LONDON (AP):

British authorities yesterday identified 19 of 24 arrested in connection with an alleged plot to destroy United States-bound commercial jetliners and froze their assets, while investigators probed their movements, backgrounds and finances.

Many of the names released by the Bank of England, acting on an order from the government, were of Muslim origin, many of which are common in Pakistan. The suspects ranged in age from 17 to 35.

AN UNIMAGINABLE SCALE

Authorities said Thursday the plot would have caused "mass murder on an unimaginable scale." At least one of the 24 people arrested was reportedly a woman with a small child; another was a convert to Islam.

The Metropolitan Police said late yesterday that one of the 24 people was released without being charged.

Police did not identify the person who was released, nor did they say if the person remained a suspect. Twenty-two of the others had their detentions extended through to Wednesday. The final person's detention hearing was delayed until Monday, but the suspect remained in custody.

In Pakistan, authorities arrested five people, bringing the total number of suspects held there to seven. A Pakistani official said the five Pakistanis were believed to have been helping two British citizens who were taken into custody there a week ago.

Investigators, describing a plot on the scale of the September 11 attacks in the United States, said the attackers planned to use common electronic devices to detonate liquid explosives to bring down as many as 10 planes.

The Guardian newspaper, citing unidentified British government sources, said that after the first two arrests were made in Pakistan, a message was sent to Britain telling the plotters, "Do your attacks now."

Some Muslim communities in Britain expressed shock and disbelief at the latest arrests and also feared that they would be further marginalised and labelled as terrorists.