Papers lead with Birmingham arrests

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The alleged plot to kidnap and murder a Muslim soldier in the UK is the lead for most of Thursday's papers.

To the Daily Mail it was an attempt to bring the horrors of Baghdad to the UK. The Daily Telegraph calls it a chilling echo of the terror that stalks Baghdad.

If proven, the Independent says, it would have brought Iraqi kidnap and execution tactics to Britain.

The Times brings the point home with a picture of former British hostage Ken Bigley, who was beheaded in Iraq.

Intended victim

The arrest of nine men over the apparent kidnap plot of a UK soldier provides much speculation fodder.

According to the Guardian, the man thought to have been the intended victim had recently arrived home after a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

The Sun reminds its readers targeting soldiers is not new in the UK - the IRA attacked off-duty troops in the 1980s.

The Daily Telegraph also compares the case with the abductions and torturing that went on during the Troubles.

'Model' family

Some of the papers choose not to lead with the terror arrests in Birmingham.

The Independent's front page highlights the case of a "model" Pakistani family who have been deported after the failure of their asylum application.

The Financial Times leads with the news that Nasdaq is prepared for a long battle in its bid to take over the London Stock Exchange.

And the Daily Star claims that India has banned Celebrity Big Brother's Jade Goody from visiting the country.

Lawnmower surge

Pictures abound of women in sunglasses, and of lawnmowers being pressed into service, to demonstrate how warm this January has been.

It could be a scene from the height of summer, the Daily Mirror remarks, except, we are in the depths of winter.

Britain's mildest January for more than 90 years, the Daily Telegraph says, has resulted in more work for gardeners whose lawns refuse to stop growing.

According to the Times, it has led to an unseasonal demand for lawnmowers.