*** From May 2009 but still very timely and relevant. MS ***
FROM: http://www.iiss.org/whats-new/iiss-in-the-press/press-coverage-2009/may-2009/appearance-is-key-in-tackling-terrorism/
The conclusion of the trial of the three men accused of being co-conspirators of the 7/7 bombers means it is unlikely anyone is going to be convicted for that terrible crime.
Furthermore, the conclusion of the trial and a number of other recent events and trials in British counterterrorism all suggest one of two things: either the British government is chasing the wrong people, or the British legal system is unfit for purpose in effectively countering the terrorism the government thinks it is fighting.
This trial – part of the investigation, known as Operation Theseus, into the bomb attacks in London on 7 July 2005 – was the second against the group. The first ended in August when a jury was unable to reach a conclusion and were dismissed. Less than a month later there was the incomplete conclusion to the trial against a group accused of plotting to blow up a series of transatlantic airliners in August 2006 – seven of the men are now facing a re-trial. Then in December, a jury found only Dr Bilal Abdullah guilty of plotting with his now-deceased co-conspirator Dr Kafeel Ahmed for their part in a series of attempted car bombings in central London and at Glasgow international airport. His co-defendant, Dr Mohammed Asha, was cleared of any involvement, but is now facing deportation on visa issues.
And finally, last month, in a dramatic series of raids, police arrested a group of 12 mostly Pakistani students accusing them of being involved in a major "terrorist plot". The evidence, it turned out, was not there, and now nine of the men are facing deportation on visa issues.
For those of a conspiratorial bent, this will all provide much sustenance to the belief that much of this so-called terrorism is in fact alarmism targeting innocent Muslims. The reality, however, is that aside from the Pakistani students, in each case a jury found some elements of the plots credible and the men guilty. The problem, however, lies more in the presentational aspect of how these are played out in the arena of public debate – the only one that really matters when fighting an ideology as well as individual terrorist cells.
The presentational issue is that in all of the cases, the security services and government quite loudly proclaimed at various points that major terrorist rings had been broken up and arrested. However, when it came to trial, the evidence was found to be wanting and in some instances, after the individuals had been deemed innocent of terrorism charges, they were instead handed over to the borders and immigration agency. It does not really matter how valid their visa infringements might be, the appearance is that a vindictive and bitter state is pursuing these cleared individuals on any possible charge. Even in the cases of the re-trials, the fact that individuals were in the end completely exonerated of the charges against them does little to strengthen the government's hand.
The issues raised are multifarious: on the one hand, many of the initial indicators that a plot may be afoot come from the murky world of intelligence collection where information is never conclusive. Secondly, the current policy to not use intercept evidence in court, and the fact that often we are told to take at face value anonymous statements from intelligence agencies or sources that cannot be revealed further confuses matters. However, given the stakes – possible suicide attackers bent on killing as many innocent civilians as they can – the inclination is to err on the side of caution. But cases have occurred where police forces have gone in and not found enough incriminating evidence, leading to major public relations disasters.
The question is whether a better approach might be found, one that focuses on earlier disruption. The problem is that making the decision on what is acceptably dangerous or not is a very hard call to make. The UK has faced heavy criticism in the past where the balance was incorrect and this could easily take place again, but at the same time, the current efforts appear to be spending a lot of money with confused results. Continuing forwards in this mixed fashion is likely to produce mixed results at best.
The UK continues to face a long-term threat from violent terrorism. The question must increasingly be asked about whether we are actually pursuing the strategy to counter this in a coherent way. Given the fight is ultimately one that will take a long time to conclude and will involve persuading a section of society that its government is not at war with it, the fewer blunders that are made along the way that seem to support this narrative, the better.
Showing posts with label islamist extremism in the UK. Show all posts
Showing posts with label islamist extremism in the UK. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
LONDON RADICALS BARK...I MEAN SPEAK
*** There are people who know this mindset - so why not work with them instead of taking a we-know-best approach? Because we can all see how well that worked out. MS ***
FROM: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2010/February/How-London-Became-a-Terrorist-Hotbed/
Great Britain recently raised its terror alert to "severe" following reports that al Qaeda was plotting new attacks.
But Britain may be facing an even greater threat from within -- one the British government helped to create.
CBN News recently traveled to London to interview a number of leading Islamic radicals who have settled there with the full knowledge of the British government.
All Eyes on London
Just one year before attempting to blow up an airliner over Detroit, Christmas Day bombing suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab studied engineering at University College London.
During his stay there, he networked with known Islamic radicals. Security sources believe he may have linked up with al Qaeda.
Abdulmutallab is just one of many Islamic terrorists with ties to London. Some live there with help from the state.
One example is Yasser al-Sirri, who faces a death sentence in Egypt.
Then there is Anjem Choudary. To date, he has not been charged with terrorism, but his pro-jihad views have led some to call him Great Britain's most hated man.
"Many people love the idea of jihad, you know?" Choudary told CBN News. "And they want to engage in it."
A radical Islamist can find a little bit of everything in London. Ex-jihadists, current jihadists, "wannabe" jihadists: they're all there. So how did this happen?
During the 1980s and 1990s, British authorities granted asylum to a number of Islamic terrorists wanted in their home countries.
"All of this happened under the assumption that if you allowed these people to operate in London, if you allowed them to do whatever they wanted to do, they would not be attacking Britain," terrorism expert Peter Neumann explained.
Neumann is author of the book Old and New Terrorism and heads the International Centre for the Study of Radicalization in London.
"The government, quite cynically, thought that whatever happened in other countries, whatever these people were plotting in other countries, was of no concern to the British government," he added.
Policy Backfires
On July 7, 2005, explosions proved the British government's open door strategy horribly wrong, as al Qaeda-linked terrorists killed 52 people in a series of bombings against London's mass transit system.
One year later, London was the staging ground for a massive al Qaeda plot to blow up 10 transatlantic airliners.
"Only then did the policy change," Neumann said. "However, the seeds of the radical Islamists' activity had already been sown."
Yasser al-Sirri has lived in London since 1994. In Egypt, he belonged to a terrorist organization led by al Qaeda's second-in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri. In 1993, he was found guilty of participating in a failed assassination plot against Egypt's then-prime minister and sentenced to death.
His recent interview with CBN News marked his first appearance on an American television network.
"The British government knows about my activities, my situation," al-Sirri said. "Everything is clear and I have done nothing to break the law."
The British government locked al-Sirri up in 2001 on terrorism charges. He was found not guilty and later released, but American officials still want to get their hands on al-Sirri.
In 2005, he was found guilty in a U.S. federal court of assisting terrorist mastermind Omar Abdel Rahman, the notorious "blind sheikh" behind the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
False Accusations?
Both the U.S. and Egypt have tried to extradite al-Sirri from Britain for years. He declares he is innocent.
"Many times the American government uses the wrong people for spies or to get intelligence information," al-Sirri claimed. "Some people do business with the FBI, CIA and give them wrong information and sometimes the wrong decision is made."
Al-Sirri didn't help his cause in 2008 when he was photographed walking on a London street with Abu Qatada, al Qaeda's spiritual leader in Europe.
Qatada received asylum in London in 1993 and collected welfare benefits for years. He is now in prison and awaiting deportation to Jordan, where he has been convicted on terrorism charges.
"There was a permissive environment to some extent," said Oxford-based terrorism expert Mahan Abedin. "There was the issue of a lot of foreigners, foreign fighters for instance, and foreign ideologues basing themselves here in London and finding a receptive audience."
Aaad al-Faqih is wanted in his native Saudi Arabia for allegedly seeking to overthrow the Saudi regime.
CBN News recently conducted an off-camera interview with al-Faqih in his London home.
He was designated by the U.S. and U.N. as a global terrorist in 2004 for alleged links to al Qaeda but maintains his innocence. Al Faqih says he meets with British government officials regularly and that they respect his work.
He believes there will be more confrontation between the West and the Muslim world, including terrorist attacks "even bigger than in 2001."
British officials have pushed to deport men like al-Faqih and Yasser al-Sirri back to their home countries. But the European Union and a number of British judges have blocked these efforts over human rights concerns.
"Over years, perhaps decades, a whole sub-culture had grown up," Neumann observed. "And to get to grips with that only through law enforcement and intelligence is very difficult. This subculture of jihadism still exists."
In April 2008, Britain's then home secretary said that British intelligence was monitoring some 2,000 individuals, as well as 200 radical Islamic networks and 30 active terrorist plots.
The British government banned Anjem Choudary's group, Islam4UK, last month under the country's counter-terrorism laws.
Choudary calls for Islamic Sharia law to be enforced in the United Kingdom. His group praised the 9/11 hijackers as "the magnificent 19."
"There is a huge amount of support for people like sheikh Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri [among British Muslims]," Choudary told CBN News.
A Ticking Time Bomb?
Choudary -- who collects welfare benefits from the state -- says his group is a non-violent political and ideological movement. But several former members have been convicted on terrorism charges.
"There are many youth out there who do contact us and do come to our talks and they have other ideas," Choudary said. "And we can make sure that those energies are channeled through discussion, dialogue, interaction. But if you take us out of the picture, then you have a very volatile situation."
"It's not a threat. It's a warning. It's a reality check," he added.
Abedin said things have improved significantly in London since 2005 and the British government has taken important steps to battle radicalism among young Muslims.
"The permissive environment that prevailed prior to July 7, 2005 is no longer the case," he said. "Radical preachers like Omar Bakri Mohammed, like Abu Hamza, for instance, have departed the arena. They've either been deported, expelled, or imprisoned.
But others like Anjem Choudary walk the streets of London as free men.
"I think that the British government is sitting on a tinderbox, you know, full of dynamite" he said. "And they have the matches in their hand and they're being very flippant."
"They're not dealing with it properly," Choudary continued. "It could all blow up in their face and it could be a very vicious situation."
FROM: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2010/February/How-London-Became-a-Terrorist-Hotbed/
Great Britain recently raised its terror alert to "severe" following reports that al Qaeda was plotting new attacks.
But Britain may be facing an even greater threat from within -- one the British government helped to create.
CBN News recently traveled to London to interview a number of leading Islamic radicals who have settled there with the full knowledge of the British government.
All Eyes on London
Just one year before attempting to blow up an airliner over Detroit, Christmas Day bombing suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab studied engineering at University College London.
During his stay there, he networked with known Islamic radicals. Security sources believe he may have linked up with al Qaeda.
Abdulmutallab is just one of many Islamic terrorists with ties to London. Some live there with help from the state.
One example is Yasser al-Sirri, who faces a death sentence in Egypt.
Then there is Anjem Choudary. To date, he has not been charged with terrorism, but his pro-jihad views have led some to call him Great Britain's most hated man.
"Many people love the idea of jihad, you know?" Choudary told CBN News. "And they want to engage in it."
A radical Islamist can find a little bit of everything in London. Ex-jihadists, current jihadists, "wannabe" jihadists: they're all there. So how did this happen?
During the 1980s and 1990s, British authorities granted asylum to a number of Islamic terrorists wanted in their home countries.
"All of this happened under the assumption that if you allowed these people to operate in London, if you allowed them to do whatever they wanted to do, they would not be attacking Britain," terrorism expert Peter Neumann explained.
Neumann is author of the book Old and New Terrorism and heads the International Centre for the Study of Radicalization in London.
"The government, quite cynically, thought that whatever happened in other countries, whatever these people were plotting in other countries, was of no concern to the British government," he added.
Policy Backfires
On July 7, 2005, explosions proved the British government's open door strategy horribly wrong, as al Qaeda-linked terrorists killed 52 people in a series of bombings against London's mass transit system.
One year later, London was the staging ground for a massive al Qaeda plot to blow up 10 transatlantic airliners.
"Only then did the policy change," Neumann said. "However, the seeds of the radical Islamists' activity had already been sown."
Yasser al-Sirri has lived in London since 1994. In Egypt, he belonged to a terrorist organization led by al Qaeda's second-in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri. In 1993, he was found guilty of participating in a failed assassination plot against Egypt's then-prime minister and sentenced to death.
His recent interview with CBN News marked his first appearance on an American television network.
"The British government knows about my activities, my situation," al-Sirri said. "Everything is clear and I have done nothing to break the law."
The British government locked al-Sirri up in 2001 on terrorism charges. He was found not guilty and later released, but American officials still want to get their hands on al-Sirri.
In 2005, he was found guilty in a U.S. federal court of assisting terrorist mastermind Omar Abdel Rahman, the notorious "blind sheikh" behind the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
False Accusations?
Both the U.S. and Egypt have tried to extradite al-Sirri from Britain for years. He declares he is innocent.
"Many times the American government uses the wrong people for spies or to get intelligence information," al-Sirri claimed. "Some people do business with the FBI, CIA and give them wrong information and sometimes the wrong decision is made."
Al-Sirri didn't help his cause in 2008 when he was photographed walking on a London street with Abu Qatada, al Qaeda's spiritual leader in Europe.
Qatada received asylum in London in 1993 and collected welfare benefits for years. He is now in prison and awaiting deportation to Jordan, where he has been convicted on terrorism charges.
"There was a permissive environment to some extent," said Oxford-based terrorism expert Mahan Abedin. "There was the issue of a lot of foreigners, foreign fighters for instance, and foreign ideologues basing themselves here in London and finding a receptive audience."
Aaad al-Faqih is wanted in his native Saudi Arabia for allegedly seeking to overthrow the Saudi regime.
CBN News recently conducted an off-camera interview with al-Faqih in his London home.
He was designated by the U.S. and U.N. as a global terrorist in 2004 for alleged links to al Qaeda but maintains his innocence. Al Faqih says he meets with British government officials regularly and that they respect his work.
He believes there will be more confrontation between the West and the Muslim world, including terrorist attacks "even bigger than in 2001."
British officials have pushed to deport men like al-Faqih and Yasser al-Sirri back to their home countries. But the European Union and a number of British judges have blocked these efforts over human rights concerns.
"Over years, perhaps decades, a whole sub-culture had grown up," Neumann observed. "And to get to grips with that only through law enforcement and intelligence is very difficult. This subculture of jihadism still exists."
In April 2008, Britain's then home secretary said that British intelligence was monitoring some 2,000 individuals, as well as 200 radical Islamic networks and 30 active terrorist plots.
The British government banned Anjem Choudary's group, Islam4UK, last month under the country's counter-terrorism laws.
Choudary calls for Islamic Sharia law to be enforced in the United Kingdom. His group praised the 9/11 hijackers as "the magnificent 19."
"There is a huge amount of support for people like sheikh Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri [among British Muslims]," Choudary told CBN News.
A Ticking Time Bomb?
Choudary -- who collects welfare benefits from the state -- says his group is a non-violent political and ideological movement. But several former members have been convicted on terrorism charges.
"There are many youth out there who do contact us and do come to our talks and they have other ideas," Choudary said. "And we can make sure that those energies are channeled through discussion, dialogue, interaction. But if you take us out of the picture, then you have a very volatile situation."
"It's not a threat. It's a warning. It's a reality check," he added.
Abedin said things have improved significantly in London since 2005 and the British government has taken important steps to battle radicalism among young Muslims.
"The permissive environment that prevailed prior to July 7, 2005 is no longer the case," he said. "Radical preachers like Omar Bakri Mohammed, like Abu Hamza, for instance, have departed the arena. They've either been deported, expelled, or imprisoned.
But others like Anjem Choudary walk the streets of London as free men.
"I think that the British government is sitting on a tinderbox, you know, full of dynamite" he said. "And they have the matches in their hand and they're being very flippant."
"They're not dealing with it properly," Choudary continued. "It could all blow up in their face and it could be a very vicious situation."
Sunday, January 24, 2010
RADICAL PREACHER GOES BACK TO JAMAICA
FROM: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2010/01/25/2003464335
AP, KINGSTON
Monday, Jan 25, 2010, Page 7
A radical Muslim cleric who served time in a British jail for inciting murder and stirring racial hatred has returned by private jet to his native Jamaica after several unsuccessful attempts to deport him from Kenya.
Abdullah el-Faisal arrived in Kingston on Friday night on a jet paid for by the Kenyan government, traveling from Burkina Faso to Antigua via Cape Verde, authorities said.
Ken Baugh, Jamaica’s foreign affairs minister, said on Saturday he had no information about the cost of the flight or other details.
El-Faisal spoke briefly to reporters before he left in a minivan with two members of the local Muslim community.
“I’m traveling for two days and you want me to give you an interview?” he was quoted as saying in Saturday’s edition of the Jamaica Observer newspaper. “It was a very good flight. It was a private jet. I am very happy to be back home.”
It is unclear where el-Faisal will live in Jamaica. He previously lived in Spanish Town, just outside Kingston.
Deputy police chief Glenmore Hinds said police would maintain surveillance on him but did not provide specifics.
“We’ll be doing everything to ensure the safety of Jamaicans will not be compromised,” he said.
El-Faisal once led a London mosque attended by convicted terrorists and Britain has said that his teachings heavily influenced one of the bombers in the 2005 transport network attacks in London that killed 52 people.
In 2007, Britain deported him to Jamaica after he spent four years in jail for urging the killing of Americans, Hindus, Jews and Christians.
Last year, el-Faisal toured several African countries until he was arrested last month in Kenya. Muslim youth demanding his release staged a deadly protest on Jan. 15 at a downtown Nairobi mosque resulting in the arrest of 400 people. The Muslim Human Rights Forum said at least five people were killed when police shot at demonstrators, while the government says one person died.
Attempts to deport el-Faisal failed earlier this month when he was denied a transit visa when he arrived in Nigeria en route to Gambia, which had agreed to host him. He was then flown back to Kenya.
Britain, South Africa, Tanzania and the US earlier denied el-Faisal the transit visas he needed to return to Jamaica.
It was unclear on Saturday what country may have issued el-Faisal a transit visa.
Government officials in Burkina Faso did not return calls for comment. Authorities in Antigua said no one aboard a private plane is required to present paperwork if passengers do not disembark.
AP, KINGSTON
Monday, Jan 25, 2010, Page 7
A radical Muslim cleric who served time in a British jail for inciting murder and stirring racial hatred has returned by private jet to his native Jamaica after several unsuccessful attempts to deport him from Kenya.
Abdullah el-Faisal arrived in Kingston on Friday night on a jet paid for by the Kenyan government, traveling from Burkina Faso to Antigua via Cape Verde, authorities said.
Ken Baugh, Jamaica’s foreign affairs minister, said on Saturday he had no information about the cost of the flight or other details.
El-Faisal spoke briefly to reporters before he left in a minivan with two members of the local Muslim community.
“I’m traveling for two days and you want me to give you an interview?” he was quoted as saying in Saturday’s edition of the Jamaica Observer newspaper. “It was a very good flight. It was a private jet. I am very happy to be back home.”
It is unclear where el-Faisal will live in Jamaica. He previously lived in Spanish Town, just outside Kingston.
Deputy police chief Glenmore Hinds said police would maintain surveillance on him but did not provide specifics.
“We’ll be doing everything to ensure the safety of Jamaicans will not be compromised,” he said.
El-Faisal once led a London mosque attended by convicted terrorists and Britain has said that his teachings heavily influenced one of the bombers in the 2005 transport network attacks in London that killed 52 people.
In 2007, Britain deported him to Jamaica after he spent four years in jail for urging the killing of Americans, Hindus, Jews and Christians.
Last year, el-Faisal toured several African countries until he was arrested last month in Kenya. Muslim youth demanding his release staged a deadly protest on Jan. 15 at a downtown Nairobi mosque resulting in the arrest of 400 people. The Muslim Human Rights Forum said at least five people were killed when police shot at demonstrators, while the government says one person died.
Attempts to deport el-Faisal failed earlier this month when he was denied a transit visa when he arrived in Nigeria en route to Gambia, which had agreed to host him. He was then flown back to Kenya.
Britain, South Africa, Tanzania and the US earlier denied el-Faisal the transit visas he needed to return to Jamaica.
It was unclear on Saturday what country may have issued el-Faisal a transit visa.
Government officials in Burkina Faso did not return calls for comment. Authorities in Antigua said no one aboard a private plane is required to present paperwork if passengers do not disembark.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
AL QAEDA - WHITE ARMY OF TERROR
*** Almost a year to the day of this article. Connecting dots... MS ***
FROM: http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/AlQaeda39s-white-army-of-terror.3667425.jp
Published Date: 13 January 2008
By Richard Elias
HUNDREDS of British non-Muslims have been recruited by al-Qaeda to wage war against the West, senior security sources warned last night.
As many as 1,500 white Britons are believed to have converted to Islam for the purpose of funding, planning and carrying out surprise terror attacks inside the UK, according to one MI5 source.
Lord Carlile, the Government's independent reviewer of anti-terrorism legislation, said many of the converts had been targeted by radical Muslims while serving prison terms.
Security experts say the growing secret army of white terrorists poses a particularly serious threat as they are far less likely to be detected than members of the Asian community.
Since the 7/7 and 21/7 London bombings, police and intelligence services have had considerable success in identifying, disrupting and stopping extremist plots. As a result, groups such as al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen have been forced to change tack. Converting white non-Muslims has been one response.
The trend is well established in the United States. American-born Adam Gadahn is one of the FBI's top 10 most-wanted terrorists after converting to Islam and rising through al-Qaeda's ranks to become a prominent spokesman.
One British security source last night told Scotland on Sunday: "There could be anything up to 1,500 converts to the fundamentalist cause across Britain. They pose a real potential danger to our domestic security because, obviously, these people blend in and do not raise any flags.
"The exact figure of those who have converted to Islam and turned to terror is not precisely known. Not everyone who converts becomes radicalised and it may be that just two-fifths go down that path, but it remains a significant and dangerous problem."
Carlile said he was not aware of specific numbers, but confirmed to Scotland on Sunday that Whitehall was aware of the new threat and was actively tackling it. He said: "These people are an issue and are potentially very dangerous. There have been cases of non-Muslims converting before, and of these, Richard Reid, the so-called Shoebomber, is the most obvious example.
"They are more difficult to detect and the security services are right to place some focus on this issue."
Carlile said the majority of converts were targeted when they were in prison: "These (converts] are outside the standard type of profile which most police forces would have of a terrorist, which is male, young, and of Middle Eastern or Asian appearance. That is why they are so potentially dangerous."
Carlile added: "The Home Office has a lot of money, millions of pounds, which is being put forward for communities and fighting radicalisation. There is no question how tackling this issue is best achieved: it is achieved at a community level."
Security experts say radical Muslims in prison have become adept at identifying potential new recruits to their cause. Those in custody for the first time, the young and the lonely are particularly susceptible.
Initially, the approach is made to comfort, console and support, with very little reference, if any, to religion.
However, after several 'chats', the conversation will be turned towards the subject and, gradually, over a period of weeks or months, it is possible to complete the conversion.
Robert Leiken, director of the Immigration and National Security Programme and a specialist on European Muslims based at the Nixon Centre in Washington DC, said: "To me, the figure of 1,500 seems reasonable as many, perhaps less than a third, will actually go on to become radicals.
"New religious recruits always tend to be more zealous than those who have grown up with that specific religion."
Edwin Bakker, a Dutch-based security specialist, has studied at length the issue of radical conversions. He said: "The question is relevant and timely. Newcomers to Islam are extra-sensitive to perceived discrimination of Muslims and Islam-bashing.
"They feel they have to defend Islam – one of the essential concepts of Jihad – and they feel they have to prove themselves as newcomers."
But one of Scotland's leading Muslims disputed the claims of radicalisation, saying Islam's strict moral code made it unattractive to many westerners.
Bashir Maan added: "I do not know of any Islamist terror group in Scotland and, considering as a Muslim a person must pray five times daily, abstain from drinking (and] sex outside marriage, adhere to strict dietary and many other rules, it is impossible to convert to Islam a young person brought up in this very liberal society.
"I agree that the security services must be vigilant and keep their eye on everybody, but I think in this case they seem to be over-reacting."
*** Well, unless you are with the government, you probably would not know of any Islamist terror groups in Scotland Brother Bashir. Secondly, Muslims don't always do what they're supposed to; no different than someone from any other religion or code. Third, it is hardly IMpossible to convert someone from this path: I have done it myself and seen it done right in front of me. MS ***
FROM: http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/AlQaeda39s-white-army-of-terror.3667425.jp
Published Date: 13 January 2008
By Richard Elias
HUNDREDS of British non-Muslims have been recruited by al-Qaeda to wage war against the West, senior security sources warned last night.
As many as 1,500 white Britons are believed to have converted to Islam for the purpose of funding, planning and carrying out surprise terror attacks inside the UK, according to one MI5 source.
Lord Carlile, the Government's independent reviewer of anti-terrorism legislation, said many of the converts had been targeted by radical Muslims while serving prison terms.
Security experts say the growing secret army of white terrorists poses a particularly serious threat as they are far less likely to be detected than members of the Asian community.
Since the 7/7 and 21/7 London bombings, police and intelligence services have had considerable success in identifying, disrupting and stopping extremist plots. As a result, groups such as al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen have been forced to change tack. Converting white non-Muslims has been one response.
The trend is well established in the United States. American-born Adam Gadahn is one of the FBI's top 10 most-wanted terrorists after converting to Islam and rising through al-Qaeda's ranks to become a prominent spokesman.
One British security source last night told Scotland on Sunday: "There could be anything up to 1,500 converts to the fundamentalist cause across Britain. They pose a real potential danger to our domestic security because, obviously, these people blend in and do not raise any flags.
"The exact figure of those who have converted to Islam and turned to terror is not precisely known. Not everyone who converts becomes radicalised and it may be that just two-fifths go down that path, but it remains a significant and dangerous problem."
Carlile said he was not aware of specific numbers, but confirmed to Scotland on Sunday that Whitehall was aware of the new threat and was actively tackling it. He said: "These people are an issue and are potentially very dangerous. There have been cases of non-Muslims converting before, and of these, Richard Reid, the so-called Shoebomber, is the most obvious example.
"They are more difficult to detect and the security services are right to place some focus on this issue."
Carlile said the majority of converts were targeted when they were in prison: "These (converts] are outside the standard type of profile which most police forces would have of a terrorist, which is male, young, and of Middle Eastern or Asian appearance. That is why they are so potentially dangerous."
Carlile added: "The Home Office has a lot of money, millions of pounds, which is being put forward for communities and fighting radicalisation. There is no question how tackling this issue is best achieved: it is achieved at a community level."
Security experts say radical Muslims in prison have become adept at identifying potential new recruits to their cause. Those in custody for the first time, the young and the lonely are particularly susceptible.
Initially, the approach is made to comfort, console and support, with very little reference, if any, to religion.
However, after several 'chats', the conversation will be turned towards the subject and, gradually, over a period of weeks or months, it is possible to complete the conversion.
Robert Leiken, director of the Immigration and National Security Programme and a specialist on European Muslims based at the Nixon Centre in Washington DC, said: "To me, the figure of 1,500 seems reasonable as many, perhaps less than a third, will actually go on to become radicals.
"New religious recruits always tend to be more zealous than those who have grown up with that specific religion."
Edwin Bakker, a Dutch-based security specialist, has studied at length the issue of radical conversions. He said: "The question is relevant and timely. Newcomers to Islam are extra-sensitive to perceived discrimination of Muslims and Islam-bashing.
"They feel they have to defend Islam – one of the essential concepts of Jihad – and they feel they have to prove themselves as newcomers."
But one of Scotland's leading Muslims disputed the claims of radicalisation, saying Islam's strict moral code made it unattractive to many westerners.
Bashir Maan added: "I do not know of any Islamist terror group in Scotland and, considering as a Muslim a person must pray five times daily, abstain from drinking (and] sex outside marriage, adhere to strict dietary and many other rules, it is impossible to convert to Islam a young person brought up in this very liberal society.
"I agree that the security services must be vigilant and keep their eye on everybody, but I think in this case they seem to be over-reacting."
*** Well, unless you are with the government, you probably would not know of any Islamist terror groups in Scotland Brother Bashir. Secondly, Muslims don't always do what they're supposed to; no different than someone from any other religion or code. Third, it is hardly IMpossible to convert someone from this path: I have done it myself and seen it done right in front of me. MS ***
Monday, January 18, 2010
LONDONISTAN : THREAT FROM THE UK ?
FROM: http://news.rediff.com/interview/2009/dec/31/americans-blame-uk-for-rise-in-islamic-extremism.htm
Accusing Britain of being a "menace to the outside world", Americans have blamed their closest ally in Europe for the rise of Islamic extremism amid growing anger over the UK's perceived failure to tackle extremism.
Senior policymakers in the United States point to the recent attempt to bomb a transatlantic jetliner by Nigerian man Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who is thought to have become radicalised in London.
They said it was further evidence that one of the biggest threats to US security came from Britain, where the capital has been dubbed "Londonistan" by critics.
According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, they also criticised the "ghettoisation" of British Muslims, compared with the "assimilation" of Muslims in America.
Muslim immigrants to the US were much better integrated in society and considered themselves Americans "within a generation" because the US embraced the "melting pot" concept, Marc Thiessen, former chief speechwriter for President George W Bush and a former Pentagon aide, was quoted as saying by the British daily.
"The British have an immense problem. There are more challenges in Muslim immigrants integrating into British society than there is in America, a lack of assimilation, a great deal of alienation," said Charles Allen, a recently-retired veteran Central Intelligence Agency officer who was intelligence chief at the department of homeland security under Bush.
British universities are coming under the spotlight in the anti-terrorism campaign, with critics calling them a hotbed of extremism.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown [ Images ] recently highlighted the universities as one of the key areas where authorities needed to act against extremist influences.
The failed suicide bomber Abdulmutallab was president of the Islamic Society at University College London between 2006 and 2007, while he was studying for an engineering degree, the report said.
"The UK is a menace to the outside world. It's been a problem for years now. This is just one more example," said Daniel Pipes, a scholar on radical Islam and former adviser to Rudolph Giuliani during his presidential campaign, said.
Professor Anthony Glees, director of Brunel University's Centre for Intelligence and Security Studies, has suggested that dozens of British universities have become a breeding ground for extremists.
"The problem stems from the fact that extremists and extremist recruiters have seen universities as safe spaces from which to recruit students," Glees said, adding authorities are "not properly supervising what goes on at campuses, they weren't and they're still not, and it is clear they don't intend to do so in the future."
Though the UK Home Office refused Abdulmutallab a student visa in May and put him on an immigration watch list, they did not pass this information to the US.
Thiessen underlined that the US was "in grave danger" as "we are lowering our defences" "in response to the hue and cry from the European Left and to appease European opinion".
As a result, the Al Qaeda [ Images ] had "worked much harder to get Westerners, people who live in the West, who may be citizens of the West" to become recruits and train in places like the tribal areas of Pakistan and Yemen, he said.
Accusing Britain of being a "menace to the outside world", Americans have blamed their closest ally in Europe for the rise of Islamic extremism amid growing anger over the UK's perceived failure to tackle extremism.
Senior policymakers in the United States point to the recent attempt to bomb a transatlantic jetliner by Nigerian man Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who is thought to have become radicalised in London.
They said it was further evidence that one of the biggest threats to US security came from Britain, where the capital has been dubbed "Londonistan" by critics.
According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, they also criticised the "ghettoisation" of British Muslims, compared with the "assimilation" of Muslims in America.
Muslim immigrants to the US were much better integrated in society and considered themselves Americans "within a generation" because the US embraced the "melting pot" concept, Marc Thiessen, former chief speechwriter for President George W Bush and a former Pentagon aide, was quoted as saying by the British daily.
"The British have an immense problem. There are more challenges in Muslim immigrants integrating into British society than there is in America, a lack of assimilation, a great deal of alienation," said Charles Allen, a recently-retired veteran Central Intelligence Agency officer who was intelligence chief at the department of homeland security under Bush.
British universities are coming under the spotlight in the anti-terrorism campaign, with critics calling them a hotbed of extremism.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown [ Images ] recently highlighted the universities as one of the key areas where authorities needed to act against extremist influences.
The failed suicide bomber Abdulmutallab was president of the Islamic Society at University College London between 2006 and 2007, while he was studying for an engineering degree, the report said.
"The UK is a menace to the outside world. It's been a problem for years now. This is just one more example," said Daniel Pipes, a scholar on radical Islam and former adviser to Rudolph Giuliani during his presidential campaign, said.
Professor Anthony Glees, director of Brunel University's Centre for Intelligence and Security Studies, has suggested that dozens of British universities have become a breeding ground for extremists.
"The problem stems from the fact that extremists and extremist recruiters have seen universities as safe spaces from which to recruit students," Glees said, adding authorities are "not properly supervising what goes on at campuses, they weren't and they're still not, and it is clear they don't intend to do so in the future."
Though the UK Home Office refused Abdulmutallab a student visa in May and put him on an immigration watch list, they did not pass this information to the US.
Thiessen underlined that the US was "in grave danger" as "we are lowering our defences" "in response to the hue and cry from the European Left and to appease European opinion".
As a result, the Al Qaeda [ Images ] had "worked much harder to get Westerners, people who live in the West, who may be citizens of the West" to become recruits and train in places like the tribal areas of Pakistan and Yemen, he said.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
BRITISH HUB OF AQ IN WEST
FROM: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/6998580/British-al-Qaeda-hub-is-biggest-in-West.html
Britain has the greatest number of Islamic extremists linked to al-Qaeda of any Western country and poses a grave risk to international security, the US government believes.
Terrorist groups are using the UK as a base to plot terrorism attacks around the world, American officials have disclosed.
The level of al-Qaeda activity in the UK is a “major source of concern” in Washington.
American leaders believe Gordon Brown's government is failing to combat the threat of extremism among Muslims living in Britain.
“The UK has the greatest concentration of active al-Qaeda supporters of any Western country,” a senior US official told the Daily Telegraph.
“As a result, no Western country has been more threatened than the UK, but the UK-based al-Qaeda network poses not only a potent threat to Britain but to the rest of the world.”
The disclosure of American fears will increase Transatlantic tensions over the attempted terrorist attack on an airliner over Detroit last month.
The would-be suicide bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, has said his attack was inspired and directed by al-Qaeda.
It has been claimed he was radicalised in London, where the bomber, a Nigerian, was a student between 2005 and 2008. British officials insist that he became a terrorist in Yemen.
American officials believe that European Muslims are more likely than their counterparts in the United States to subscribe to extremist doctrines.
The US prides itself on “assimilating” all immigrant groups into mainstream culture, while European nations including Britain have pursued a policy of multiculturalism. Critics say it leaves Muslims at risk of being alienated from wider society and susceptible to radical movements. (MS: Blaming multiculturalism again? Assimilation the only way? I respectfully disagree. Look more into what causes this "alienation from wider society" - does that just happen all of a sudden? No it does not.)
“The level of al-Qaeda activity in Britain is becoming a major source of concern,” said a senior State Department official.
“The organisation’s ability to use Britain as a base to plot terror attacks constitutes a serious threat to the security of Britain and other Western countries.”
The failed Detroit attack has renewed international attention on Britain’s record in dealing with international terrorism.
Abdulmutallab’s attack was the third al-Qaeda attempt to bring down a US-bound plane linked to Britain. In 2001, Richard Reid, from London, tried to explode a bomb hidden in his shoe on a flight to Miami.
In 2006, a plot by Islamic extremists to blow up transatlantic airliners using homemade liquid bombs was foiled.
Among some US politicians and security experts, the British capital has been dubbed “Londonistan” because of the presence of so many radical Muslims and mosques with connections to extremist preachers.
British universities are a particular concern. Abdulmutallab was president of the Islamic Society at University College London between 2006 and 2007, while he was studying for an engineering degree. UCL, together with many other British universities, has been accused of failing to stop radical preachers giving talks on campus for fear of being accused of Islamophobia. (MS: There IS a way to walk the line...but my suggestions may not be appropriate for the public sphere. Rest assured, it does not have to be one way or the highway.)
Although the July 7 attacks in London in 2005 were the only fatal al-Qaeda attacks in the UK, many other plots have been disrupted. In 2006, British police disrupted an al-Qaeda plot to explode liquid bombs on several Transatlantic airliners, an operation officers said could have killed thousands of people.
Jonathan Evans, the head of MI5, has said that his service was aware of around 2,000 radicalised Muslims in Britain who might be involved in terrorism plots.
The Security Service has not updated that number since, but American officials believe it is now even higher. (MS: Believe it.)
United States intelligence officers are also gravely concerned about the number of British Muslims travelling to Yemen to become involved in extremist activity. Yemen is emerging as a focus for international counter-terrorism, as intensive military activity forces al-Qaeda to reduce its activity on the Afghan-Pakistan border.
Yesterday, launching his party’s new national security strategy, David Cameron, the Conservative leader, suggested that immigration systems are allowing dangerous extremists to enter the UK.
“There’s not much point having tougher laws to deport people who are a threat to Britain if at the same time we don’t have a proper border police force to stop unwanted people from coming in,” he said.
The stark American assessment of Britain’s position is, however, at odds with the optimism of British officials.
Last year, the official UK “threat level” was lowered, and Whitehall officials have claimed that British intelligence agencies have identified every significant terrorist cell in the country.
Earlier this month, relations between London and Washington were strained over just what information about Abdulmutallab had been passed to the US authorities by British intelligence agencies.
Downing Street has said that more than a years ago, MI5 passed on “security information” about Abdulmutallab’s links to radical preachers. However, US officials have insisted that any information passed on did not identify him as a potential terrorist.
Britain has the greatest number of Islamic extremists linked to al-Qaeda of any Western country and poses a grave risk to international security, the US government believes.
Terrorist groups are using the UK as a base to plot terrorism attacks around the world, American officials have disclosed.
The level of al-Qaeda activity in the UK is a “major source of concern” in Washington.
American leaders believe Gordon Brown's government is failing to combat the threat of extremism among Muslims living in Britain.
“The UK has the greatest concentration of active al-Qaeda supporters of any Western country,” a senior US official told the Daily Telegraph.
“As a result, no Western country has been more threatened than the UK, but the UK-based al-Qaeda network poses not only a potent threat to Britain but to the rest of the world.”
The disclosure of American fears will increase Transatlantic tensions over the attempted terrorist attack on an airliner over Detroit last month.
The would-be suicide bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, has said his attack was inspired and directed by al-Qaeda.
It has been claimed he was radicalised in London, where the bomber, a Nigerian, was a student between 2005 and 2008. British officials insist that he became a terrorist in Yemen.
American officials believe that European Muslims are more likely than their counterparts in the United States to subscribe to extremist doctrines.
The US prides itself on “assimilating” all immigrant groups into mainstream culture, while European nations including Britain have pursued a policy of multiculturalism. Critics say it leaves Muslims at risk of being alienated from wider society and susceptible to radical movements. (MS: Blaming multiculturalism again? Assimilation the only way? I respectfully disagree. Look more into what causes this "alienation from wider society" - does that just happen all of a sudden? No it does not.)
“The level of al-Qaeda activity in Britain is becoming a major source of concern,” said a senior State Department official.
“The organisation’s ability to use Britain as a base to plot terror attacks constitutes a serious threat to the security of Britain and other Western countries.”
The failed Detroit attack has renewed international attention on Britain’s record in dealing with international terrorism.
Abdulmutallab’s attack was the third al-Qaeda attempt to bring down a US-bound plane linked to Britain. In 2001, Richard Reid, from London, tried to explode a bomb hidden in his shoe on a flight to Miami.
In 2006, a plot by Islamic extremists to blow up transatlantic airliners using homemade liquid bombs was foiled.
Among some US politicians and security experts, the British capital has been dubbed “Londonistan” because of the presence of so many radical Muslims and mosques with connections to extremist preachers.
British universities are a particular concern. Abdulmutallab was president of the Islamic Society at University College London between 2006 and 2007, while he was studying for an engineering degree. UCL, together with many other British universities, has been accused of failing to stop radical preachers giving talks on campus for fear of being accused of Islamophobia. (MS: There IS a way to walk the line...but my suggestions may not be appropriate for the public sphere. Rest assured, it does not have to be one way or the highway.)
Although the July 7 attacks in London in 2005 were the only fatal al-Qaeda attacks in the UK, many other plots have been disrupted. In 2006, British police disrupted an al-Qaeda plot to explode liquid bombs on several Transatlantic airliners, an operation officers said could have killed thousands of people.
Jonathan Evans, the head of MI5, has said that his service was aware of around 2,000 radicalised Muslims in Britain who might be involved in terrorism plots.
The Security Service has not updated that number since, but American officials believe it is now even higher. (MS: Believe it.)
United States intelligence officers are also gravely concerned about the number of British Muslims travelling to Yemen to become involved in extremist activity. Yemen is emerging as a focus for international counter-terrorism, as intensive military activity forces al-Qaeda to reduce its activity on the Afghan-Pakistan border.
Yesterday, launching his party’s new national security strategy, David Cameron, the Conservative leader, suggested that immigration systems are allowing dangerous extremists to enter the UK.
“There’s not much point having tougher laws to deport people who are a threat to Britain if at the same time we don’t have a proper border police force to stop unwanted people from coming in,” he said.
The stark American assessment of Britain’s position is, however, at odds with the optimism of British officials.
Last year, the official UK “threat level” was lowered, and Whitehall officials have claimed that British intelligence agencies have identified every significant terrorist cell in the country.
Earlier this month, relations between London and Washington were strained over just what information about Abdulmutallab had been passed to the US authorities by British intelligence agencies.
Downing Street has said that more than a years ago, MI5 passed on “security information” about Abdulmutallab’s links to radical preachers. However, US officials have insisted that any information passed on did not identify him as a potential terrorist.
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