BRITAIN:British home secretary Jacqui Smith wins praise for her calm response to the attacks, but a 90-day detention plan will be divisive, writes Frank Millar, London Editor
Police were last night holding eight people - seven in the UK, one reportedly abroad - as forensic and DNA evidence coupled with mobile telephone and car recognition technology accelerated their investigation into the failed car bombings in London and Glasgow.
Although home secretary Jacqui Smith refused to disclose details, it is understood two of the eight are doctors - one of whom reportedly trained in Iraq, the other in Jordan.
In a statement to MPs, Ms Smith confirmed that six people had been arrested, while another suspect "of interest" to the police remained in a critical condition in the Royal Alexandra Hospital with acute burns incurred during the Glasgow airport attack.
The three arrested in England are at Paddington Green station in London. Police have been granted permission to continue questioning them until Saturday.
At Westminster yesterday there was cross-party congratulation for Ms Smith's "calm" and "dignified" response to the security crisis, coupled with relief on Labour's benches at 10 Downing Street's assurance there would be "no rush" to legislation in response to it.
No Northern Ireland MPs were present to contribute to the exchanges on Ms Smith's emergency Commons statement, during which she thanked the Scottish Executive and its officials for their co-operation in response to what she called a "pan-UK threat".
The Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and nationalist parties reacted positively to Ms Smith's assurance that she would proceed with a new anti-terrorism Bill, probably in the autumn, by way of extensive consultation with other parties and communities outside parliament.
However, the first cracks in the "consensus" appeared last night as Conservative shadow home secretary David Davis insisted the evidence still suggested his party was right to oppose moves to allow police to hold terror suspects for up to 90 days. Mr Davis was responding to a suggestion by Lord Carlile, the government's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, that a "mechanism" might be found to allow police to hold some suspects beyond the present 28 days provided the system was subject to proper judicial supervision.
Ms Smith updated MPs on the events linking the discovery of the London car bombs and that at Glasgow airport, and praised the courage of the bomb disposal experts who manually disabled the first "viable device" which could otherwise have led to "significant" loss of life.
Ms Smith disclosed that searches had been carried out at 19 locations, and that police had responded immediately with high visibility patrols, including armed response vehicles and increased physical protection at airport terminals.
The home secretary also revealed the scale of the task confronting Britain's police, security and emergency services, confirming that over recent months counter-terrorism advisers had given advice to a range of "crowded places", including 450 major sporting venues and about 400 large shopping centres.
"Terrorism is a threat to us all," said Ms Smith in a distinctly competent first appearance at the dispatch box. "Terrorists are criminals, whose victims come from all walks of life, communities and religions.
"Terrorists attack the values that are shared by all law-abiding citizens. As a government, as communities, as individuals, we need to ensure that the message of the terrorists is rejected."
Ms Smith welcomed "the strong messages of condemnation" heard through the weekend from community leaders across the country, vowing: "It is through our unity that the terrorists will eventually be defeated."
Mr Davis praised the "calmness and dignity" with which the new home secretary had responded to the situation, adding that this was a day for unity and not criticism. However, he questioned why the national threat assessment level had not been raised after warnings from the Joint Terrorist Analysis Centre that there was a high risk of attack during the handover from Tony Blair to Mr Brown.
Lord Carlile told the BBC the latest attacks gave weight to arguments in favour of extending the 28-day limit and for control orders for terror suspects to be toughened up.
He said civil liberties groups would have to "wake up to the reality of the situation".
Mr Brown is expected to make his delayed statement on constitutional reform today.