By Ashis Ray, IANS
Glasgow : Heavy security will prevail at Tuesday's India-Pakistan one-day international cricket match, where Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, is expected to present trophies. The game is being played for one of his charities.
A strong smell of smoke hits you as you arrive at Glasgow airport, where the Indian side landed around noon Monday for their one-off ODI with arch rivals Pakistan.
The Indians were greeted with tight but efficient security. They are also fortunate to bypass the chaos over transport into the city, as a coach was specially permitted near the airport terminal for them.
The airport was scene of an alleged terrorist incident Saturday, when a burning vehicle deliberately crashed into the entrance of the main terminal building. The explosives in the automobile, however, did not detonate, thus possibly preventing serious loss of lives. Only one person was slightly injured.
However, the driver of the car suffered severe burns and is said to be in a critical condition at a city hospital, where he is under arrest. A man assisting him in the attack has also been detained together with five others until early Monday afternoon.
A Middle Eastern couple, including a woman, were apprehended on a motorway running down from the Scottish border to north-west England. In a fast moving investigation, a massive manhunt continues for other suspects.
Peter Clarke, a Scotland Yard detective entrusted with an anti-terrorism brief, was flown in from London to co-ordinate between the probes into the car bombs found in London and the Glasgow outrage. He claimed there is a link between the two.
While people returned to work as normal Monday morning and 90 percent of flights operated in and out of the affected airport, an air of abnormality hung over Glasgow.
A heavy deployment of police was evidence of extraordinary caution; and this will continue as long as Britain remains officially in a state of high alert.