British police said today they had launched an investigation into the loss of documents, which BBC television said includedtop secret government reports on Iraq and al Qaeda, found on the seat of a London train.
"We can confirm we are making enquiries in connection with a loss of documents," a police spokeswoman said. The investigation was being carried out by the counter-terrorism command of London's Metropolitan police.
BBC television said its correspondent had seen the documents, an orange file containing at least seven pages of top secret information on Iraq and al Qaeda. The file was found by a train passenger.
The apparent security breach could embarrass the government of Gordon Brown, already reeling after a civil servant lost computer disks containing the addresses and bank details of millions of people in the mail last year.