years — killing hundreds, perhaps thousands.

It also appears to have involved far more extensive planning and expertise.

Counterterrorism agents have been tracking the alleged plotters for months and made arrests in London and its suburbs, as well as in Birmingham, England. A British police official said the suspects appeared to be “homegrown,” though it was not immediately clear if they were all British citizens.

Magnus Ranstorp, a terrorism expert at Sweden’s Center for Asymmetric Threat Studies who has done extensive research on al-Qaida’s recruiting efforts in Europe, said the foiled plot in Britain “could very well have been an attempt at ’the Big One.”’

He warned against doubting the gravity of the threat.

“This was really serious. Police have no reason to play politics. I think one should take what they say very seriously,” he said.

Official: Subway attacks in comparison ‘child’s play’
Andrea Nativi, a researcher at the Rome-based Military Center for Strategic Studies, said the plot resembled the Sept. 11 attacks in ambition and was entirely different in scope from other terror schemes of recent years.

“By comparison, the London subway attacks look like child’s play,” he said.

Rodolfo Mendoza, a police intelligence official in the Philippines, said the “modus operandi” is the same as al-Qaida has used in the past — and he should know.

Mendoza was among the law enforcement officers involved in thwarting a scheme by al-Qaida terror mastermind Ramzi Yousef to use liquid explosives to blow up a dozen airliners in 1995 as they flew across the Pacific to U.S. destinations, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu and New York.

Like al-Qaida’s decade-long effort to bring down the World Trade Center in New York, first in 1993 and then, disastrously, in 2001, the latest plot to blow up commercial airliners reveals the group’s unwavering resolve, Mendoza said.

“These people are obsessed,” he said. “They will try and try and try again to accomplish their mission.