Despite arresting 23 British Muslims suspected of plotting to blow up transatlantic airliners, including what Home Secretary John Reid called the 'main players', British government officials and ministers are still describing the prospect of an attack as 'highly likely'.
Here's a bit of under-reported information from the Independent on Sunday:
Sources have told The Independent on Sunday that intelligence officers are aware of several active "jihadi" cells around the country including one in east London thought to be unconnected to the suspects arrested last week. Investigators said surveillance in progress since the July 2005 bombings in London had identified the locations of explosives and weapons in quantities sufficient to commit wide-scale atrocities.
Whether or not the authorities are hunting other cell members, they are clearly concerned that any of the dozens of jihadi cells operating in the U.K. - identified or not - might bring whatever plans they have forward to steal the limelight.
More significantly, British authorities were already expecting (and obviously working to prevent) an attack in the U.K., thought to be scheduled for the autumn. I can't say any more than that, except to say that relief at the news of the arrests last Thursday was soured when their alleged target was announced.
The links between this busted cell (as well as the 7/7 team, and other British jihadis) to the Pakistan terrorist scene is becoming increasingly clear. What is less well known is that the Lashkar-e-Taiba are thought to recieve £8 million a year from 'charities' and wealthy businessmen based in the U.K. - and the Brits haven't done a damned thing to stop it:
Manmohan Singh, the Indian Prime Minister, raised the terror link with Tony Blair at the G8 summit in St Petersburg yesterday, reminding him that India handed over a detailed dossier three years ago identifying 14 men living in Britain and was assured the suspects would be investigated.
“Since then nothing has been done, and the money still coming from Britain helps to pay for the terrorist camps where we believe the bombers were trained and this atrocity was planned,” a senior Indian security official said last night.
The Indian official was referring to the terrorists responsible for the terrible bombings of rush-hour trains in Bombay on July 11th this year, an attack that killed over 200 people.
British Conservative leader David Cameron has today decided to openly criticise the anti-terrorism policies of the British government. Labour politicians say the Tories don't have any ideas, just criticisms. Here's an idea: shut down the financiers of al-Qaeda (and Hamas; see: Interpal).
One final note from the Independent on Sunday:
MI5 worked closely with anti-terrorist police and more than 50 people were placed under surveillance. They later focused on two dozen suspects, and a dozen vehicles fitted with GPS tracking devices. Agents began tracking calls from mobiles and public pay phones, and monitored emails to Pakistan, Iran and Europe.
Contacting the trainers, and perhaps handlers, in Pakistan makes sense. Contacting other elements of the terror network in Europe also makes sense, especially in light of this:
Italy has stepped up security after news of the plot that British police said on Thursday they had foiled, although no special measures have been taken and authorities have said there is no specific sign of a terror alert for Italy.
[snip]
Today, police searched the houses of 15 foreigners, most of them Pakistanis, as part of a joint operation with Belgian police probing suspected funding of an alleged terrorist organisation, the Interior Ministry said.
But what possible reason could an apparently Pakistan-orientated, predominantly ethnically Pakistani group of Sunni jihadists be doing contacting Iran?
Sorry for the rant people.
It upsets me so much to hear brittish Muslims plotting these kinds of attacks. Firstly they the contribute to the demonization of Muslims everywhere particularly in Britain. Secondly, the home population have little understanding of whats going on in terms of foreign policy, so they will understand terrorist attacks even less. Such attacks are pointless making the loss of innocent lives even more abhorrent.
The actions of these men, should they be found guilty, are particularly offensive because they are British citizens, and should therefore act accordingly. They are not Iraqis, Pakistanis or Afghanis coming over to launch an attack. As citizens, if they have a problem with the government they have far more effective means by which to enact change and pressure THEIR government.
However, Western politicians have a role to play. They need to stop this "war on terror" rhetoric which conveniently ignores the causes of terrorism. I am not asking western governments to submit to terror, merely consider the injustices they are perpetrating.
Considering the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories from where I am writing, I can clearly see how such attacks are untilised by our opponents to continue their unjust policies of colonial expansion and exploitation of resources. It also allows the political elite both Israeli and American to ingnore the legitimacy of the Palestinian cause and the peaceful means by which most are adopting to acheive this.
However, moving back to the original point, lets give these guys the benefit of the doubt until they are found guilty.
Peace from Bethlehem ghetto
odog,
It 'upsets' you? It infuriates me, but then I have a spine.
Your first concern for the reputation of Muslims, rather than the potential death and destruction, doesn't come as a surprise.
What a disturbing comment. If Brits better understood our foreign policy, would it make slaughtering them less abhorrent? If the attacks weren't "pointless", would it make them justifiable?
Their British citizenship is irrelevant to them, except as a tool. They consider themselves Muslim first, irrespective of citizenship. Particularly given the violent extra-territorial ambitions of pan-Islamism, that's unsustainable as it is.
But you've made a connection between Pakistani-origin Muslims deciding to self-detonate and murder hundreds, and British foreign policy. Britain is not at war with Pakistan, so you are referring to British 'injustices' against other Muslims. You are supporting and accepting the very pan-Islamism, the end results of which 'upset' you so much.
Little wonder you've ended up in 'palestine'.
The actions of these men, should they be found guilty, are particularly offensive because they are British citizens, and should therefore act accordingly. They are not Iraqis, Pakistanis or Afghanis coming over to launch an attack. As citizens, if they have a problem with the government they have far more effective means by which to enact change and pressure THEIR government.
Ah, there's the rub - the notion that obligations to one's nation of citizenship trump obligations to one's religion. This isn't true with militant Islam - quite the opposite in fact. These terrorists, like other Islamic supremacists, place their first loyalty with the global ummah, not with the nation where they happen to live (especially not a nation that doesn't follow shari'a). Citizenship in a nation means little to Islamic supremacists, except perhaps as a cover. ("Swear allegiance to the flag, whatever flag they offer/Never hint at what you really feel...")
Why aren't we doing any cavity checks at the airport yet? There's a good reason they do that at prison...And why aren't we installing cameras in everybody's houses? I have nothing to hide..I'm not a terrorist...and why aren't all moos-lims required to where a branding on their foreheads warning me of their potential terrorist affiliation?
"Swear allegiance to the flag, whatever flag they offer/Never hint at what you really feel..."
"Teach the children quietly, for someday sons and daughters/Will rise up and fight where we stood still ...
H/T: Instapundit (and Mike & the Mechanics)
Re #6 - Mike and the Mechanics? As in Mike Rutherford, late of Genesis? Please explain lest I'm forced to dust off my LPs...
I really didn't want to say or even think this, but maybe some sort of atrocity will have to occur - to wake us up to what needs to be done, before a worse atrocity becomes possible.
An airliner crashing into a city would be a disaster. A nuke in a city would be something that only the Japanese can imagine.
The first mushroom cloud might well be the first trumpet of Armageddon.