Authors: John Mannion
As the vehicle headed deeper into the establishment, windows in buildings on either side of the road shattered and walls were left pock-marked as the terrorists’ indiscriminate shots found their target. Several innocent workers going about their daily routine were left injured or killed in its wake.
Having left the nursery at 8.45am, Emma headed back down the establishment’s main road towards her office building, which was near the main gate. Ahead of her in the distance, she could see a large, white articulated truck waiting behind and towering above a car which was being waved through by the police officer at the main gate. As the car moved on, she heard the large vehicle’s engines begin to rev loudly, and the whoosh of escaping air as the brakes were released.
She saw the police officer taking a step back. Then she heard one loud bang, followed swiftly by another, which momentarily startled her. She then became aware that the police officers had crouched down, aiming their rifles at the truck. More bangs, which she now knew were gunfire, echoed. Then she saw the police firing their weapons at the passing vehicle. One of the police officers fell backwards; another officer spun round before falling. Several people who’d been standing in a group at the gate now lay scattered on the ground. Emma stood frozen to the spot for a moment, trying to make sense of the nightmarish scene unfolding before her eyes.
More loud bangs from gunfire brought her back to her senses. The truck was heading up the road in her direction, glass exploding in the windows of buildings as it passed them. She jumped into an open entrance and stood in a state of terror, waiting for the vehicle and the shooting to pass. The explosions of gunfire grew louder, as did the noise from the truck’s engine, as it continued its lethal journey.
Emma heard the sound of bullets, fizzing and pinging. She saw small pockets of dust coming from the wall to her front. Then all went blank. A ricocheting bullet struck Emma in the forehead. She died instantly!
Adam stood above his fallen colleague, staring at the now lifeless form for a moment. Then he looked round. It seemed there were bodies strewn everywhere. Alerted to the mayhem outside, the Duty Officer Inspector Jarvis and Sergeant Chambers, one of the shift sergeants, came rushing out of the police office. Inspector Jarvis instructed Sgt Chambers and Adam to pursue the truck.
Running to a parked police vehicle, they jumped in and, with blue lights flashing and sirens wailing, dashed down the road, past the carnage, in pursuit of the terrorists who had now disappeared from sight. Dead and wounded were left behind on the pathways like markers for them to follow. In their wake, employees and contractors rushed to assist in the tending of the wounded and dying.
Salim’s information had been correct. There were not enough police officers on duty to cope with the attack.
The establishment barriers were now closed. The Inspector had returned to the police control room, issuing instructions to the sergeant and constable inside as he picked up the red phone lying on a desk top. This was a direct link to the Gloucestershire Constabulary control room. While the Inspector held the emergency phone in his slightly, trembling hand, waiting for a response from the other end of the line, the Sergeant activated the power plant’s emergency terrorist attack siren and contacted the Director of the facility. The Constable, meanwhile, was alerting other officers on the ground over the police radio.
The truck continued on its destructive path, deeper into the complex heading for the reactor building. Shots continued to be fired indiscriminately from the trailer. Cars were shunted out of the way by the large vehicle; others mounted the pathway at its approach. More people fell wounded, some fatally. None understood what was happening around them.
Ahmed saw the concrete structures of the two Magnox reactors looming up ahead.
‘We’re at the reactor buildings,’ he yelled into his mobile phone. ‘Take a right down that road running along the fence,’ Ahmed gesticulated to Saqib.
Saqib responded by tugging the truck’s steering wheel hard down to the right. The truck lurched and rocked as it took the sharp corner, throwing the terrorists in the trailer to the floor.
‘Pull over there!’ yelled Ahmed as he pointed to a layby a few yards ahead. ‘Imran. You’re on!’
Inside the trailer, Imran grabbed the RPG launcher and quickly mounted the ladder to the hatch in the roof. Throwing open the hatch cover, his face was hit by a blast of cold air, momentarily taking his breath away. Recovering quickly, he swivelled round to the left and saw the concrete structures built around the reactors rearing up in front of him. He realised he would have to pull himself higher, to angle the weapon and avoid the risk of the missile hitting the fence. He was aware his heart was racing and, despite the bitter cold, he could feel sweat running down his back. There was a slight tremble in his hands. He braced himself, blocking out his emotions – not of fear, but excitement and anticipation. He could hear the sound of the establishment siren carried in the cold wind coming in from the estuary. Then he became aware of another sound – that of a fast approaching police vehicle.
Ahmed had instructed the other members of the cell to deploy from the vehicle and trailer, and take up defensive positions around the truck to give Imran covering fire. He saw the approaching police vehicle and instructed his team to open fire. The terrorists had a clear field of fire as the pursuing vehicle turned the corner.
Sergeant Chambers and Adam were heading in the direction of the reactor building at speed and were almost at its perimeter fence, when Chambers shouted in Adam’s ear, ‘There they are. To the right.’
He pointed at the same time instinctively, but there was no need. The truck was in plain view, parked up on the road running alongside the fence which surrounded the reactor. Adam, approaching the corner too fast, had to slam on the brakes in order to negotiate the bend, at the same time pulling down on the steering wheel.
The continuous report of the terrorists’ AK47s sounded loudly above the howl of the wind, and the bullets easily found their target in the soft metal of the police car. Adam heard a couple of loud bangs coming from his side of the car. At the same time he felt a sensation in his stomach. He passed out at that moment, mortally wounded, and slumped over the steering wheel as the vehicle careered out of control into the fence surrounding the reactor.
Sergeant Chambers was stunned momentarily after the vehicle slammed into the fence. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Adam’s motionless body draped over the steering wheel. He could see the front of the car pressed hard against the unyielding fence, and heard the thumping noises as the terrorists’ bullets continued to hit the now incapacitated police car. Pulling himself together, he threw the car door open, rolling himself out to take cover behind the vehicle. Positioned behind the vehicle in the blink of an eye, he peered out to assess the situation. In that second, he saw the terrorists’ truck parked in the layby, no more than 30 yards away. He noticed a figure on the roof of the trailer. Sgt Chambers announced into his radio:
‘Tango Hotel, one zero, to control. We have been hit by automatic arms fire. Officer down! Ambulance required! Terrorist vehicle stationary on Perimeter Road at reactor building.’
The police control room at the facility responded:
‘Tango Hotel, Tango Hotel, one zero, received. Will despatch assistance.’
In the control room the Inspector overheard the call and pondered for a moment how best to respond, given his overstretched and meagre resources.
The ringing of the red phone stopped Inspector Morris in his tracks as he was leaving the Gloucestershire Police control room. Turning, he stared at it for a moment, muttering:
‘This normally does a test call on a Wednesday morning.’
Striding across, he answered, ‘Gloucestershire Constabulary control room.’
The disembodied voice at the other end of the line responded:
‘Inspector Jarvis at Oldbury. Activate Operation Phoenix! Terrorist attack in progress! Requesting urgent assistance. Number of terrorists unknown at this time. This is not an exercise!’
Morris was sure the line went dead before he could respond, ‘Assistance on its way.’
Hanging up, he paused, aware that the normally buzzing control room had fallen silent. Turning around, he addressed the control room staff:
‘Listen in everyone! We have a terrorist attack in progress at Oldbury. Activate Operation Phoenix immediately. Despatch all available units to Oldbury and surrounding areas, as per the Phoenix Op plan.’
With that he strode across the room and removed the Phoenix Op Plan from a shelf. He then rang the Chief Constable. Others in the control room began despatching units to Oldbury, and recalling off-duty officers and designated civilian personnel. The other emergency services were also alerted.
Further afield, at the Headquarters of the Civil Nuclear Constabulary at Culham, Oxfordshire, the situation was even more alarming as the Force HQ was receiving reports from eight other nuclear power stations dotted around Britain. As well as Oldbury, Hunterston, Torness, Heysham, Hartlepool, Wylfa, Sizewell, Hinkley Point and Dungeness were all relaying that they, too, were under attack by terrorist groups. Being the first organisation to realise the extent of the attack and its implications, the CNC Chief Constable was already in communication with officials at the Home Office and the Energy Department.
The Prime Minister, on a visit to the North East, was informed of the situation and issued instructions for COBR (Cabinet Office Briefing Room) – the Government committee which meets at times of serious national crisis – to assemble. At the same time his aides were making arrangements to fly him immediately to London for the meeting, which would provide the strategic management of the situation and its aftermath.
At Oldbury, Imran took aim from the top of the trailer, with his shoulder-held Rocket Propelled Grenade Launcher, and fired at the concrete structure surrounding one of the reactors. The moment he squeezed the trigger there was a flash and a loud report, leaving the terrorist gunner enveloped in a cloud of smoke as the missile, armed with its PG-7VR bunker-busting charge, sped towards the concrete building. Seconds later, there was a loud bang, followed by smoke and flying debris, as the charge impacted the concrete and steel structure. Imran wasted no time watching his work. He immediately reloaded the weapon, preparing to fire a second round into the damaged structure. Waiting just long enough for the dust to clear a little from the damaged target, he took aim. Another flash, bang and smoke. The second projectile hit the target close to the first point of impact, further weakening the damaged structure surrounding the reactor. Imran, his work done, clambered down the ladders and, RPG in hand, leapt from the rear of the trailer. He joined Ahmed in a ditch close to where their truck had been abandoned, exhilarated at the success of his mission. Ahmed leaned over to the now prone Imran, placed his arm around his shoulder and smiling broadly said,
‘Well done, my friend. You have today struck a major blow for our cause.’
Not far away, CNC reinforcements had now arrived at the side of their team sergeant.
‘Are you OK?’ asked a young wide-eyed constable
‘I’m fine. Just a few bruises. Adam’s dead! Hit in the side several times by automatic fire. Listen! We have to spread out and use suppressing fire to pin these bastards down. We must stop them moving anywhere else and doing more damage. OK. Let’s do it. Keep your heads down!’
The officers dispersed and took up positions, opening fire as targets presented themselves. A fierce firefight ensued between the two opposing sides.
At the Main Gate, and at other locations within the establishment, ambulances were arriving bringing emergency medical teams. Paramedics and doctors were urgently tending to the wounded. Police reinforcements were pouring in. Command of the operation was passed to Gloucestershire Police, as is protocol in such a serious situation.
Now in command, Superintendent Spencer set about deploying his resources, including off-duty CNC officers who had rushed to Oldbury to assist their beleaguered colleagues. His first task was to send armed reinforcements to the siege area close to the reactors.
Despite heavy suppressive fire from the CNC officers at the scene, Ahmed and his team managed to reach a small workshop approximately twenty yards from where they had stopped their truck. Inside they found four maintenance men, cowering in a corner of the small building. Ahmed decided quickly that these four would be much more valuable to him alive than dead; at least for the time being! The terrorists handcuffed their captives, and set about securing their shelter.
Seeing the terrorists reach the workshop, and being aware that there would likely be civilians inside, Sergeant Chambers ordered his men to cease fire. In the silence he could hear the sound of fast, approaching vehicles. A Gloucestershire Police Inspector and a team of armed officers, accompanied by additional CNC officers, arrived. Sergeant Chambers, with a feeling of relief, handed over to the Gloucestershire officer.
At 9.10am, the Facility Director at Oldbury issued the instruction to close down the reactor for health and safety reasons, even though the reactor itself appeared undamaged by the attack. Its steel and concrete shield, although badly damaged, had done its job.
The same instruction was being issued by the Directors at the other eight establishments, for the same reason. Six of the others had sustained a similar fate. This information was being immediately relayed to the COBR. The National Grid had, at a stroke, lost approximately fifteen per cent of its electricity supply.
COBR is located below ground at Whitehall. It is a long room with a low ceiling. TV screens and links from international news reporting organisations bring constant and instant news updates. It becomes crowded at times of crisis, with support staff and advisors located in adjoining rooms.