India, June 4 -- Former counter terrorism minister Lord West, who held office at the time, revealed how al Qaeda terrorists attempted to poison London's water supplies in 2008, but were thwarted by the security services. The government at the time tackled Westminster over steps to protect Britain's reservoirs against attack by hostile forces.

Lord West, who served as home office minister for security and counter-terrorism from 2007 to 2010, said in 2008, there were attempts by eight al Qaeda operatives to poison the water supplies of north London. "I am pleased to say that our agencies worked brilliantly to stop it from happening," he said further.

The former Navy chief added that as a result of this incident, a series of efforts were p...