Give me a freakin' break.....
Blair to get gas-proof armoured car
09mar03BRITISH Prime Minister Tony Blair is to get a specially designed Jaguar car that would protect him in case of a poison gas attack, a London newspaper has reported.
The armoured-plated car, costing STG200,000 ($523,080) will be fitted with a compressed air system, allowing those inside to breathe in the event of a such an attack, The Sunday Times said.
The paper added that the government has ordered three of the vehicles from a car conversion specialist in central England. Each Jaguar has devices fitted to its wheels allowing the car to move at speed should the tyres be shot at.
Britain, set to join the United States in any war against Iraq, has beefed up security in recent weeks following a major alert at London's Heathrow Airport.
For a number of days last month, troops and police ringed the airport amid fears that terrorists might have exploited a Muslim holiday for an attack.
The Sunday Times reported that the number of protection officers assigned to Blair and his family has more than trebled in recent weeks while bunker-style rooms situated under his official London residence have been upgraded.