1081

April 11 - 17 2012 No. 1081

THE WEEKLY WORLD EDITION OF The Daily Telegraph AND The Sunday Telegraph telegraph.co.uk/expat

The Telegraph

TOP-NOTCH VICTORY Win sees England keep No1 ranking

:: SPORT PAGE 44

Opening up GeorgeOsborne says: ‘I will reveal mytaxreturn’ :: NEWS P2

By Robert Winnett AMERICAN spy agencies refused to give Britain’s intelligence services full details of a “Mumbai-style” terrorist plot in this country because they feared that topsecret sources would be exposed.

The CIA warned MI6 that al-Qaeda was planning an attack 18 months ago, but withheld detailed information because of concerns it would be released by British courts.

British intelligence agencies were subsequently forced to carry out their own investigations, according to Whitehall sources.

Several potential terrorists were identified with links to a wider European plot, but it is still not known whether the British authorities have uncovered the full extent of the threat.

The breakdown in relations came after the release of US intelligence in the case of Binyam Mohamed, a former

;EPA

IMAGES

GETTY

Shock and oar Protester in river stops Boat Race

By Patrick Sawer and Edward Malnick

Guantánamo Bay detainee who took legal action over his incarceration. The Government was subsequently forced to pay millions in compensation to him and other detainees.

Conservative ministers are proposing to establish a system of “secret justice” in the Justice and Security Green Paper to allow sensitive intelligence to be heard in British courts behind closed doors, but are facing mounting opposition from the Liberal Democrats.

The row over the secret justice plans has coincided with growing concerns over proposals to allow the authorities to monitor social media websites and other new forms of web-based communication of all British citizens. It is estimated the cost will be £200 million a year.

The Telegraph understands that Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Metropolitan Police

Continued on page 2

FIRST, Sir Matthew Pinsent, the former Olympic rower, thought he saw debris in the water.

Then he and the hundreds of people watching on the banks of the river on Saturday thought it must be a dog swimming towards the Oxford and Cambridge boats as they sped past Chiswick on a choppy Thames.

But when he realised that it was a bearded man in a wetsuit who was heading straight for Oxford’s vessel, he desperately signalled to stop the Boat Race, eight minutes after it had begun.

Staring from the water at Sir Matthew, the assistant umpire, was Trenton Oldfield, 35, an Australian activist who was trying to publicise his bizarre manifesto.

As the two crews stopped, the oars inches from Mr Oldfield’s head, officials dragged him out of the water and on to another launch. Minutes later, wrapped in a blanket and grinning broadly, Mr Oldfield was led away by police. Sgt Chris Tranter, of the Metropolitan Police, said the rowers had nearly decapitated the swimmer.

His protest was the most bizarre moment in the 158 years

Drama as protester Trenton Oldfield stops the race (top) and is then arrested (above)

of the Boat Race, which had previously seen six sinkings and one restart. Oxford were a quarter of a length in the lead when Mr Oldfield brought the four-and-a-quarter mile race to a standstill.

Shortly after the race was restarted, just before 3pm, Oxford suffered a broken oar, apparently caused when they clashed with the Cambridge boat. Handicapped by their broken blade, which meant they had only seven oarsmen able to row, Oxford, who had been favourites,

went on to limp in second. At the end of the race, Oxford’s bow man, Dr Alexander Woods, 27, collapsed and had to be lifted from the boat by medical staff. He was taken to Charing Cross Hospital, west London, and was discharged the following day.

Oxford coach Sean Bowden said: “You can only imagine the desperation Alex must have been in with only six crew mates left, and that’s probably how he ended up pushing himself beyond his limits.”

Shortly before taking to the water, Mr Oldfield, who was educated privately at Sydney C of E Grammar School before studying at the London School of Economics, posted a manifesto online, giving his reasons for the stunt. Entitled “Elitism Leads to Tyranny”, it declared: “This is a protest, an act of civil disobedience, a methodology of refusing and resistance. This act has employed guerrilla tactics.”

Mr Oldfield’s actions are being studied by the organisers of the Olympics, as there are concerns about the security of “open” events such as the cycle road races and the marathons, which could be targeted by pranksters, as well as serious protesters and even terrorists.

Meet Yuka Ginger-haired mammoth reveals lost human history :: NEWS P6-7

Riot girl Millionaire’s daughter faces jail over looting :: NEWS P3

‘Sometimes I think he just sets out to shock’ UK in drought Report, page 3 Damian Hirst retrospective at Tate Modern Review, page 27