LONDON — Security officials Wednesday said a terror plot to wage Mumbai-style shooting sprees or other attacks in Britain, France and Germany is still active and that recent CIA drone strikes in Pakistan were aimed at al-Qaeda operatives suspected in the threat.
The plot was still in its early stages and not considered serious enough to raise the terror threat level, officials said. Still, the Eiffel Tower in Paris was briefly evacuated Tuesday — the second time in two weeks because of an unspecified threat — and French police were on alert.
A heavy police presence was seen Wednesday around Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square and Big Ben. Victoria Station was briefly evacuated after an unusual smell was reported.
“This plot was in its embryonic stages,” a British government official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. He said the plot had preoccupied the security community more than other recent threats but did not merit changing the security threat level from severe to critical.
Some details about the plot came from Ahmed Siddiqui, a German citizen of Afghan background captured in Afghanistan in July, a U.S. official said.
Intelligence authorities used National Security Agency wiretaps to flesh out details, U.S. officials said, and while a Mumbai-style shooting spree was one possibility, there was no concrete plan. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the plot.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday told reporters the U.S. was working closely with its European allies, but she declined to provide specifics.
