UK Counter-Terrorism (merged thread)

[davidbfpo]

What a surprise:

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.

Thin BBC report:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22625104

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.

[davidbfpo]

From the BBC:

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.

Note:

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.

Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22625104

[Tukhachevskii]

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.

[carl]

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.

[slapout9]

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

[carl]

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?

[Bill Moore]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/26/world/...html?hpt=hp_t1

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.

It gets to a point where you can't ignore the reality in your facing, it is shame it took over 10 years.

[davidbfpo]

Bill,

You appear to take an optimistic view of this announcement, being nearer to the scene, with friends working at the "coalface", I fear it is "spin".

There have been several government reviews of the counter-extremism strategy, often known as Prevent - within the wider CT strategy 'Operation Contest'; a couple of learned groups - including at least two parliamentary enquiries - and a number of other groups, some who have worked at the "coalface".

The CNN report has little detail, nor have several UK newspapers and we are left with a No.10 Downing Street press briefing:

The cabinet-level group, which will also bring in intelligence and police chiefs when needed, will focus on radical preachers who target potential recruits in jails, schools, colleges and mosques. It will monitor trends in radicalisation and tackle "poisonous narratives", No 10 said.

The group, which is expected to meet within weeks, will include the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, the home secretary, Theresa May, the chancellor, George Osborne, other key cabinet ministers, the Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, and Andrew Parker, the director general of MI5.

It will be known as the tackling extremism and radicalisation task force (Terfor)...

Link:http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2...ror-task-force

A more conservative leaning paper has a little more, again with some choice headlines:

We cannot allow a situation to continue where extremist clerics go around this country inciting young people to commit terrorist acts.
We will do everything we can to stop it.

Link:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...extremism.html

Meantime there is political pressure building to re-introduce a piece of legislation on greater communications monitoring, known as the 'Snoopers Charter' to many and officially as the rather blandly titled Communications Data Bill:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...s-charter.html

[Bill Moore]

Bill,

You appear to take an optimistic view of this announcement, being nearer to the scene, with friends working at the "coalface", I fear it is "spin".

There have been several government reviews of the counter-extremism strategy, often known as Prevent - within the wider CT strategy 'Operation Contest'; a couple of learned groups - including at least two parliamentary enquiries - and a number of other groups, some who have worked at the "coalface".

The CNN report has little detail, nor have several UK newspapers and we are left with a No.10 Downing Street press briefing:

Link:http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2...ror-task-force

A more conservative leaning paper has a little more, again with some choice headlines:

Link:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...extremism.html

Meantime there is political pressure building to re-introduce a piece of legislation on greater communications monitoring, known as the 'Snoopers Charter' to many and officially as the rather blandly titled Communications Data Bill:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...s-charter.html

Details on the Task Force are lacking, and I'm sure the far left and also well meaning citizens concerned about excessive state power will oppose it, but I suspect their voices are becoming a minority (at least during the emotional post attack period). There seems to be a growing anti-Islamist movement throughout much of Europe (UK, France, Greece, etc.), and I applaud those who oppose the Islamists. They think their entitled to push their hate rhetoric in our culture and push for sharia law, while simultaneously being protected by our laws (the ones they want to change). We need to view sharia as a sickness that has no place in our society and do whatever is necessary to purge it from our ranks. The Islamists are a real threat within our ranks, and sadly we generally know who they are but fail to act due to the prevailing philosophy of political correctness.

I do worry that well founded opposition to Islamists will translate into a growing trend of hate crimes against Muslims who are not Islamists, which will simply make the problem worse, potentially pushing vulnerable and younger Muslims to consider Islamist views. It is a vicious cycle, but I read some where that the intent of the TF was to disrupt the Islamist narrative, which seems feasible compared to "countering" it. Disruption means targeting those who are promoting hate crimes and outlawing the use of public media to spread their disease. It may mean expelling hate speech promoters. In short it means the legal system will no longer tolerate it.

Any rational western nation would out law and take offensive action against those within their nation that were openly promoting murder and pushing for sharia law. We made a choice hundreds of years ago not to be backwards, and we should let a few clowns threaten us because our legal system protects them. I think the greatest nature isn't the Islamists because they can be dealt with if we are willing to act, but the larger danger is the prevailing philosophy of political correctness that stifles common sense.

I have a little hope because senior civilian leaders in the UK have identified Islamist rhetoric as a threat. I have a little hope because the backlash against Muslims may convince main stream Muslims to take action within their community to purge the Islamists, because ultimately they're the only ones who can.

[Madhu]

For some reason, certain cities and nations serve as relatively good safe havens in the intellectual and monetary sense. It goes beyond a Londoniston phenomenon--IM non-British opinion, which may be incorrect--and can be found in past movements such as the Khalistan movement, support for the Tamil Tigers (although the US and Canada played important parts too).

This is a long described phenomenon and isn't new, radicals have often found an ideological home in Western cities. Human rights laws that are tolerate of radical immigrant speech, immigration policies, there are even murmurings in some immigrant communities that as long as the rhetoric is directed outward toward historic "enemies" of the UK, it's okay to say whatever you want. We pay tribute in our generous policies, you keep the violence going in a different direction.

And for reasons that are unclear to me, some human rights activists and native-born become bonded emotionally to one group over another in overseas conflicts which are more complicated than any narrative presented by any one side.

Others, of course, are paid and there is an entire industry of cultivation of scholars and journalists and writers. It's not for any one issue, it seems to flare up in periods of time more for one ideology than another, but the generic phenomenon seems similar.

[Madhu]

I had suggested in the past either here or at another blog (Abu M) that we study the Punjab insurgency or the Khalistan or similar South Asian movements as a better mental model than 19th century colonial wars and in the manner of Dave Maxwell's recent article on UW.
1. Immigrant diaspora (Mackinley's Insurgent Archipelagos).
2. National and regional movements mixed in with ideological movements, some supported by national intelligence agencies.
3. Lobbying of western officials.
4. Cultivating Western scholars.
5. International banking and black globalization in combination as sources of funding.
6. Sophisticated use of the visual arts and contemporary communications (from television to the internet over time).
7. And so on.

PS: You can find newspaper reports of Brussels human rights officials being threatened when the official attempts to look into human rights abuses on both sides of a contentious issue, in this way nations can attempt to manipulate the appearances of insurgencies. This happens in a relatively benign fashion (diplomats yelling at each other or threatening to withhold business contracts behind doors) or in a more nefarious fashion.

[davidbfpo]

Giving some context to help understand the Woolwich murder, a short RUSI comment by an academic, Professor Jonathan Githens-Mazer. The full title, then sub-title being:

Why Woolwich Matters: The South London Angle. The vivid and disgusting images witnessed in Woolwich come not necessarily from the pages of Al-Qa'ida's Inspire magazine, but out of rap videos shot in South-East London. Here is an environment that combines urban disaffection with perceived certainties from Islam.

Link:http://www.rusi.org/analysis/comment.../#.UaiyJ5UTNhB

What struck me on my first reading was how similar the scene was to known "hot spots" for AQ recruiting, for example a couple of towns in Morocco:http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/25/ma...2&oref=slogin& . Secondly how little outsiders understand what is occurring beyond their desks and journey to work.

There are several related threads on radicalisation (generally) and in the UK, in particular 'My Brother the Bomber':http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ead.php?t=3096

[Sargent]

South London is also changing in other ways. Looking at just one shifting demographic, it is home to an increasing South and Central American community. Their culture* is decidedly different from that of the radical islamists - and even the more moderate portions of the Muslim community, for that matter - and it will be interesting to see how this confrontation will work itself out. There are other fault lines that will challenge jihadism. It could be that the very multi-culturalism which some see as the problem with respect to radicalisation and terrorism will serve as a bulwark against it.



[*Eg, there is a clothing shop on the Old Kent Road near the Tesco (in London, that is a meaningful geographical designation, fyi) that also deals in women's lingerie. In the front window is an ad for a thong corset, view from the rear. It is defiantly not modest.]

[slapout9]

Video from PJTV on this subject..... has some harsh language in places but it is all part of the facts of what happened.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6c_dinY3fM

[davidbfpo]

I hardly expected a Ukrainian national to come to the UK and within days murder an old man in the street, then start a bombing campaign, that is what Pavlo Lapshyn did:

Lapshyn’s 2013 terror campaign in Britain may be termed the first instance of transnational lone-wolf right-wing terrorism. It is unlikely to become a trend, but that will not make it any easier to prevent.

The quote is from the last paragraph of a lengthy commentary, which focuses on he Ukrainian aspects, especially the denials made:http://www.opendemocracy.net/od-russ...wolf-terrorist

Elsewhere others have commented (posted before on the UK CT thread), the trial judge's remarks - which are an impressive, full account of what happened and the identification of Lapshyn:http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/Resource...s-25102013.pdf

Then Raffaello Pantucci, of RUSI, who has long studied 'lone wolves':http://www.rusi.org/analysis/comment.../#.Umqo5NK1HfJ

I am aware that LE have for sometime considered the activities of travelling serial killers, rapists and the like. People like Lapshyn are a new aspect IMHO.

Now if Lapshyn had only been a visitor, rather than on a sponsored work placement, with more skill at avoiding identification (via CCTV on public transport and a neighbourhood canvas) I fear he would have escaped.

[OUTLAW 09]

The following was taken from Der Spiegel online today--basically the neo right want to take over Brussels and have linked up among themselves-

Initiative von Wilders und Le PenEuropas Rechtspopulisten wollen Brssel entmachten

Europas rechte Parteien haben ein Bndnis geschlossen. Der Niederlnder Wilders und die Franzsin Le Pen wollen mit Gleichgesinnten die Macht der EU ber Geld, Gesetze und Grenzen beschneiden. Dafr kommen sie dem Rechtsextremismus gefhrlich nahe.

[davidbfpo]

For two ex-Security Service directors to wonder aloud critically on the UK's CT strategy is unprecedented, even more so as the effects of Paris are in political and media foreground.

Eliza Manningham-Buller, who retired as Director in 2007, spoke in a House of Lords debate on the government's latest proposed CT law:

It seems to me that Prevent is clearly not working. This is not altogether surprising because it is difficult. We do not really know what works. I retired nearly eight years ago. I know that a great deal of effort has gone into thinking about how to counter this toxic and murderous ideology. I believe that we must have a better understanding of the roots of terrorism than we used to, and a better understanding of how to divert people—particularly vulnerable young people who have, in some cases, been groomed and exploited—from their path.
Some of those who come back from Syria will not be terrorists; some need to be reintegrated. The Channel programme is obviously to be applauded, but I am still concerned that it is bound to be slow, even over the long term.
It is understandable that it will be slow, but we do not seem—I beg to be corrected by others who are more up to date than me—to be having much effect. We are told that 600 dangerous extremists who are British citizens have fought in Syria. That is a large number. If Prevent had been working for the past 10 years, we might not have seen so many going.
It follows that I rather doubt that the Government, however laudable their efforts, are well placed to counter this ideology. A lead on that has and is beginning to come from moderate, mainstream Islam, which has itself suffered so much from the distorted version of its faith propounded by terrorists. One of the most appalling scenes from Paris was that of the Muslim policeman on the pavement being executed brutally by one of the terrorists.
It also follows, therefore, that I am not convinced of the value of putting Prevent on a statutory footing. I am out of date. The Government may be able to convince me, but I cannot see how legislation can really govern hearts, minds and free speech.

Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...as-failed.html and her full speech is on:http://www.theyworkforyou.com/lords/...5-01-13a.750.0

Jonathan Evans, who retired as Director in April 2013, in a maiden speech in the House of Lords, stated:

....the “hesitancy” of the Government to “engage with the religious dimension of the threat we face” was making it harder to prevent young men becoming radicalised....events in Syria and Iraq had caused a “jolt of energy that has gone through the extremist networks in this country”, turning would-be jihadists into battle-hardened terrorists. A similar situation existed in Afghanistan before 9/11, he said, and: “Those circumstances led to a series of attacks internationally and over a long period. I fear we may be facing the same situation as we go forward today…
“Inadequate security will breed vulnerability and fear and that in turn will tend to limit people’s ability to contribute to civil society, will tend to provoke vigilantism and will tend to diminish people’s ability to exercise the very civil liberties and human rights that we wish to sustain.”

Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...oss-warns.html and his entire speech is on:http://www.theyworkforyou.com/lords/...5-01-13a.690.0

'Prevent' is one of the four strands in 'Operation Contest', the UK national CT strategy; the other three strands are Pursue, Prepare and Protect.

'Prevent' has long been the weakest strand, both in its design, level of resourcing, public acceptance and credibility.

There are two main SWC threads on UK CT:
a) UK CT:http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ead.php?t=7768
b) Foreign Fighters: preventative action (UK mainly):http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ad.php?t=20549

Leaving aside the impact here I do wonder as the 'Contest' strategy has been widely copied elsewhere, will those nations think again. I include the USA, where CVE is the 'Prevent' equivalent.

Bizarrely Westminster-Whitehall have managed to think and now via this new law make counter-radicalisation extend to nursery schools! When six hundred people have reported left to fight in Syria, that does seem weird.

[davidbfpo]

Amidst all the reporting on 'Jihad John' being unmasked the government has published its detailed response to the ISC report on the murder of Lee Rigby (see Post 135 & 136):http://isc.independent.gov.uk/files/...attredirects=0

Spin aside there are some items of note, notably on handling information and joint assessment i.e. by MI5 and the police.

[davidbfpo]

Four in 10 British Muslims believe that police and MI5 are partly responsible for the radicalisation of young people who support extremists, new polling has found. A survey commissioned by Sky News, also found that more than a quarter of British Muslims have some sympathy with those who have left to join fighters in Syria. Among Muslim women and those under the age of 35, the figure rises to a third.

While almost three quarters of Muslims polled said they believe the “values of British society” are compatible with those of their religion, one in seven said they were not.

Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/reli...h-Muslims.html

A shorter Sky News report:http://news.sky.com/story/1462023/ra...s-blame-police

[davidbfpo]

One of the UK's persistent "hot spots" for suspected terrorism-related activity is Dudley, a borough within 'The Black Country', to the west of Birmingham in the West Midlands.

In 2001 in Afghanistan three young men were detained and later transferred to Guantanamo Bay until March 2004. They became known as the 'Tipton Taliban', Tipton being a part of Dudley. Wiki has a good explanation:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipton_Three

Earlier this month Aimen Dean revealed:

In the winter of 2003 jihadist turned MI5 spy Aimen Dean attended a lecture by Anwar al-Awlaki, a man he had never heard of but who would become an inspiration to Islamist extremists throughout the world. Also listening, and taking notes, were three of London's 7/7 bombers.In a converted flat on the first floor of a building in the Black Country town of Dudley, about 30 men were gathered to hear a lecture by an American visitor who was building a reputation as an inspirational jihadist scholar.

Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-32065132

This week 'The Daily Mail' ran a story on man who'd had left Dudley to join ISIS:

A British former car mechanic who joined the Islamic State as an explosives expert and sniper has shared chilling images of his new high-tech bomb-making factory in Syria.Hamayun Tariq, a divorced 37-year-old who was born and raised in Dudley in the West Midlands, shared four images on Twitter of a room where he claims to make devices known as IEDs.
Components are seen organised on shelves and instruction manuals and bomb-making equipment neatly laid out on work surfaces in the room, which the father-of-two says he hopes will emerge as 'the best Electronics LAB in the Islamic state'.

Link:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...mic-State.html

Doubt is cast on the claimed 'bomb maker' by a SME:

Bomb builder ? I doubt it. Skilled technician ? Yes. Decent tools ? Yes, but far more than ever needed even in the automotive sector for high end cars. Everything is out of place, the wall sockets are not UK standard, and half of the equipment is not even connected.

To build a bomb of any size does not require much more than: Explosive(s), a detonation charge, an electrical connection and a container.