BBC television centre evacuated in terror scare
22 Aug 2006 by D Billingham
Britain's terror alarm was once more falsely raised last night, with BBC staff bearing the brunt of the panic on this occasion amid a chaotic evacuation of the corporation's headquarters.The suspect who sparked the scare has been named as Home Secretary John Reid, who was being quizzed in the Newsnight studio. Ironically, Dr Reid was answering questions on the threat of terrorism when his behaviour began to draw suspicion from members of the programme's crew. Sound technician Gregory T Mullet told DeadBrain how he had observed with colleagues as Dr Reid answered a question on whether British foreign policy had exacerbated the global risk of terrorism "hesitantly and extremely defensively".
"Much of his speech was incoherent and illogical. We couldn't fail to notice his increasingly profuse sweating, and I believe at this point the guys started chatting to each other about how this befitted the behaviour typical of a would-be terrorist," claimed Mullet.
It is believed the vigilant crew then intervened to restrain the suspect and a tannoy announcement ordered all non-essential staff and visitors to leave the BBC's buildings while anti-terrorist police were called. A raid on the suspect's London home was said to have yielded two tubes of toothpaste, anti-verruca cream and twelve pounds of fabric conditioner, all of which could have been mixed to create deadly explosives. Yet there was confusion surrounding the fate of the suspect as DeadBrain went to press; initially Scotland Yard had released a statement claiming they were satisfied Dr Reid was not a terrorist and would be released without charge, but it appears that the Anti-Terrorist Branch were ordered at the behest of acting Prime Minister John Prescott to detain the suspect for the standard 28-day period.
The Chairman of the British Council of Sweaty Persons meanwhile appealed for greater understanding and tolerance to be shown towards chronic sweaters. Douglas Ramsbottom said that while his organisation condemned terrorism in all its forms, "profuse sweating at times of nervousness, under extreme heat and during exercise is a way of life for millions of Britons, despite the outlandish claims of deodorant marketing."
