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Thread: UK Counter-Terrorism (merged thread)

  1. #141
    Council Member davidbfpo's Avatar
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    Default Alienation, Compatability and Values: polling

    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



    Last edited by davidbfpo; 04-25-2015 at 06:49 PM.
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  2. #142
    Council Member davidbfpo's Avatar
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    Default Dudley: a "hot spot"

    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.


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  3. #143
    Council Member davidbfpo's Avatar
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    Written an almost travelogue writing style an article on how Portsmouth, the historical home of the Royal Navy, has earnt this headline: 'How Portsmouth became a hotbed of radicalised Muslims and far-right thug' and sub-title: Why has extremism been so able to take hold in Portsmouth - and what is being done to stop it?
    Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...ht-thugs.html?

    Some context:
    Portsmouth is a gritty naval city, still predominantly white British (84 per cent of its 205,000 population) and working class. Its 4,000-strong Bangladeshi community, the second largest ethnic group...Since the Pompey Lads left for Syria in 2013, close to double figures of men and women in their teens and 20s from the city have been stopped from making the journey. ...Hampshire Constabulary has had ‘hundreds’ of referrals of young people deemed at risk of radicalisation from extreme Islam or the far right.

    (Whoops) Mashudur Choudhury, who before going to Syria was recruited by the council under Prevent funding to help stop violent extremism.
    davidbfpo

  4. #144
    Council Member davidbfpo's Avatar
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    Default Our son, the suicide bomber, was exploited

    After the news that a West Yorkshire teenager, believed to have become Britain’s youngest suicide bomber, Talha Asmal, 17, following an ISIS release of photos and a statement saying that he detonated a VBIED in the northern Iraqi town of Baiji, a numbere of reactions.


    His family issued this statement:
    Talha was a loving, kind, caring and affable teenager.....He never harboured any ill-will against anybody nor did he ever exhibit any violent, extreme or radical views of any kind. Talha’s tender years and naivety were, it seems however, exploited by persons unknown, who, hiding behind the anonymity of the worldwide web, targeted and befriended Talha and engaged in a process of deliberate and calculated grooming of him. Whilst there it appears that Talha fell under the spell of individuals who continued to prey on his innocence and vulnerability to the point where if the press reports are accurate he was ordered to his death by so-called Isis handlers and leaders too cowardly to do their own dirty work.
    We are all naturally utterly devastated and heartbroken by the unspeakable tragedy that now appears to have befallen us.
    Links:http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...suicide-bomber

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-33126132
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-33129806

    A BBC report from Baghdad has the photos and a succinct quote stated to be from the family:
    ISIS, not and never in our name.

    (Later the reporter asks) how many more will follow him?
    Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33128063
    Last edited by davidbfpo; 07-07-2015 at 04:57 PM. Reason: This was in a stand alone thread, now merged
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  5. #145
    Council Member AdamG's Avatar
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    Default

    There seems to be an overlap here worthy of a Venn diagram with the typical "urban yout" criminal, wherein the parents always cry to the cameras that "he was a good boy, sang in the church, was just turning his life around and didn't do nothing".

    Exploitation by predators of poorly-parented youths is to be expected, whether they be pimps, drug dealers or jihadis (again, possibly time for another Venn diagram there).
    Last edited by davidbfpo; 07-07-2015 at 04:57 PM. Reason: This was in a stand alone thread, now merged
    A scrimmage in a Border Station
    A canter down some dark defile
    Two thousand pounds of education
    Drops to a ten-rupee jezail


    http://i.imgur.com/IPT1uLH.jpg

  6. #146
    Council Member davidbfpo's Avatar
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    In a speech the UK's top civil servant on CT, Charles Farr (ex-SIS) stated:
    As few as 100 Britons may currently be fighting for Isil...compared to the 2.7 million Muslims in the country. It’s not to say the challenges they pose are not significant, they are. But … the more we overstate them the more, frankly, we risk labelling Muslim communities as somehow intrinsically extremist, which actually despite an unprecedented wealth of social media propaganda, they have proved not to be. So I think we need to be cautious with our metaphors and with our numbers.
    Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...extremist.html
    davidbfpo

  7. #147
    Council Member davidbfpo's Avatar
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    Default London bombings 7/7 tenth anniversary

    7/7 was not an attack on the scale of 9/11, but for Londoners first and the rest of the UK it was terrible.

    Amidst all the coverage I have found a few excellent, reflective articles:

    1) In The Guardian: 7/7 seemed to herald a new era of terror on UK soil – one that did not materialise:http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2...e-mi5-mi6-gchq

    2) In The Independent:Iraq war not to blame for 7/7 bombings, insists Tony Blair:http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk...-10370649.html

    3) The then Labour Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, made a remarkable two minute speech (from Malaysia where he was). I rarely agree with him, he did us all proud that day:http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/london/h...00/8777643.stm

    4) Two BBC pieces: 7 July London bombings: 15 changes to anti-terror planning:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33388286 and a commentary 7/7 anniversary: Is the UK any safer now?:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-33415475
    davidbfpo

  8. #148
    Council Member davidbfpo's Avatar
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    Default

    I have reviewed Raffaello Pantucci's book elsewhere (link below), but Owen Bennett-Jones, a BBC reporter, if not sage, has written a review and commentary on the wider UK CT policy in The London Review of Books. See the attachment.

    My review:
    'We Love Death As you Love Life: Britain's Suburban Terrorists' by Raffaello Pantucci is a must read on why British nationals turned to terrorism. It is not a history of the attacks and the response.
    Attached Files Attached Files
    davidbfpo

  9. #149
    Council Member davidbfpo's Avatar
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    Default Britain’s al-Awlaki moment, sortof

    A Kings of War commentary after yesterday statement by PM David Cameron that two weeks ago, in Syria, two British citizens plotting with ISIS were killed in a drone strike:http://kingsofwar.org.uk/2015/09/bri...oment-sortof/?

    From the PM's statement:
    First, I am clear that the action we took was entirely lawful. The Attorney General was consulted and was clear there would be a clear legal basis for action in international law. We were exercising the UK’s inherent right to self-defence. There was clear evidence of the individuals in question planning and directing armed attacks against the UK. These were part of a series of actual and foiled attempts to attack the UK and our allies.
    As the author says the Uk is not like the USA:
    The British political system has markedly fewer constraints on the exercise of power by the Prime Minister.
    The BBC magazine has a good review on the legal status of the attack?
    Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34184856

    Today's BBC News report:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34181475

    Another Kings comment, on Strife opposing the action:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...precedent.html

    Legality aside and the clamour for a review, more information being released etc it is interesting to learn that the UK and presumably allies could 'Find, Fix & Finish' the apparent plotters amidst all the noise of ISIS activity. Presumably the UK drone had been on standby for days before releasing a missile / bomb.

    Was there an alternative? Oddly it appears the government has returned to Mrs Thatcher's insistence on TINA: there is no alternative.

    Drones and much of UK CT strategy is effectively containment of those who are violent, pending optimistically a political change. Ulster is a good example of this. Just how long we can wait, let alone after a successful ISIS-inspired attack is a moot point.
    davidbfpo

  10. #150
    Council Member davidbfpo's Avatar
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    Default British Muslims are losing the war against ISIL

    An interesting commentary by a "left" leaning, British Sikh journalist and academic:http://qz.com/498409/british-muslims...against-isil/#

    Stories of British Muslims running off to Syria have now become almost routine, and show no sign of abating. What’s more worrying is that this is happening despite a loud chorus of British Muslim outrage against the terror group. They have marched against it, declared jihad on it, published fatwas against it, written articles slamming it, expressed their contempt, signed letters and delivered sermons against it. But despite all their outrage, British Muslims are losing the war against ISIL. Badly. It looks like ISIL is more attractive to Muslims than al-Qaeda ever was.


    (Later) ISIL is particularly potent because it offers Muslims a tangible sense of belonging, wrapped up in glorified Islamic history. This makes it a far more formidable foe for governments trying to stop its citizens being seduced by its call compared to groups such as al-Qaeda.
    But for the vast majority of Muslims who disdain its ideology, the challenge that ISIL presents to them is deadlier and far more difficult because they are caught in a pincer movement: with public and government suspicion on one side, and a seductive and supposedly empowering ideology on the other.
    davidbfpo

  11. #151
    Council Member davidbfpo's Avatar
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    Default Fourteen year old given life for terror plot

    A boy who attempted to incite a man in Australia to carry out an Anzac Day "massacre" has become the the youngest person in the UK to be convicted of a terrorism offence.The teenager - who was referred to as Boy S in court and was 14 years old at the time - was given a life sentence and told he must serve a minimum of five years behind bars.
    But could more have been done to challenge and stop the development of his violent mindset?
    Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34422309


    Yes the age is a concern, but far more notable is the apparent failure of the official programme to divert those radicalised away from extremism.
    davidbfpo

  12. #152
    Council Member davidbfpo's Avatar
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    From a Tweet by the BBC's Gordon Corera, citing the Uk's top CT police officer, Mark Rowley (from the Met):
    Mark Rowley of Met says over 750 Brits to Syria, half returned. ISIS 'cult' increasingly exploiting mentally vulnerable... (then) All counter terror ops patchier in intelligence than before due to growing blind spots in getting comms...Police having to prolong dangerous operations and delay arrests as encryption slowing down gathering evidence.
    davidbfpo

  13. #153
    Council Member davidbfpo's Avatar
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    The setting for the two quotes on this theme is:
    Commissioners and chief constables are kicking off up and down the country, from London’s Met to Liverpool, with unprecedented protest at the 25% of cuts they have suffered and worse to come in next week’s spending review. As France’s president, François Hollande, announces he is boosting its police force by 5,000, Britain is scaling back. Nationally, 17,000 police officers have gone, with another 22,000 to go this time: neighbourhood police no longer pound the streets in many areas.
    Link:http://www.theguardian.com/commentis...ts-theresa-may

    From the same article is an example from Bedfordshire, a small county north of London, although not a terrorist plot, maybe the prelude:
    What worries them most is no longer patrolling neighbourhoods as they did, listening and earning local trust. In the past, a neighbourhood tip-off from a local Muslim led them to a machete-wielding convert from Jehovah’s Witnesses to Islamicism – building up these kind of contacts takes time they’re unlikely to have in the future.
    Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, has carefully added the standard "form of words" post-Paris as doubts are being heard amongst Conservative MPs:
    When people trust the polcie...they tell us stuff. They might tell us who is burgling...they might tell us when someone is becoming a terrorist, when someone is becoming more radical in their behaviour. We've got to have those links.
    Link:http://www.standard.co.uk/news/polit...-a3116811.html

    From the Soufan Group's briefing:
    Given the virtual avalanche of threats, this is likely true; even more disruptions may remain undisclosed in order to protect sources and means. However, as international terrorism strikes out through local cells, the need for human sources is as vital as ever. Only human sources can assign proper context and priority to targeted extremists,
    Link:http://soufangroup.com/tsg-intelbrie...-of-hindsight/
    davidbfpo

  14. #154
    Council Member davidbfpo's Avatar
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    Default Community involvement in CT

    Officialdom here makes great play of the diversion / counter-radicalisation programme the Channel Project and rarely publishes any stats, so thanks to a senior police officer writing an article on community policing's part in CT:
    In the first quarter of this year, the Prevent programme, which seeks to provide a path away from extremism – of all forms – had 1265 referrals from public bodies outside of policing. A further 150 came from family, friends, community members and faith leaders.
    Link:https://policinginsight.com/opinion/...ad-chancellor/

    So that means just over 10% of referrals come from the community, that is not encouraging and we know many public body referrals are not about radicalisation.

    The author adds:
    And a national survey this year of almost 15,000 young people found more than half would be likely to tell a police officer of their concerns about radicalisation. Only parents were more likely to be told. This is more than any other public official, including teachers, doctors or youth workers.
    Alas this survey is not identified.

    I have copied this post to another thread 'Who discovers terrorist plots?'.
    davidbfpo

  15. #155
    Council Member davidbfpo's Avatar
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    Default Extremists allowed to leave UK to ease home terror threat

    Following a conviction for a pre-empted terror attack an anonymous senior (police) CT officer made these remarks:
    This is quite a critical issue and is obviously a dilemma for us in terms of taking passports off extremists. The dilemma is if they want to carry out a terrorist attack they are constrained to carry it out here. It is one of those risk factors when we take passports off people. Are we actually making the risk of them carrying out a terrorist attack here higher?
    It is called the home and away debate. Do you let them go? Are they going to be dangerous overseas or more dangerous here? It is a dilemma for us and it is not an easy one.
    It depends on other factors at play. It depends on where they are going to go and what they are going to do. If the risk of them carrying on being radicalised and carrying on this activity is reduced by them going to another country then there may be a consideration to let them go because they are more of a risk here and more of a threat here with the company they are keeping.
    They may have a relative or a family (overseas) and that may moderate them...Generally speaking we do not want to be letting or allowing a radicalised individual here to go to a war zone or a place like Syria where they can then come back even more trained and back to their home country on their own passport. Most of the time, if we can, we are going to stop them travelling.
    Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...or-threat.html


    One wonders if this issue has some political involvement and may jar with some partners. Or just maybe others do this as a public policy, just do not say so publicly.
    davidbfpo

  16. #156
    Council Member davidbfpo's Avatar
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    Default Prevent programme 'lacking referrals from Muslim community'

    Hardly surprising and little different from a recent post above; as The Times is behind a pay wall this source is used:
    The Times says that data released by the National Police Chiefs Council has revealed that of the 3,288 referrals to Prevent in the first half of the year, just 280 – or 8.6% – came from within the Muslim community, or from family, friends and faith leaders. Nearly 2,200 referrals were made by public bodies outside policing, such as social services and the health or education sectors. The rest were said to have come from within prisons or from police investigations.
    Link:http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2...slim-community
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  17. #157
    Council Member davidbfpo's Avatar
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    A far from impartial group, CAGE, has "leaked" the training materials used in the Prevent programme, including the Channel Project and placed them on a separate website:http://www.preventresources.com/

    Given the interest in the claimed success of Prevent, copied by CVE in the USA, the videos etc maybe of interest.
    davidbfpo

  18. #158
    Council Member davidbfpo's Avatar
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    Default CT related arrests 2010-2015

    Tweeted by the UK police chiefs association; never seen them do this before. Even odder is that it is arrests and not charges laid, most of those arrested are not charged with any terror-related offences.

    davidbfpo

  19. #159
    Council Member davidbfpo's Avatar
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    Default The UK's legal response to terrorism

    David Anderson, a leading English lawyer, is the UK's Independent Reviewer of Counter-Terrorism Law (and practice), who has a earned a remarkable reputation and recently announced he'd vacate the role.

    He has written a short article on the legal response to terrorism, in an obscure legal journal, but Tweeted it:https://terrorismlegislationreviewer.../article-1.pdf

    Within is this important polling result:
    Around 95% of British Muslims feel loyalty to Britain, according to a poll last year for the Today Programme. 94% say that if someone they knew from the Muslim community was planning an act of violence, they would inform the police.
    davidbfpo

  20. #160
    Council Member davidbfpo's Avatar
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    Andy Burnham, a Labour MP and ex-minister, has "broken ranks" from all the main parties on the Prevent part of UK CT:
    The Prevent strategy and potentially this extremism bill are creating the conditions for more radicalisation not less. It’s as simple as that really...It is creating a feeling in the Muslim community that it is being spied upon and unfairly targeted. It is building a climate of mutual suspicion and distrust. Far from tackling extremism, it risks creating the very conditions for it to flourish.
    Link:http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/09/andy-burnham-calls-for-toxic-prevent-strategy-to-be-scrapped?
    davidbfpo

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