Why the surprise about Bangladeshis? Bangladesh has been an important hub of ISI's jihadist project for decades...
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Why the surprise about Bangladeshis? Bangladesh has been an important hub of ISI's jihadist project for decades...
Christmas bomb plot: nine men remanded over plan to 'blow up Big Ben and Westminster Abbey'
Nine alleged terrorists plotted a Christmas bombing campaign targeting sites that included the London Stock Exchange and Big Ben, a court heard.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...ter-Abbey.html
Omarali50,
You asked:IMHO the surprise is that those of Bangladeshi origin have not featured in most UK plots for a few years, other groups dominate, notably Kashmiri / Pakistani and coming up Somalis. IIRC the last UK CT case with a Bangladeshi was Moinul Abedin and he was arrested in 2000. Secondly, there was the assumption that contemporary history would preclude any Bangladeshi going to Pakistan for training.Quote:
Why the surprise about Bangladeshis? Bangladesh has been an important hub of ISI's jihadist project for decades...
There has also been Bangladesh-UK co-operation in CT, although it has hiccups:http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/2010/j...ims-bangladesh
For people too cheap to buy from Paladin Press
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...l?hpid=topnewsQuote:
LONDON - Nine men arrested in Britain on terrorism charges last week found inspiration and bomb-making instructions in an English-language Internet magazine published by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, British investigators reportedly said.
There is another thread on the 7/7 bombings, shown below, but it covers the post-attack response and this thread starts following - late agreed - the missed opportunities to stop the attacks. Like others I do not like the phrase 'joining the dots', but it is an easy headline.
After much official resistance there is now a coroners inquest, with its own website:http://7julyinquests.independent.gov.uk/index.htm
There have been some headlines as witnesses have come forward. Today we learnt of a missed opportunity, which I cannot recall ever being in the public domain:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...e-Lindsay.html
Sub-titled:Data management is a key issue, although this article is not new, it illustrates the LE aspects:http://www.fipr.org/terrorismdetention.pdfQuote:
Bedfordshire police failed to follow up an armed incident involving a car used by one of the July 7 bombers five weeks before the bombings, the inquest has heard.
Previous related SWC thread on 7/7: Interagency Coordination http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ead.php?t=6270
The judge-led coroner's inquest on the 7/7 Bombings has reported in full and has caused some comment.
The BBC report:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12629441
From:http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011..._r=1&ref=worldQuote:
A senior officer from the MI5 intelligence service gave evidence anonymously, and said that while two of the bombers had been on the agency's radar, they could not have been stopped.
Although officials initially had said they had no advance knowledge of the bombers, inquiries revealed that Khan and Tanweer had been under surveillance as part of an investigation into an earlier, foiled, bomb plot.
They were never pursued because officials were overwhelmed with other threats perceived to be more serious.
A more detailed analyst's comment on the evidence, written before today, gives more detail:http://raffaellopantucci.com/2011/04...2005-bombings/
A few weeks police in Birmingham arrested eight people, who were later charged with terrorism offences and seven men kept in custody:Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15113378Quote:
Four of the men were charged with preparing for an act of terrorism in the UK, and two with failing to disclose information.
This week four young men were arrested, in part two of the investigation, now known as Operation Pitsford and they too have been charged:Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15798572Quote:
They are accused of collecting money for terrorism, travelling to Pakistan for terrorism training and travelling abroad to commit acts of terrorism. They have been charged with engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts contrary to section 5(1) of the Terrorism Act 2006, a force spokesman said.
While this may have only local, British implications I do wonder if it will have an impact on the decision to base the US Olympic track team in Birmingham. There was speculation a week ago that the USA had some concerns overs security in London:http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011...-security-2012
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/...7BD2AM20111214Quote:
(Reuters) - Britain's top soldier warned on Wednesday that pro-democracy uprisings in the Middle East could spawn militant Islamist activity in Britain, but said the greatest threat was economic.
In his end-of-year analysis of the dangers facing Britain, the chief of the defense staff, General David Richards, said the Arab Spring could stir unrest in Britain's immigrant communities.
"(There is) the risk that the Arab awakening leads to fissures and internal conflict that could be exported, including militant Islamism," Richards told a defense thinktank, the Royal United Services Institute, in London.
"They have diasporas reaching back to this country, as does Pakistan and other states struggling with instability."
Art imitates life. Life imitates art.
For many years the Jihadist bookshop 'Maktabah al-Ansar' in Sparkhill, in East Birmingham had a certain notoriety, with repeated police search warrants and finally in February 2007 property was seized that enabled a prosecution in October 2011. The bookshop being described by the prosecutor as:Link:http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/oc...ople-terrorismQuote:
This case is about the distribution of books and DVDs and other material which we say represent steps along the road to radicalisation of Muslims to engage in violent terrorist attacks around the world, including the UK....This case is also about the ways and means by which to solidify that radicalisation and provide practical assistance for those who have been radicalised. To encapsulate it in a single phrase, this case is about priming people for terrorism...now serving long prison sentences, having been found guilty of plotting to terrorise the British public
At the trial several expert witnesses appeared for the prosecution and yesterday one of them authored a very significant article IMHO. This is the headline and sub-title:Adding:Quote:
This bookseller deserved his incitement to terrorism conviction (followed by) I was a witness in Ahmed Faraz's trial – this is the first time anyone involved has spoken about what really happened
Link:http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...ism-convictionQuote:
Much of the media discussion of the trial treated the texts as if they were translations of originals. In fact, all of the original texts had been doctored or adulterated in extremist ways....Throughout, the authority of the Qur'an and the Hadith (sayings of the Prophet) was invoked in false, de-contextualised ways to justify acts of violence against innocent people. The texts and videos divided the world strictly into the realm of "pure" Islam – godliness, virtue and knowledge – and the world of "pure" disbelief (kufr) – vice, godlessness and ignorance (jahiliyyah).
The bookseller's conviction:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-16149299
A contrary viewpoint on the conviction is here:http://www.opendemocracy.net/ourking...ady-chatterley
David, frankly I don’t get it. I imagine that monitoring this store could have yield a treasure trove of useful information – why shut down a potential intelligence goldmine?
Most UK CT prosecutions take a long time to get to court, although IIRC the prosecution must present within sixty days enough of a case to satisfy the court. Then the court, prosecution and defence set about their own way of doing things, for example how many days will a full hearing take? Finding a court slot for a three month-long trial takes time.
In this case the police in 2007 and in 2010 found a mass of potential evidence, books and recordings. All need to be examined, maybe summarised and submitted for review by expert witnesses. Then there's full disclosure to the defence, who may challenge on various aspects, for example the qualifications of an expert witness, so another has to be appointed.
In this case the defendant was at liberty for most of the time once charged in February 2010.
Then there's the priority assigned to threats to life over incitement, so you can have a tiny team assigned to such a case as this.
This bookshop had a long history, with repeated raids, at least back to 1998 or 2000; it had a physical location till at least 2007 and then went on-line till 2011.
Locally many in the Muslim community knew what it represented and wanted it gone. Frequently the issue of a 'goldmine' or "honey pot" was raised locally and I would suggest by 2007 it's value had diminished. Not to overlook the rumours that the bookshop was a "front" and IIRC the murky role of the initial landlord.
One prominent name linked to the bookshop, a Moazzam Begg, moved on after being a co-founder, including a stint at Guantanamo Bay and became linked to other forms of campaigning:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moazzam_Begg
Three threads merged and thread renamed UK Counter-Terrorism (merged thread).
The annual report by the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation has been published and covered here, for example:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...-watchdog.html
In view of a press report on a speech by the Director-General of the Security Service (MI5) on the threat, the reviewer said the threat is sometimes:Quote:
Bee stings kill as many people in Britain as terrorist attacks do, according to a report by a Government watchdog who claims the risk from extremists has fallen “markedly” in recent years.
Link to cited a report on the MI5 speech:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...spy-chief.htmlQuote:
exaggerated for political or commercial purposes
As the UK winds up for the Olympics in a month's time his remarks are noteworthy and I suspect not exactly endearing him to HMG. When taken alongside his earlier testimony to a parliamentary committee on HMG's proposal for closed courts in civil cases he is showing some mettle IMHO:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...e-strikes.html
Not yet reported by the BBC, but it is confirmed as accurate. This is from a website run by supporters of Faraz:Link:http://www.cageprisoners.com/our-wor...of-ahmed-farazQuote:
In a damning judgement, the UK Court of Appeal rules that no causal link could be presented that publications produced by the Maktabah bookshop would inspire acts of political violence or terrorism. They said that it was incorrect of the trial judge to permit evidence that those who had carried out acts of terrorism had owned copies of the books or DVDs and that it was a short cut to a conviction.
The judges further explained that when the extent of acts of political violence are considered, the percentage of those who might have read Maktabah publications was very small and so such a causal link was entirely onerous.
The ripples from long-running investigation will spread widely, although being the pre-Christmas rush may easily slip from public view.
This is one of those cases that highlight the differences between the UK and the US. I'm not so sure the gov would even bring a case like that here, one that seems to me to criminalize unapproved thought. We'll get there eventually though.
Thanks to an observer the recent Appeal Court decision is not as reported, by a very partial source. First a reminder:From the BBC report upon conviction:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-16149299Quote:
...Faraz had been convicted of seven counts of dissemination of terrorist publications and four counts of possession of information likely to be of use to a person committing or preparing for an act of terrorism. Seven other similar charges would lie on file.
The observer:The previously cited source didn't mention this.Quote:
...only the charges of disseminating terrorism literature were quashed. The possession conviction still stands and regardless of the below, he is still a convicted terrorist.
I await the post-Xmas reporting of this matter, if there is any. Perhaps even a statement by the police (WMCTU) or prosecution (CPS).
After an unexplained delay the UK press yesterday reported the Court of Appeal decision; the two reports are similar:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...=feeds-newsxml and http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...n-quashed.html
The former refers to:One of the expert witnesses, Matthew Tariq Wilkinson, did contribute an article after the initial conviction 'I was a witness in Ahmed Faraz's trial – this is the first time anyone involved has spoken about what really happened':http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...on?INTCMP=SRCHQuote:
The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed yesterday that it would not seek a retrial, according to a report in the Times (behind a Paywall).
The defendant was interviewed by Caged Prisoners after his initial conviction, before being sentenced:http://www.cageprisoners.com/our-wor...blishing-books
How the Court of Appeal's decision has been seen amongst the Muslim communities is unclear, some I expect will suspect it confirms that the British state "pulled out all the stops" to convict the bookseller and now the conviction has been partly overturned.
A reasoned commentary from the BBC, which opens with:Nicely sums up the case:Quote:
Can someone be convicted of disseminating books which are arguably so extreme in nature they've played a role in encouraging terrorism and political violence?
That was the question in the trial - and subsequent appeal - of a Birmingham bookseller who in 2011 was convicted of selling jihadist literature, the first substantial case of its kind.
The Court of Appeal decision is linked, although it is far from clear to a layman, but the BBC helps:Quote:
In short, the prosecution said Faraz was distributing material that was designed to prime people for terrorism, even if he was not involved in it himself.
Ahmed Faraz's defence was that none of the publications encouraged terrorism; they were simply publications that encouraged intelligent discussions on religious and political theory - and that he also had a legitimate academic interest in some of the material.
Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20940716Quote:
the Court of Appeal said that it was probable that some people who had read the books were already militant Islamists who might have been further encouraged. But they said that was not proof that any of the books had indeed encouraged acts of terrorism.
Lord Justice Pitchford said: "The danger is that the jury would condemn the publication purely by reason of its association with known terrorists. The temptation to move to the conclusion that terrorists would not be in possession of a publication unless it encouraged them to acts to terrorism is a powerful one; but such a conclusion would, of course, be speculative, unfair and prejudicial."
For a long time non-Irish, Jihadi CT investigations in the UK have not found firearms, although some arrest operations have involved armed police, others not. Firearms have been found in several cases with an extreme nationalist / right wing aspect.
In an investigation in London into travel to Syria in support of alleged terrorist activity, six men were arrested last week and four were released:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20976211 and http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21051656
Today we learn that in the original searches a converted, blank-firing sub-machine gun (MAC-10) and live ammunition were found, leading to one person, from Edgware, North London being charged with firearms offences, not terrorism and the other man was released without charge:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21066597
Having a blank-firing weapon is not uncommon in the UK alas.
Not a good development - even with no terrorism charges.
...but all I could think of here was the "proper replica, bro...big hands" scene in the movie Four Lions.
A "lurker" reminded me that an aspiring Jihadi sought to buy weapons after 7/7, but it was a "sting" in 2005:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6206886.stm
An aspiring Jihadi with a firearm and ammunition is not a good sign. I fully accept the defendant could have been an "ordinary decent criminal", having the firearm for other reasons.
I think you need to look beyond just mere possession of a firearm.
The "barrier to entry" for a UK sourced active shooter attack is significant. A successful active shooter style attack, be it by a group or a lone-wolf, requires at least:
- some degree of training and familiarization with firearms;
- multiple firearms;
- ample supply of ammunition
Procuring these things in the UK significantly raises the risk of exposure for any active shooter plot.
I would also imagine the price of firearms on the UK black market is high - seeing as how the supply is low, and much of the demand would probably be from people in the narcotics trade who have the funds to pay a premium for weapons.
Obviously I have made assumptions here - but I believe they are fair ones, and the impression I get is that a homegrown active shooter style plot sourced from within the UK has significant risk of exposure and financial costs.
Bourbon I accept your points.
My concern was not for an 'active shooter' attack, but the likely crossover between aspiring a Jihadi and "ordinary decent criminals" in the acquisition of a firearm and ammunition. There has been very little known crossover between the two; a matter of choice given the risks to both.
The second is whether LE have to assume Jihadi suspects have access to firearms when mounting arrest operations when there is no actual intelligence they have weapons. It is a fact that invariably new items or indicators of criminal activity are only discovered in post-arrest searching - fraud is often found.
Fair enough. But that has to do with the UK's legal system and culture - and it's near total prohibition of firearms; which frankly I won't even pretend to understand!
I would ask what does it suggest, if such crossover as you described, is occurring in the UK?
As to the question of assuming a terrorist suspect's access to firearms when mounting arrest operations; I would be disturbed to hear that this is not the default assumption - but again, see my comment about me not understanding the British.
A lengthy excerpt from a book due out in April 2013, which gives a good background to some of the factors behind Jihadist terrorism in the UK - with a focus on the impact of Kashmir and the appeal to those with an affinity or kith & kin links in the UK - by looking at one radicaliser Maulana Masood Azhar.
It starts with:Link:http://www.hurstpublishers.com/maula...mber_207971092Quote:
Kashmir has always played an interesting role in Britain’s jihad. From its earliest days, the presence in the UK of a substantial Kashmiri population meant issues in the Indian sub-continent were important in the UK as well. Most prominently, in 1984, a group of Kashmiris abducted and murdered Rhavindra Mhatre, a diplomat serving at the Indian Consulate in Birmingham. Their demands included the release of imprisoned Kashmiri leader Maqbool Butt, who was instead executed by the Indian government in retribution. In later years, as tensions slowly escalated, a growing number of young Britons were drawn to the fight, following the streams of money that had long filtered from the UK to Kashmiri jihadi groups. In time, this well-trodden path became a direct line to al Qaeda, culminating in the attacks of 7 July 2005.
The book is 'We Love Death As You Love Life: Britain's Suburban Mujahedeen' by Raffaello Pantucci, see flyer:http://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/...you-love-life/
http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2013/0...est/?hpt=hp_t4
UK trial reveals new al Qaeda strategy to hit West
Not really new, but a lot of interesting detail coming out of this case.Quote:
The trial of three Birmingham men convicted Thursday of plotting to launch a "catastrophic" suicide bombing attack in the United Kingdom revealed that al Qaeda has developed a new strategy to target the West.
Quote:
Pantucci says the pressures on al Qaeda have resulted in a shift toward a new model of "fire and forget."
The March 2012 Toulouse terrorist shootings provided further evidence of looser control by al Qaeda of terrorist plots in the West. The perpetrator of the attack - Mohammed Merah - was encouraged by the group to return to France to launch an attack during a short stay in the tribal areas of Pakistan in September 2011 but planned every aspect of the operation himself, including which targets to strike.
I am slowly reading the various post-trial MSM reports on this case, which has some aspects that are troubling and others that portray the convicted men as bumbling idiots. Yes they seen, no heard to be angry, motivated and trained. Much of the evidence came from bugging their conversations, even this:Source not id'd. so could be "spin".Quote:
MI5 on hearing via their home bug that these incompetent idiots were looking to buy a car for their gunpowder plot, managed to get them to buy a pre-bugged vehicle that they (MI5) had supplied.
Troubling:From:http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk...1-8505036.htmlQuote:
The two Irfans were also in contact with Lashkar-e-Taiba, the extremist group behind... Mumbai in 2008.
If LeT were involved that is to my knowledge the first time this originally Kashmiri group has taken such an anti-UK step - training for an attack in the UK. LeT are known for sending well-trained cadres to Afghanistan to ISAF & Afghan forces.
Bill cited Raffaello Pantucci, a now London-based analyst at RUSI, has a longer comment on:http://raffaellopantucci.com/2013/02...rrorism-today/
This BBC report:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21534048 has a key 'lesson' and weakness for Jihadists:The plotters also appear to have overlooked the reaction of the local community, when they used bogus street collection to raise funds and lose them:Quote:
One of them even conceded to police that if his two fellow plotters managed to find women who would have them, their anger with the world may have eventually gone away.
Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21414518Quote:
As for the cash, Naseer and his recruits went onto the streets of Birmingham during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, rattling collection buckets and wearing high-visibility tabards. They sought donations for a local madrassah project and a legitimate international development British charity, Muslim Aid. But the real plan was to con ordinary people. They collected some £13,000 from Muslims who regard it as a religious and moral duty to give to charity during Ramadan. Rahin Ahmed, another member of the cell, said he could make more money by investing it in online currency trading - he lost £9,000.
There is another aspect of this plot which fits on another thread, the failure of those who knew others had gone to Pakistan for terror training failing to inform the authorities.
Steve Coll adds a different, long term perspective and ends:Link:http://www.newyorker.com/talk/commen...#ixzz2LuFQXBpAQuote:
Jihadist violence presents an enduring danger. Its proponents will rise and ebb; the amorphous threats that they pose will require adaptive security policies and, occasionally, military action. Yet the empirical case for a worldwide state of war against a corporeal thing called Al Qaeda looks increasingly threadbare. A war against a name is a war in name only.
In discussions with analysts one conclusion was that a name change for AQ could make CT strategy difficult, which may explain why of late new names appear for what were suspected to be AQ affiliates.
Terrorism is about branding. The AQ brand is either dead or on life support right now.
Pre-9/11 AQ was like the Harvard of terrorism – you had to apply and few were selected. These days AQ is like a community college where anyone can show up so long as they have a pulse and a checkbook.
We are literally finding feeble-minded suspects in the west trying to launch attacks under the AQ brand. Actual frittata's – I swear some of these guys will burn their lips on an exhaust pipe trying to blow-up a bus.
A short article by Andy Liepman, formerly at the US NCTC and now a senior policy analyst at RAND. Amidst is this passage:Link:http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/...-but-dangerousQuote:
Whether in Pakistan after evacuating Afghanistan or its current foray into Syria from its base in Iraq, al Qaeda remains a force to be reckoned with.
Al Qaeda's message has steadily lost resonance, but as long as it takes root among even a tiny minority of potential recruits, it is premature to declare victory. With skill and persistence, a balanced appreciation for the threats that exist, and an enemy that continually shoots itself in the foot, the United States and its allies continue to make steady progress. Al Qaeda's operational capabilities are diminished, yet just one suicide bomber taking down an aircraft full of innocents would change that narrative abruptly.
Although mentioned elsewhere about Syria it is interesting to contrast Andy's article with Bruce Hoffman's - which would not have such a headline:http://www.middleeast-armscontrol.co...rorism-threat/
It has never been about any organization, it has always been about the underlying forces of causation that these organizations emerge from and tap into.
To celebrate the "end of AQ" is like celebrating the melting of snow in December...It it is still winter new snow will replace the old. Same with insurgency or with UW organizations such as AQ who tap into the insurgent conditions of others.
Not much, beyond the self-help of Arab Spring, has been done to address the conditions AQ taps into. The West is still chasing symptoms and blaming ideology, poor economies, etc.
A newspaper story based on a forthcoming BBC Radio programme and a rare interview of Jonathan Evans, the Director of the Security Service (MI5):In the two-part series, In Defence of Bureaucracy, Mr Evans insists that bureaucracy helps MI5 officers to do their jobs:Quote:
One of the things I say always to new members of the Service is that there may be a temptation to cut those corners but in the longer term that will be a real problem to us....We depend on the support of government and ultimately on the support of the British people to do the sort of things that we do. They have a right to be confident that we will be doing this in a way which is legal, which is proportionate and which is done in accordance with high ethical standards.
Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...-MI5-boss.htmlQuote:
It means that officers can act with confidence that what they are doing is appropriate and proportionate and that there are those checks and balances in the system.
Two commentaries from RUSI analysts, one reviewing the UK CT strategy Operation Contest after an official publication last week:http://www.rusi.org/analysis/comment.../#.UWVgKqLvvfI
The second by Raffaello Pantucci is a longer comment on Operation Pitsford, the plot based in Birmingham:http://raffaellopantucci.com/2013/04...teur-fanatics/
The BBC reports two more guilty pleas in this case:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22091107
The BBC radio has just referred to a new trial of one of the defendant's wife being tried over her failure to tell the authorities of the plot:http://www.west-midlands.police.uk/l...se.asp?ID=4570 and a week later was found not guilty by the jury:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22221665
A local paper reports:Posts 64-70 were in a separate thread and were moved here today.Quote:
All 11 are due to be sentenced later this month.
Two BBC reports on:Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22305095Quote:
The investigation in Birmingham, known as Operation Pitsford, uncovered a cell of would-be suicide bombers who were trying to recruit others to their cause.
Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22310419Quote:
If one thing is clear from the massive Operation Pitsford trial, it's that the life of a would-be jihadist is far removed from the fantasy of al-Qaeda propaganda....The tale is reminiscent of a scene from the grim black comedy film, Four Lions, and we'll never know what really happened.....Mosquitoes posed a more immediate threat than American drones, and if the insects weren't going to get the Brits, the unbearable heat would.
After the 1984 Brighton hotel bombing an PIRA spokesman stated:Today six aspiring Jihadist terrorists pleaded guilty to plotting an attack @ Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, in June 2012, on a protest meeting held by the English Defence League (EDL), commonly labelled an extreme right / nationalist group.Quote:
Today we were unlucky, but remember we only have to be lucky once
Luckily:What is significant IMHO is this is the first Jihadist planned attack on the EDL in the UK. It only failed as they arrived late. The six were all UK citizens, of Bangladeshi and Kashmiri origin, from East Birmingham mainly; their prepared leaflets stated:Quote:
...by the time the group arrived the crowd of around 450 protestors had completely dispersed.
The attack was discovered after a routine traffic stop, as one car used came up as being uninsured:Quote:
To the EDL (English Drunkards League). O enemies of Allah! We have heard and seen you openly insulting the final Messenger of Allah... you should know that for every action there is a reaction. Today is a day of retaliation (especially) for your blasphemy of Allah and his Messenger Muhammad. We love death more than you love life. The penalty for blasphemy of Allah and his Messenger Muhammad is death.
See:http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/ap...dar?CMP=twt_guQuote:
The gang had purchased car insurance over the phone earlier that day but because the wrong registration number had been provided, the car flashed up as uninsured.
The car was seized and the contents were discovered when the recovery operator opened the boot, to conduct an inventory. Their weapons:Photos:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22353636Quote:
..two previously stolen sawn-off shotguns and nine cartridges, 11 bladed items, parts of a partially constructed pipe bomb, a firework-based IED containing 359 nails and 93 ball bearings...
Only then did the police discover what the plotters intended. Needless to say there are other aspects, but the police and partners were not aware of the attacker's intentions or assembly of weapons.
Police press release, with video of the routine stop:http://www.west-midlands.police.uk/l...se.asp?ID=4658
A BBC report, which covers 'did the police miss the plot':http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22344054
A comment by the EDL's leftist opponents:http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/edl-demo-bomb-plot/
Odd selection of a target, no?
I understand the insulting of the Prophet Muhammad grievance, but it would seem that from the jihadi perspective the EDL would be useful in polarizing/alienating moderate Muslims.
Bourbon,
Here is one commentary by two analysts on the radicalization theme, the headline:Link:http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...-need#show-allQuote:
The failed EDL rally plot shows how much extremists need each other; Both the would-be terrorists who plotted the Dewsbury attack and the EDL rely on each other to incite their supporters' hatred.
IMHO the plotters sought to ignite community conflict, preferably showing only the Jihadists fought the evil EDL, whatever the price paid. A good reminder how evil they were.
What a surprise:Thin BBC report:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22625104Quote:
A man has been charged with four counts of murder over the 1982 bombing in Hyde Park which killed 11 people, the Crown Prosecution Service has said. The four members of the Royal Household Cavalry were travelling to Buckingham Palace when they were killed.
Slightly more in he prosecution (CPS) press statement:http://www.cps.gov.uk/news/latest_ne...yde_park_bomb/
There is a recent SWJ article on the Hyde park bombings, there were two bombs that day, the cavalry and a military band playing in the nearby park:http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art...n-july-20-1982
There is a long running 'catch all' thread on Northern Ireland:http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ead.php?t=3576
The Provisional IRA had a saying "We have not gone away", well nor has the police investigation and now we await the trial process.
From the BBC:Note:Quote:
Sinn Fein Assembly Member Gerry Kelly said: "The decision to arrest and charge him in relation to IRA activities in the early 1980s is vindictive, unnecessary and unhelpful. It will cause anger within the republican community. Clearly, if John Downey had been arrested and convicted previously he would have been released under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. This development represents bad faith and a departure from what was previously agreed by both governments. John Downey needs to be released and allowed to return home to his family.
Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22625104Quote:
Anyone convicted of a terrorist offence in the UK or Republic of Ireland before the signing of the Good Friday Agreement on 15 April 1998 is entitled to apply to the Sentence Review Commission to be considered for release after serving two years in jail.
A British soldier was brutally murdered yesterday (Wednesday 22nd May 20113). As usual the politicians (in particular the git Boris Johnson) were quick to state that the attack had nothing to do with Islam. Allah-u-Akbar to that brother! With politicians like that who needs enemies. Once again I hear that magic word "radicalised" being thrown around (no doubt to help liberals sleep better at night). And once again I know we (they in actual fact) are going to gloss over the deeper causes of this heinous crime.
Apparently the two were known to the security service and police.
The stomach wrenching part about something like this is that from the point of view of the powerful, it is better the innocent man die than the powerful be viewed as being other than PC.
If the British had a "2nd amendment right" this whole situation might have been different. A Soldier with no weapon, killed in broad daylight and then the jihad jerk goes before a TV camera and starts his Jihad Jive routine. I hope the British give him a fair trial and then Hang Him High and slow!
Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9f7y6mXSPA
Tukhachevskii:
I have a question, for David too, that relates to what Slap wrote about trying these killers. It has been years since the Ft. Hood killer and the thing that killed the women and children in the night in Afghanistan committed their crimes, crimes of which there is no doubt that they are guilty. Yet, it has been years and their trails are nowhere in sight. Will the British take as long to try and convict the obviously guilty as we do?
I have a comment on this issue that I am reproducing here for your opinion:
http://www.brownpundits.com/2013/05/...-for-woolwich/
... I think Kenan Malik should have devoted more space to shaming the left wing commentators who wish to glorify this atrocity as a political statement..an understandable if unfortunate expression of “Muslim rage”. Sure, Fox News does more than that with their pet news items, but is it too much to expect Greenwald to ease off for a few days? He and his ilk are saying “this is a response to UK foreign policy”. What if someone spent the first five days after Breivik’s massacre explaining how it was a “response to Muslim immigration” and could have been avoided if Muslims stop immigrating to Christian lands? Would that strike some people as an unacceptable attempt to profit from a terrible atrocity?
A deranged murderer can come up with whatever explanation HE thinks is justification for his action, but it is still worth it to try and make some distinction between an organized political attack (no matter how good or bad or moral or immoral) and what is a deranged act that really does not deserve to be classifed as a component of ANY political project.
As an example of a crime that IS part of an organized political effort, see 9-11. It was not the act of one or two deranged criminals, but a systematic well thought out effort carried out by an organization with clear political aims. It was a war crime, but at least it was an organized, well thought out war crime with an ideology that explains the crime. THIS deranged murder does not deserve to be included in the same register of war crimes (or heroic acts of anti-imperialist resistance).
its a fuzzy line, but its there.
i know that the IRA targeted soldiers and that was clearly a political cause. But I am thinking of this specific crime; it does not appear that these two butchers are part of any organized group working in any systematic way (more information may change that assessment, but current information does not seem to suggest that).
By suggesting that their act is part of a political struggle against British imperialism, Greenwald and company are elevating them to a level they did not actually achieve in their lives. This assessment may change if new facts come to light, but until then, this is the kind of nutjob crime that does not deserve to be discussed as a serious policy problem. That, in fact, would be the best way to encourage the next nutjob with a real or imaginary grievance to commit some other atrocity.
This murder was not unexpected - in the general sense - and the response has been media-driven. Partly as Woolwich is in South East London, so close to the home of most UK broadcast media and the decision by ITN to use a film clip of one suspect murderer giving his reasons.
There is a deluge of reporting, some of which is speculative, so I have selected a few which I found helpful.
Once more Raffaello Pantucci, of RUSI, is worth a read:http://www.rusi.org/analysis/comment.../#.UZ90AFIayc1
He ends with:Steve Hewitt, an academic, being a Canadian based here, offers a calm response and this point is one too many ignore:Quote:
From a security perspective, the dilemma is two-fold. On the one hand, how to identify lone actor terrorists who may feature in a larger intelligence picture, but do little to distinguish themselves from the crowd. And on the other, how to manage societal tensions when extremists on both sides prove eager to incite violent reactions in others.
Link:http://www.cityam.com/article/woolwi...-crude-threatsQuote:
The terrorists can’t defeat British society; only British society can do that by exaggerating the power of the terrorists. That happens when we overreact to their atrocities.
Simon Jenkins, a London-based commentator, looks at the all powerful role of the media, with a pithy few passages:Link:http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...ria?CMP=twt_guQuote:
When Cameron yesterday said we should defy terror by going about our normal business, he was right. Why did he not do so?
It is this echo chamber of horror, set up by the media, public figures and government, that does much of terrorism's job for it. It converts mere crimes into significant acts. It turns criminals into heroes in the eyes of their admirers. It takes violence and graces it with the terms of a political debate. The danger is that this debate is one the terrorist might sometimes win.
Kings of War asks whether ITN was right, with fifty-four responses (as yet unread):http://kingsofwar.org.uk/2013/05/dea...out-terrorism/
Alan Judd, a more conservative writer uses a "broader brush" and ends with:Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...the-radar.htmlQuote:
We should be watchful, very watchful, but not afraid. To fear them would be to grant them a kind of victory.
What was the "tipping point" for the two suspects to move from being extremists to using violence? In the last hour one friend has alleged:Actual BBC Newsnight interview on link, after the interview the speaker was arrested on the premises by the police:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22664457Quote:
Woolwich terrorist...en route to al-Shabaab.... allegedly imprisoned and tortured by Kenyan authorities. This flipped him.
As they say a "developing story".
One suspect features in a short film clip "preaching":http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=gyT6Wqc_HZc
In the clip a white male, with a ginger beard holding a camcorder features; is Richard Dart, a convert, who was recently jailed for terrorism matters:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...-offences.html
I updated my post with some background about what bothers me here..
http://www.brownpundits.com/2013/05/...-for-woolwich/
Carl,
No would be a simple answer. Nearly all contemporary terrorism-related trials occur in England, so I've not looked at cases in Northern Ireland (which has different laws) or Scotland.
Criminal trials here do not recognise 'the obviously guilty'.:wry:
Once a suspect is charged they must appear before a Crown Court within sixty days, for plea and direction. Very few terrorism suspects get bail, being in custody is supposed to accelerate the state's trial preparation; secondly few plead guilty until trial. There is a procedure now to signal a guilty plea before trial and get a lesser sentence.
Here are four examples: Moinul Abedin, B'ham's first AQ plotter, arrested 17th November 2000, trial February 2002; 21st July 2005 London bombers, not guilty trial ended with convictions 9th July 2007; B'ham's Operation Gamble, arrests 31st January 2007, two pleaded not guilty and trial February 2008 (one acquitted, one convicted) and Ahmed Faraz, B'ham bookshop owner, first arrested January 2007, not charged, arrested in 2010 charged and trial October 2011.
There was one terror plot in London which IIRC had three trials, after the juries at two trials were unconvinced and that took time to conclude. See:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_tr..._aircraft_plot
One London trial took a year in court and the jury were out for a month.
I cannot recall a terrorism related case not reaching trial within two years.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/26/world/...html?hpt=hp_t1
It gets to a point where you can't ignore the reality in your facing, it is shame it took over 10 years.Quote:
The group, led by Cameron, will "have a general focus on extremist groups, but accept that in practice the greatest threat is from Islamist extremists," a statement from Downing Street said.
The Muslim Council of Britain said the task force needs to look at "extremism from all quarters" while forming an effective strategy.