"It is thought the plotters could number more than 2,000," up from the 1600 estimated last November. "Secret report: Terror threat worst since 9/11," by Sean Rayment for the Telegraph:
The terrorist threat facing Britain from home-grown al-Qaeda agents is higher than at any time since the September 11 attacks in 2001, secret intelligence documents reveal.
The number of British-based Islamic terrorists plotting suicide attacks against "soft" targets in this country is far greater than the Security Services had previously believed, the government paperwork discloses. It is thought the plotters could number more than 2,000.
Tiny Minority of Extremists Alert:
Under the heading "International Terrorism in the UK", the document - seen by The Sunday Telegraph - states: "The scale of al-Qaeda's ambitions towards attacking the UK and the number of UK extremists prepared to participate in attacks are even greater than we had previously judged."
It warns that terrorist "attack planning" against Britain will increase in 2007, and adds: "We still believe that AQ [al-Qaeda] will continue to seek opportunities for mass casualty attacks against soft targets and key infrastructure. These attacks are likely to involve the use of suicide operatives."
The document, which has been circulated across Whitehall to MI5, Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorist Command, the Home Office, the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Defence, also reveals that al-Qaeda has grown into a world-wide organisation with a foothold in virtually every Muslim country in North Africa, the Middle East and central Asia.
Eliza Manningham-Buller, the director general of MI5, warned recently that there were more than 1,600 "identified individuals" actively engaged in plotting terrorist attacks. There were 200 known networks involved in at least 30 terrorist plots. It is thought that the number of British citizens involved in plots could be well in excess of 2,000.
MI5 believes that soft targets, such as the transport system and economic targets such as the City of London and Canary Wharf, are most at risk.
A senior political source said the picture painted by the document was "particularly bleak and unlikely to improve for several years".
He said: "The Security Services have constantly warned that the task of countering Islamist terrorism is a daunting one. There will be more attacks in Britain."
Patrick Mercer, the Tory spokesman for homeland security, said: "This document absolutely underlines the threat and makes me wonder why the Government still has a counter-terrorist strategy that has been officially declared obsolete. It does make the Government's response look hugely complacent."
Entitled Extremist Threat Assessment, the document, which was drawn up this month, also discloses that Afghanistan, where more than 7,000 British troops will be based by the end of May, is expected to supersede Iraq as the location for terrorists planning Jihad against the West.
It says that al-Qaeda's influence extends from North Africa, including Egypt, through to Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan, and into Somalia and Sudan. Al-Qaeda is "resilient and effective" in Iraq, its "operating environment and financial position" in Pakistan has improved and a new group had emerged in Yemen.
Surprise, surprise.
What will it be… Tower of London? Big Den? Parliament building?
And what will happen when that next explosion happens? Will their be a wide-spread crackdown on the Jihad schools? Mass deportations where possible and jailings when required? Firing squads for treason implimented? For terror attacks against your own country, as a member of the enemy your country is fighting, is treason, is it not?
Or will they all become suddenly sane and realize that there is no hope of Islam, as it currently exists, co-existing within a modern society like Britain?
Perhaps then they would ask themselves what Winston Churchill would do, and elect accordingly? Instead of turning to a limp-wristed, cow-towing Labour party, and relying on the delusional cover-up BBC as a source of information?
One wonders how many more Jihad terror attacks this will require?
Some people take the easy way, and do not want to confront the truth until there is nothing left. Winston Churchill was one of the greatest men in history, and the Brits (all of us) need to sound the alarm, and not depend on governments to save us.
I think back to New Orleans and the devastating Katrina disaster and the reported story by the Washington Post of a surviving couple sitting on their front porch with a portable generator running. Three youths showed up with Machete's and said they were taking the generator. The guy got up grabbed his rifle, shot in the air and the three thugs took off.
If we incur some kind of devastating attack do you not think that the 5th column(urban blacks, released prisoners, Muslims, Gangs, and other anti-America sympathizers will be in your neighborhoods killing and pillaging.
Those 2000 terrorists in Britain will multiply a hundred thousand fold when tragedy strikes. The British Country without guns will be slaughtered by these thugs with guns.
Profile Of A Terrorist
http://www.investors.com/editorial/editorialcontent.asp?secid=1501&status=article&id=256953989637817&view=1
"Perhaps the only sane course in this war is to separate the West from Islam."
British Multiculturalism - One Man's Experience
http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/003618.html#comments
Sounds like a good reason to bring some 1800 armed, experienced Troops from Iraq back "Home".
These type of reports reflecting the growth of the threat by internal means. Reflects a really poor job of rallying the support of the general population to openly rejecting what these Ismasists spew.
Despite the "Minoritys" "Constitutional" rights to speek as they please and support the actions of their brethren as they do. Then I see no reason why the Majority, who neither share or edorse the Minoritys view. Feel required to remain silent. Has the Majority forgotten it's rights to freedom of expression?
The Majority should be shouting down the Minority. Especially given the type of message some Minorities are spewing. When is the Majority going to come out and say "We really don't think so, BUBBA".
By rights, All the Peace activists, Womens Right's groups, Enviromentalists and so on should be protesting at every Meeting of Islamic Intrests. simply as a result of what is at stake for them. Especially Athiests.
If the Muslims didn't Resist the Consept of Freedom and Justice for all. Then we would have little to quarrel with the Muslims about now would we?
Democracy, Freedom, Justice, isn't the Enemy. It is those Individuals who won't accept those principles that are the problem.
Tony Blair will be off giving speeches by the end of the summer. Gordon Brown is due to take over. What will his policies be? He is considered to the left of Blair. Does that mean he will cozy up to the Islamists and feel their pain when he should be reading the riot act to all Muslims in Britain? Will he blame any terror attack that takes place on his watch on Blair and his Iraq policy? Time will tell.
Jihad threat could be maybe worse in the UK but the urban problems of honour killings, gangs, separation of cultures within communities, demands that separate Muslims with non-Muslims in schools and public places and over sneered anti-western attitudes have always been there.
Free expression has also been a target to those in the West who speak out against Islam. Before the influx of Muslims there were no problems like these so the problem was waiting to happen by being ignorant of the social differences. So in a way because there are international tentions the negative energy is channelled to a greater international destruction. But this behaviour is no different to what it has always been the intolerance towards infidel culture and a victory over infidel man made rules. Once minority groups get large enough the courage gets bigger to, be it challenge every road that does not fit Islam like some spiritual victory.
"the number of UK extremists prepared to participate in attacks are even greater than we had previously judged"
Just wondering how many of these would-be terrorists are Christians, Buddhists or Hindus who will cry "Jesus is great", "Buddha is great" or a Hindu god name when blowing themselves off among innocents?
In times of political correctness and all cultures and religions are equal and don't mind the religion anyway, islam is the most peaceful, let's don't infringe the rights and liberties of terror suspects, let's don't do any profiling, let's pretend the terrorist might be the Christian grandma from next door. Well, in these times of let's pretend - I would assume most would be Christian, as most of the population is Christian, right and the rest equally divided among the other minorities?
Sarcasm off - presumably there are about 2000 potential terrorist "sleeping" in Britain.
Just wondering if the British during World War 2 ever estimated the number of Nazi spies and saboteurs in Britain to be anywhere near that number..
If they up that number to 200,000 the boys at MI 5 will have it allot closer to the terrorists they have in England.
"presumably there are about 2000 potential terrorist "sleeping" in Britain."
...I suspect they are not sleeping......
So...if I were and Englishman, and I said something like, "English Musims cannot be expected to be loyal English citizens any time England finds itself in conflict with an Islamic enemy"
Would I be:
1) 100 percent correct
2) Absolutely right on
3) Right as rain
4) Correct in a rather awkward way that very few people want to discuss
5) Right, but just shut up
6) Way off the mark, what are you smoking? That's crazy. I don't know where you get this stuff.
So that's 2000 known active enemy combatants. How many enemy active enemy combatants will it take before Britain stops treating this as a law enforcement issue, recognizes it as an insurgency, declares martial law and deals with a military issue MILITARILY?
I'm wondering when England will threaten Islam ?
"I guess they're sipping a pot of tea over it ?"
In addition to the ever-burgeoning fifth-column of home-grown jihadis in Britain, there is also the problem of those non-Muslims who are either in direct alliance with the Islamists or are in a state of denial or ignorance as to the source of the problem. The nihilistic and depraved left is conniving with the Islamists to bring down British society (e.g. the "Respect" party, a freak-show alliance between politically active Muslims and Marxists founded by the rebarbative George Galloway and the utterly absurd Yvonne Ridley), whilst mainstream liberal opinion is in a state of utter denial about the problem, or at least believes that it would disappear once the British and Americans stop being so beastly to Muslims everywhere. For many liberals, hatred of Bush, Blair and Israel, and a misplaced sympathy with Palestinian terrorists trumps any consideration of trying to counter those who seek to destroy the tolerant and liberal societies of the West.
If the Brits treated these jihadis like they did the Irish back in the 1970's, the threat would be quelled. Jail and/or deportation.
The IRA bombed and maimed the innocent until the British gave them a power share in Northern Ireland. This is exactly what Jihadis are aiming for in the UK.
What bothers me is that they stil think Al-Qaeda are the main problem.
"We still believe that AQ [al-Qaeda] will continue to seek opportunities "
and
"that al-Qaeda has grown into a world-wide organisation with a foothold in virtually every Muslim country in North Africa, the Middle East and central Asia"
Or is AQ politicaly correct double speak for "militant Islam in general"
One or two points chaps,
Yes I would suspect that "AQ" has become a political correct generalisation for all Islamic militants. It is in a way convenient as it ties they to a known and hated ideology. They also make it easy by their support for AQ!
What we generalise this scum as is not important. However, talking to many other Brits, one thing is clear, the majority of people want action against this threat. They want them deported, they want the guilty tried and imprisoned, most even want the serious offenders executed!
They should not be here is the true feeling amongst most I speak to. Immigration should have been stopped a long time ago. That is why our country is full of people with no skills, no wish to integrate, hate or society (except our social security they live on), and who refuse to learn our language. A proposal Blair has is to remove payments from those who cant speak English, Id love to see that one happen!!
And as for the outcome if these 2000 nutters kick off another mass murder stunt? Simple, the words of the Left and the Liberals will be ignored, the true Brits will call for action! We are looking for the next Churchill. Shame we never listened to Enoch, this would not be happening. He wanted to send them all home in the 70's!!!!!!
Catawhumpus:
... the Virgin train wreck near Oxenholme, Cumbria, Scotland ...
FYI - Cumbria is entirely in England.
Defender of The Realm:
However, talking to many other Brits, one thing is clear, the majority of people want action against this threat. They want them deported, they want the guilty tried and imprisoned, most even want the serious offenders executed!
They should not be here is the true feeling amongst most I speak to. Immigration should have been stopped a long time ago. That is why our country is full of people with no skills, no wish to integrate, hate or society (except our social security they live on), and who refuse to learn our language. A proposal Blair has is to remove payments from those who cant speak English, Id love to see that one happen!!
Majority opinion is of little concern to the New Labour Government. Why should it be when 21% of the electorate was able to vote them in?
New Labour policy has been to encourage immigration, justifying it with the obvious lie that the UK economy needs hundreds of thousands of new non-English speaking citizens. This policy is intended to guarantee future support for New Labour because immigrants tend to be New Labour supporters. And who can blame them, given the freebies they get on arrival in this crowded island?
The Government doesn't care tuppence about innocent people being blown up by jihadist lunatics. They only care about votes. So when Tony Blair appears on TV with a tear in his eye, don't be fooled.
Brown will be worse.
Watling,
Do you Really think I give a damn what Nu labour think?
Their views are irrelevant.
They will be out at the next election.
I talk to real Brits in my local pub, and those I meet on a daily basis, people who don't vote for Blair, or Mingy Campbell and his wimpy pansy Pratt's (nor the apologist Tories).
Don't underestimate the feelings against the political correct numb-nuts. Real people want an end to immigration, Islamists, and the scrounging single mother dole culture.
The welfare state was meant to be of benefit to working class Brits who had fallen on to hard times. Instead it has been hijacked by those who are 1/ Not Brits. And 2/ Have never worked a day in their lives. Send home all the asylum seeking Muslim scroungers. Lets ignore all the Palestinian supporting apologist liberal lefties, and side with those who are fighting for freedom from Islamic slavery. Rivers of blood on our streets? Its here!. Lets fight to win. Churchill would be turning in his grave along with Enoch.
Defender of The Realm:
Do you Really think I give a damn what Nu labour think?
Their views are irrelevant.
They will be out at the next election.
I talk to real Brits in my local pub, and those I meet on a daily basis, people who don't vote for Blair, or Mingy Campbell and his wimpy pansy Pratt's (nor the apologist Tories).
I'm sympathetic to your views, but whether or not you give a damn what New Labour thinks, they are the ones calling the shots at the moment and their views are therefore not irrelevant.
As you know, in the UK there are a lot of bleeding-heart liberals, Islamophiles, politically correct ideologists and multiculturalism fanatics who provide much of New Labour's support. They aren't going to disappear or change their views before the next election.
I'd be curious to know who the "real Brits" you mention are intending to vote for. You have dismissed the three main parties, so who does that leave? Is there a revolution in the offing?
I agree with most of what you said, but there is going to be no end to immigration, or a clampdown on Islamists or a curtailing of the welfare state in the foreseeable future.
If you protest - as Nick Griffin and Mark Collett of the BNP did - you are liable to end up in court accused of thought crime. They were acquitted, but, if you remember, Gordon Brown - the PM-in-waiting - had the audacity to propose a change in the law so that next time a conviction would be guaranteed. See:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/11/11/nbnp11.xml).
Welcome to Orwell's 1984.