Al-Qaeda’s ‘best assets’ prime UK timebomb
Telegraph.co.uk
Last Updated: 12:32am GMT 19/11/2006
British Muslims volunteering to fight against coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan are being sent back to Britain to become al-Qaeda “sleeper” agents, The Sunday Telegraph has learned.
MI5 agents believe that young Asian men, who have been trained to take part in the so-called “global jihad” in al-Qaeda camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan, are now regarded as too valuable an asset to be used fighting British and American troops.
MI5 and MI6 are working on the assumption that they are being ordered to return to their communities in Britain with instructions to establish secret, autonomous cells and to conduct independent terrorists operations without any direct input from al-Qaeda’s high command.
Security sources claim that al-Qaeda is unlikely to send a British passport holder to his death as a suicide bomber in Iraq when he would be far more valuable as a “sleeper” in Britain.
MI5 fears that it is impossible to estimate how many British Muslims have attended training camps over the past decade or how many are back in the UK planning attacks.
Hundreds of thousands of people travel from Britain to Pakistan every year, mostly to visit relatives or do business. The challenge facing the intelligence services, say security sources, is to discover which among them are travelling for “nefarious” reasons.
The warning was made as the Prime Minister is visiting Pakistan, where British terrorists are known to have undergone training.
Security sources have also warned of the danger facing Britain from radicalised Muslims who are currently fighting as part of the insurgency in Iraq.
MI5 assumes that a “backwash” of violence may be unleashed in the UK by British-born Muslims who have been involved the fighting in Iraq.
A security source said: “We may see people who have been ‘blooded’ in Iraq, who are experienced in weapons handling and bomb making, arriving back in this country and they may cause a problem.”
Andrew Rowe, a Jamaican convert to Islam who is known to have visited Bosnia in the 1990s, is often cited as an example of a militant Muslim who fought a jihad abroad and returned to Britain to conduct a campaign of terrorism.
Rowe, a drug dealer before his conversion to Islam, became known as the “sock bomber” after he was arrested for carrying socks with traces of high explosives, which police believe had come from mortars. He was jailed for 15 years for possessing material which might be of use to terrorists.
It emerged earlier this month that Dhiren Barot, a Muslim convert who was jailed for 40 years for plotting to kill thousands of people in Britain and America, had attended a training camp in Pakistan and was subsequently recruited as a sleeper agent by al-Qaeda. Whitehall sources said he typified the threat now facing Britain.
At least two of the bombers involved in the attacks on London on July 7 last year are also known to have visited terrorist training camps in Pakistan.
Last week Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller, the head of MI5, gave warning that it was just a matter of time before Britain was attacked with a chemical, biological or radiological weapon.
She said that up to 1,600 terrorists in the UK were involved in 30 “priority one” plots. Whitehall sources have admitted that it was impossible for MI5, given its current level of resources — it has 2,800 staff — to disrupt every terrorist plot being hatched against Britain
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The source said:
“MI5 would have to be the size of the Stasi (the 100,000-strong East German secret state police during the Cold War) to have a chance of stopping every possible attack and, even then, it would be unlikely that it would succeed.”
Wild Thing’s comment……
From the other stories coming out of the UK I have a feeling that M15 is fighting an uphill battle with their warnings and information they are putting out. I hope not, but when we read of how they cave in to the Muslims demands etc. we need to learn from them too on how NOT to let the terrorists take over here as they have done in the UK.
We are constantly told to distinguish between the ‘Radical Islamo-fascist’ and the moderates. That our war is with the Radical Muslims.
Who are these moderate Muslims, and where do they live. Are these the same ones who sit back and watch all this carnage happen without mouthing a word of dissent ?
The pope makes a statement from their own history and says basically, that the word is mightier than the sword, the first reaction from the Muslim community is they want to cut his head off too. This came from around the Muslim world .
Where is this religion of peace. Their Imams are suppose to be men of peace, Holy Men, yet they all call for the destruction of Israel.
On one of our, my wife and I, trips to Pa we generally stop at Micky-Ds for coffee before continuing on. We walked in and are standing in line, when two Muslims walk in, Towels on their heads, the long robes and guicchi shoes, my first reaction is to look for lumps under their clothing. Its profiling and I don’t care I don’t turst them, as far as one of their bombs can throw them.
The UK is in the position where they too can not control their own borders, it has gotten so far out of hand that they are constantly investigating who has the most evil intentions. France and Eruope are worse.
In the five years since 9-11 we have done nothing about securing our own border, yet we are told how vigilant our government is in catching terrorists. If they have no idea who is coming in the back door, how do they know how well they are catching terrorists.
We are BSing ourselves if we believe that we can co-exist with the people who really want to kill us.
For decades the left wing has been preaching that nationalism is the cause of wars and that diversification is the answer to the world problems..you know, the “why can’t we all just get along” theory. Problem with turning the other cheek and trying to get along is that most of the time it leads to getting bitch slapped again.
I DO NOT WANT to get along with the ragheads. I want to wipe them off the face of the earth or at least defeat them to the point that they never want to even hear the name of ALLAH again. From my point of view this is the only way that this centuries old cultural conflict can be solved..and no doubt this is the same view that the ragheads have..wipe us out.
The war lords of ancient times may have had the right idea when they killed the enemy and all of the enemies family..no one grows up wanting revenge.
Well, that just warms the cockles of me heart, for sure!
What is it going to take for folks to wake up and smell the coffeebomb? I’m not even sure 3000 more dead would do it…
So now the muslims have been in the West long enough to have bred and raised young radical terorists in the host country, to destroy the culture of the host country. We cannot laugh at Europe because we have them here also. They have still been allowed to enter America in even increasing numbers since 9-11.
I wonder if there is a looming civil war in America, btween muslims and Hispanics over how to divide the spoils. If only immigration control was as effective or threatening as the IRS.
Twenty years from now Europe, including Britain, will be on fire. Civil strife, civil war, Muslim majorities in some political entities, economic and cultural collapse and a long grim road to the unpredictable.
What these Euro idiots cannot comprehend is that the unassimilated will never assimilate to a culture which they hate, and which already hates itself. Post-Christian Europe offers nothing except alienation to newcomers and natives.
Terrorism isn’t even the biggest problem, but it will push all these societies into a fatal accomodation with their enemies, who will eventually be their replacements, because their replacements are already on board.
Buy guns and ammo. You may not need them but your children and grandchildren will.
Mark I agree with all you said.
GUYK…..AMEN!! I Agree.
Yankeemom, I wonder too. I am not even sure if another attack would wake them up. I hope it never happens but if it did. They probably would blame our troops or something. GRrrrr
Tom, “If only immigration control was as effective or threatening as the IRS.”…..good point. OH how I wish our leaders could see that.
Rhod, yesss and it is those replacements that will effect the future of the world like said.
Bob, I agree.
It always sounds like doom and gloom to think like this, but I believe in being prepared and for protecting the children and their future children.
Mark, you are sooooo right! The border between the US and Mexico is fairly porous. So how in the hell would the US government really know how many Islamist terrorists are actually getting across into the US. This whole business is getting out of hand. The Brits have pretty good evidence that their own (Pakistani muslims)citizens are going back to Pakistan to recieve Al Queida training and slipping back to England to set up sleeper cells across the UK. They do this under the guise of visiting family or religious studies. I can’t understand why ALL western governments aren’t slamming the doors shut on muslim immigration and closely monitoring all those citizens that ‘visit’ their mother country. Surely we can’t possibly be that dumb!!!!
Mark, you are sooooo right! The border between the US and Mexico is fairly porous. So how in the hell would the US government really know how many Islamist terrorists are actually getting across into the US. This whole business is getting out of hand. The Brits have pretty good evidence that their own (Pakistani muslims)citizens are going back to Pakistan to recieve Al Queida training and slipping back to England to set up sleeper cells across the UK. They do this under the guise of visiting family or religious studies. I can’t understand why ALL western governments aren’t slamming the doors shut on muslim immigration and closely monitoring all those citizens that ‘visit’ their mother country. Surely we can’t possibly be that dumb!!!!