Friday's Papers

An Easter bomb plot appears to have been foiled as the papers concentrate on the arrests of 12 men across the North West on Wednesday.

The Telegraph reports that an al-Qaeda cell was days away from carrying out an "Easter spectacular" of co-ordinated suicide bomb attacks on shopping centres in Manchester, the paper adds that

Some of the suspects were watched by MI5 agents as they filmed themselves outside the Trafford Centre on the edge of Manchester, the Arndale Centre in the city centre, and the nearby St Ann's Square.

Scramble to find the Easter bomb factory says the Times.The paper says that

A desperate search was under way last night for the terrorist bomb factory from which a suspected al-Qaeda cell planned to launch a devastating attack in Manchester.

The Guardian meanwhile says that the suspects being questioned today after one of the biggest anti-terror operations since the July 7 attacks exploited lax student visa regulations to enter the UK from Pakistan,

There are concerns inside government and the security services that the 11 Pakistani nationals being held in the north of England could have gained entry on student visas in order to form a sleeper cell. Gordon Brown talked of the police having foiled a "very big terrorist plot".

Concerns that are also on the front of the Mail which reports that

The scandalous abuse of British student visas has been exposed by the arrest of a suspected Al Qaeda terror cell.
At least ten of the 12 men held in raids across north-west England were Pakistanis whose applications were rubber-stamped by the Home Office.
Yet only one was studying at a reputable institution. Officials also believe they lied about their financial resources.

The Sun leads on the other story from the events,the resignation of Bob Quick and the six figure pension he is going to recieve.You cant quit quicker than a quick quit quitter is its front page

The Express says that

BLUNDERING anti-terror chief Bob Quick sparked outrage last night by walking away with his full £114,000-a-year pension.

Finally the Independent leads with an interview wih one of the Sri Lankan protesters who says he is starving himself to death outside the Houses of Parliament in protest at Sri Lankan attacks on Tamils.

Lying under layers of damp duvets and surrounded by passionate and at times tearful supporters, Mr Sivakumaravel is one of two young Tamil men who have vowed to starve themselves to death outside the Houses of Parliament unless Britain forces the Sri Lankan government to call an immediate ceasefire in its war with Tamil Tiger rebels.