British Transport Police to be armed

Armed police are to be allowed on trains, stations and the London underground to deter the threat of a terrorist attack, according to The Daily Telegraph on Friday.

Plans agreed with Home Secretary Theresa May to arm the British Transport Police (BTP) will be announced by Transport Secretary Philip Hammond next week, the paper said.

The BTP, which protects the rail, tube and urban metro system, has 2,900 officers and the proposals involve giving around 100 of them firearms training.

They will be deployed at stations and will occasionally be seen travelling on the London Underground, although they will also have a fleet of armed response vehicles.

The Telegraph said the move stems from MI5 warnings that al Qaeda could be planning further attacks in Britain following intelligence found in Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan.

Security officials are particularly concerned about the possibility of an attack like that in November 2008 in Mumbai when gunmen attacked hotels and the city's main railway stations, killing nearly 200 people.

No comment was immediately available from the transport police.