Leader of Britain's House of Commons Peter Hain said on Friday he was briefed by the security services that "al-Qaida operatives in Britain were focusing on Parliament."

The revelation came as an undercover report from the Sun tabloid reportedly smuggled a fake bomb into the Commons, the lower house of Britain's parliament and just days after several pro-hunting protesters stormed into the Commons chamber when lawmakers were debating a bill to ban the hunting of foxes and hares with hounds.

"The security service briefed me some time ago about some intelligence that they had about al-Qaeda operatives in Britain focusing on Parliament," Hain told BBC Radio 4's Today program.

"When I was briefed and I probed and I spoke to the director general about that intelligence I was very determined to act upon it," he said, adding that it underlined the need for better security.

Hain added that the stunt of the Sun reporter had confirmed all his worst fears about security in the Commons, exposing "the amateurish and old-fashioned culture which threatened the very cockpit of our democracy."

"It's not just government ministers at risk but the 14,000 other people who work in the Palace of Westminster who are at risk in this modern age of suicide bombers," he said.

He also called for the appointment of a central director of security to oversee the protection of Parliament, to take over responsibility from the serjeant-at-arms and his staff.

(Xinhua News Agency September 18, 2004)