'Plot uncovered to kidnap Blair's son'

• Fathers' rights extremists plotted to kidnap PM's baby as publicity stunt

• Police reveal no details of attempted kidnapping; no arrests made

• Claims police threatened to shoot any campaigner found near No. 10

Key quote

"Fortunately, we think we have nipped this in the bud at an early stage. There have been no arrests, although inquiries are continuing. It was good intelligence work" - Security source

Story in full LEO Blair, the youngest son of the Prime Minister, was the target of a kidnap plot by elements on the extreme fringe of the campaign group Fathers 4 Justice, according to reports last night.

A plan to take the Blairs' five-year-old son as part of a publicity stunt was uncovered by police investigating the activities of men linked to the fathers' action group, a newspaper reported.

No details of the alleged kidnap plot have been revealed and no arrests have been made, but police sources were quoted as saying that the Blairs had been made aware of the possible threat to their son.

A security source was quoted as saying: "They were, naturally, very concerned, as any parent would be. But they have been assured the police are on top of the situation."

He added: "Fortunately, we think we have nipped this in the bud at an early stage. There have been no arrests, although inquiries are continuing. It was good intelligence work."

Last night, neither Downing Street nor the Metropolitan Police were commenting on the reports.

The Prime Minister and his wife, Cherie, have three other children - Euan, 21, Nicholas, 20, and Kathryn, 17. The couple have always remained fiercely protective of their family life.

According to the newspaper, the kidnapping plan is alleged to have involved extremist sympathisers with the campaigning group, whose stunts have included supporters scaling bridges and public buildings in superhero costumes.

The newspaper says the intention of an extreme element was to snatch Leo and hold him hostage to highlight the plight of fathers who have been denied access to their children.

According to the reports, officers first became concerned about a possible abduction just before Christmas.

Last night, Matt O'Connor, a founding member of Fathers 4 Justice, said that the campaign group also knew that Scotland Yard had identified a potential threat, but added the group had nothing to do with any plot.

"There's evidence to support the fact that there was something going on because SO13 officers [the Metropolitan Police's anti-terrorist unit] had visited some ex-members of the organisation over the Christmas period. That had set alarm bells ringing."

Mr O'Connor said that over the past couple of weeks, contacts in the Met had told the action group that SO13 "were threatening to shoot people if they did anything in the region of Downing Street".

However, he insisted that the action group did not know the precise nature of the perceived plot. He said it condemned the idea of kidnapping "unreservedly".

He continued: "We do peaceful, direct action with a dash of humour. We're in the business of uniting dads with their kids, not separating them."

Mr O'Connor said that the members would now assess whether they could carry on with the campaign. "We have to consider the future of the organisation if our name is being associated with such actions," he added.

Edward Gorecki - who scaled the Royal Courts of Justice dressed as Batman in 2003 to campaign for fathers' rights - said that he didn't believe any members of Fathers 4 Justice would have been involved in such a plot. "I think anybody who kidnaps anyone is disgraceful, and they should be put in prison.

"Fathers 4 Justice are a non-violent, direct action group. They don't seem the kind of guys to do that at all."

Mr Gorecki added that although he had worked with the organisation before, he was not involved in the day-to-day campaigning.

But Mr O'Connor said the group had been experiencing increasing trouble with a "dark underbelly" among the membership. "There are some ex-members who we turfed out last year. We had a bit of a clear-out in May of people who wanted to take the organisation on a more militant route. Other people wanted to go to the dark underbelly of the campaign. It's been a cause for concern for us for some time."

He refused to identify any of the people who had been ejected from the campaign group.

Reports of kidnappings can be unreliable. In November, 2002, the News of the World reported that it had foiled a plan by a gang of criminals to snatch pop star Victoria Beckham. The report was later discredited.