British police foil plot to kidnap Posh Spice's baby

LONDON (CP) -- A plot to kidnap pop singer Victoria (Posh Spice) Beckham and her baby son was foiled by Scotland Yard's elite organized-crime unit, British Sunday newspapers reported.

Kidnappers planned to abduct the pair while Beckham's soccer star husband David competed in an England vs Scotland match last November, the Sunday Times reported.

Mother and child were to be held captive in a North London house for ransom worth the equivalent of more than $2 million Cdn. One newspaper suggested an underworld crime figure was involved in the planning.

Police placed an undercover officer with the couple's security detail and put their house under 24-hour surveillance. Other officers kept watch over the 25-year-old Spice Girl and her 10-month-old son Brooklyn.

Newspapers said kidnappers did not go past the planning stage and no arrests were made.

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman refused to confirm the news reports, saying police would not comment on cases involving kidnapping or conspiracy to kidnap.

The celebrity couple have had to deal with numerous threats since they married in July.

After Beckham was sent off in the 1998 World Cup Finals against Argentina, he received death threats and a bullet engraved with his name was sent to his home.

In December, tabloids reported Adams knocked a fan to the ground outside a luxury London department store after he lunged at the baby.

-- AllPop