LONDON, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- The alleged airport terror plot in Britain had been sanctioned by Ayman al Zawahri, the No. 2 person of al-Qaida, Sky news reported on Thursday.

    The latest investigations by Pakistan also indicate that Rashid Rauf, a British national arrested in Pakistan, was the planner of the alleged attacks, it reported.

    "We have reason to believe that it was al-Qaida sanctioned and was probably cleared by al Zawahri," the report quoted a Pakistani official as saying.

    The official made the statement on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the investigation.

    In Britain, police investigating the plot to blow up US-bound passenger jets in mid-air with liquid explosives have carried out some 46 searches at residential and business premises across the country, while detectives have been granted more time to question 23 suspects. Enditem¡¡