|
British Take Down Al Qaeda Network
Good news from Britain, where according to a report in The Independent a massive ring of Algerian Islamic terrorists has been dismantled since 2002: Police made 100 arrests to smash al-Qa’ida network.
A British-based network of Algerian terrorists with links to al-Qa’ida are suspected of being behind the plot to cause mass panic in the UK with the release of lethal poisons.
But is it reasonable to conclude that since British authorities have cracked one large terrorist ring, they’ve cleaned up the problem? How did a network this big come to exist in the UK in the first place? Does anyone CAIR? (no pun intended here please!)
(Photo credit : Arab News ) _____________________________
The Metropolitan Police’s anti-terrorist branch began investigating an Algerian network throughout summer 2002, but at first they thought it was only involved in logistical support, such as illegal fundraising.
The attempt to break the network led to more than 100 arrests, with investigations stretching from Bournemouth to Scotland.
The most active of the Islamist groups, and the organization believed to be at the centre of the ricin plot, is the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), which had sent thousands of members for training in camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Its fighters have been also been involved in Chechnya, Kashmir and the Balkans, as well the nucleus of the urban terror cells in Europe.
As the reported number of more than 100 arrests is both impressive and scary. One hundred dedicated individuals can commit an awful lot of mass murder, and it’s good news indeed that this group is in custody, instead of in garages in east London, cooking up ricin poison.
But is it reasonable to conclude that since British authorities have cracked one large terrorist ring, they’ve cleaned up the problem? How did a network this big come to exist in the UK in the first place? Does anyone CAIR?
And are there one, or two, or ten other networks in Britain and Europe just as large, but a bit smarter about staying hidden?
Story Credits: The Independent and Little Green Footballs
|
