Fiasco at arms fair

TWO protesters stand on top of a tank and unfurl a banner in an amazing breach of security at the London arms fair.

They were among seven demonstrators who obtained official passes and walked freely around the exhibits at the Docklands Excel centre for four hours.

Despite a security operation costing an estimated 1 million, no one challenged them after they passed metal detectors at the entrance.

The breach - on the eve of today's second anniversary of the September 11 outrage in the US - came as Britain was put on high terror alert. But today one of the protesters, Sophie Paton, from south London, said: "We just walked in. We went in totally as ourselves. They had X-rays, metal detectors, and they were searching people. We didn't take anything in apart from our camera."

She refused to say how they obtained their passes. She said the seven eventually identified themselves by climbing on the tank and unfurling their banner, but it took 20 minutes for security to arrive. They were taken to a police station and released without charge.

An MoD police spokesman said security would be reviewed. "The group got into the exhibition using legitimate passes and showed their drivers' licences and passports to confirm their identities."

Arms-fair demonstrators again halted the Docklands Light Railway today by strapping themselves to a train at East India Quay. A total of 132 protesters outside the arms fair have been arrested for offences including breach of the peace, highway obstruction, assault of police, aggravated trespass and carrying an illegal weapon.

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