London, Feb 7: A top security expert has warned that Al-Qaida chiefs are plotting to bring "terror to the people" with a wave of Irish Republican Army (IRA)-style attacks in the UK.

An ex-Royal Marines weapons instructor, who is working with secret service spooks to stem the fresh menace, said that the extremists are planning to wreak havoc at Tube stations and shopping centres using home-made coffee jar bombs once favoured by the Republican hardliners.

The hate-filled fanatics, who have been ordered to study the techniques of the IRA, also plan to hit gas and electricity stations, and want to derail trains by blowing up sections of track and sabotaging signal systems.

"There's absolutely no doubt that a terror attack from Al-Qaida sympathizers is highly likely. This is not Government scare-mongering. Intelligence has been building up for some time now," The Daily Star quoted the expert, as saying.

"I can say with the utmost confidence that extremists will strike in the near future. Not an atrocity on the level of 9/11, but a series of attacks designed to maim and create maximum disruption," he added.

The expert further said that it is all part of an evil plot to cause chaos and spark fear among Brits, who have been on red alert since the terrorist threat level was raised to "severe" last month.

"Intelligence suggests IEDs such as coffee jar bombs used in the past by the IRA could be deployed in Tube stations or shopping centres packed with people. Other targets are public utilities - electricity and gas stations," the expert said.

"Again, it's all about causing chaos and disruption. And there are suggestions terrorists will attempt to sever rail tracks at key points using explosives. In short, what we are likely to see is a campaign of fear and intimidation - extremists bringing terror to the people. It's what the IRA did for years," he added.