Terror leaks: both Home Office and police implicated

[Mark Gobell]

Terror leaks: both Home Office and police implicated

http://www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,2065625,00.html

Guardian told that Reid aide and senior officer involved

Ian Cobain, Vikram Dodd and Will Woodward
Thursday April 26, 2007
The Guardian

The row over allegations that lives were endangered by leaks about major anti-terrorism operations deepened last night as it emerged that there were a series of disclosures about one highly sensitive investigation.

As Tony Blair rejected calls for an inquiry, and Liberal Democrats called upon the police to investigate, it emerged that journalists received up to three separate briefings about an allegation that a group of men was planning to abduct and behead a Muslim British soldier.

The Guardian has been told that an aide to John Reid, the home secretary, was responsible for one of those leaks, and has also learnt that there is strong suspicion among the highest-ranking police at Scotland Yard that one of their own officers also briefed the media.

The controversy centres on a series of raids which led to nine arrests across Birmingham in February. Six men were subsequently charged with a number of terrorist offences. The row over the leaks which accompanied those arrests erupted after deputy assistant commissioner Peter Clarke, head of Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism command, warned on Tuesday that such disclosures, both in advance of operations and while they were ongoing, could be illegal and highly dangerous.

Since the arrests that Guardian has learned that:

· Journalists on at least one tabloid paper were tipped off the night before the raids, with the result that some travelled there before anyone had been arrested.

· The following morning, while one suspect remained at large, a small number of journalists were receiving briefings on lurid details of the alleged plot.

· A senior Whitehall official told reporters from two tabloids that a number of Muslim soldiers had agreed to act as bait in an attempt to trap the plotters.

The Guardian has been told by a well-placed source that this information - which later proved to be inaccurate - came from one of Mr Reid's officials.

However, in a development which could prove to be a serious embarrassment for Mr Clarke and his colleagues, senior Scotland Yard sources said they feared that one of the leaks had come from within the force.

In his speech on the terrorist threat to the UK, Mr Clarke said: "What I am talking about is the deliberate leaking of highly sensitive operational intelligence, often classified, and the unauthorised release of which can be a criminal offence.

"What is clear is that there are a number, a small number I am sure, of misguided individuals who betray confidences. Perhaps they look to curry favour with certain journalists, or to squeeze out some short term presentational advantage - I do not know what motivates them.

"The people who do this either do not know or do not care what damage they do. If they do know, then they are beneath contempt. If they do not know, then let me tell them. They compromise investigations. They reveal sources of life-saving intelligence. In the worst cases they put lives at risk. I wonder if they simply do not care."

Amid calls from the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats for an inquiry, the prime minister said he "completely condemned" such leaks. He added that "as far as I am aware" no minister, civil servant or special adviser had been involved.

But the prime minister failed to assuage opposition anger. David Davis, the shadow home secretary, wrote last night to the cabinet secretary, Sir Gus O'Donnell, demanding the inquiry "in the light of the concern" expressed by Mr Clarke. The Liberal Democrats' home affairs spokesman, Nick Clegg, wrote to West Midlands police to demand they institute a similar inquiry. A police spokeswoman said the request was being considered.

The Conservatives acknowledge that as yet they have no "smoking gun" to tie ministers or officials to the leaks, though they believe they might find one. They have heard names of possible leakers without knowing whether they are true. But they and the Liberal Democrats say the Labour government's notoriety for spinning and briefing gives it a case to answer. "There is now real evidence that the government's culture of spin is undermining rather than strengthening our collective response to the terror threat," said Mr Clegg.

David Cameron, the Tory leader, told Mr Blair at prime minister's question time: "You say you are pretty certain it's not a minister or a special adviser. But if you haven't had a leak inquiry, how on earth can you know? I'm sure you understand the damage the culture of leak and spin has done to your government.

"When it comes to national security this can actually cost lives. So will you today confirm that you'll establish an independent leak inquiry, led by a senior and independent figure - yes or no?"

Mr Blair replied: "No, I will not confirm that, for this very simple reason. If you have evidence that someone has been involved in such a thing I will of course have it properly investigated.

"But what I'm not going to do is have a situation in which you simply make this allegation, leave it hanging there without any evidence to back it up whatever. If I was being unkind, I would call that a smear."

Defence lawyers are expected to argue that it will be impossible for any of the men arrested in Birmingham to receive a fair trial as a consequence of the leaks at the time of their arrest. One lawyer, Tayab Ali, said he had been told by a senior West Midlands officer that the disclosures may have been an offence under the Official Secrets Act.

A number of former intelligence and security officials said yesterday they thought a formal investigation should take place. Dame Pauline Neville-Jones, former head of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC), said: "It's very serious. I personally think that it's something the government ought to be investigating and it ought to be making the results of any such investigation actually known to the public. And they ought to prosecute. This is what the Official Secrets Act is there for."

Sir Paul Lever, another former JIC chairman, said: "Whatever you think of this culture of spin as a general phenomenon, if it encroaches on the area of police operations and the handling of sensitive intelligence matters, then that can be very, very damaging."

The Conservatives said the government had launched 60 leak inquiries in its first three years. The Liberal Democrats delivered a dossier of newspaper reports which they said were apparently compiled by government officials and "Whitehall sources" on terrorism investigations.

As the Westminster rumour mill cranked up, several officials were said to be in the frame for leaks of the operation. Most suspicion centred on the Home Office, but that was flatly rejected.

A spokesman said Mr Reid was "entirely in agreement" with Mr Clarke.

"National security is one of our highest priorities and anything that threatens effective operations, judicial process or counter-terrorism activity is to be condemned. That is why the Home Office has a policy of never commenting on operational matters," the spokesman said.

The Home Office refused to comment further on more detailed allegations.

[Mark Gobell]

Interesting leader:

[Mark Gobell]

The faux uproar seems to have originated from "yard chief", or is that chef ?, DAC Peter Clarke's lecture on 24.4.7 about Al Q.

The Guardian reports Clarke's valiant efforts to keep us all on our toes as follows:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,,2064947,00.html

Al-Qaida thriving despite war on terror - Yard chief

· Group still capable of devastating attacks on UK
· Call for more information from Muslim communities

Vikram Dodd
Wednesday April 25, 2007
The Guardian


The head of Scotland Yard's counterterrorism command said yesterday that al-Qaida had survived the six-year long "war on terror" launched by President George Bush and Tony Blair, and its central leadership had retained the ability to order devastating attacks on Britain.

Deputy assistant commissioner Peter Clarke, the national counterterrorism coordinator, warned in a lecture last night that terrorists "have momentum" and were on an "inexorable trend to more ambitious and more destructive attack planning".

Mr Clarke was giving a lecture in memory of Colin Cramphorn, the deceased former chief constable of West Yorkshire who was in charge of the force when it was revealed that three of the four bombers behind the attacks on London in July 7 2005 came from his area.

Mr Clarke said his wide-ranging lecture was based on his policing experience and he did not intend it to be political.

He said al-Qaida had weathered the assault launched against it after the 9/11 attacks on the United States in 2001. In his assessment of Osama bin Laden's terrorist network, Mr Clarke offered a picture of a formidable organisation. "It is global in origin, reach and ambition. The networks are large, fluid, mobile and incredibly resilient," he said.

"We have seen how al-Qaida has been able to survive a prolonged multinational assault on its structures, personnel and logistics. It has certainly retained its ability to deliver centrally directed attacks here in the UK.

"In case after case, the hand of core al-Qaida can be clearly seen. Arrested leaders or key players are quickly replaced, and disrupted networks will re-form quickly.

"There is no evidence of looking to restrict casualties. There are no warnings given and the evidence suggests that on the contrary, the intention is frequently to kill as many people as possible."

He contrasted al-Qaida with Irish terrorism, saying that republicans had a political agenda that made exploring a negotiated settlement possible, which was not the case with Islamist extremists: "Although perhaps this is not for me to judge, there has not been an obvious political agenda around which meaningful negotiations can be built."

Senior counterterrorism sources say the UK government has not considered negotiating with al-Qaida and Mr Clarke demanded greater community help, warning: "The extremists have a momentum that must be stopped."

He repeated warnings from other senior counterterrorism officials that another attack on the UK was highly likely and that Pakistan had become a popular training ground for camps to equip British-born people to learn the skills and methods to carry out attacks on their own soil.

He dismissed critics who claimed the terrorist threat to the UK was overblown, saying that more than 100 people were awaiting trial for terrorist offences.

Mr Clarke said few convictions had stemmed from information given by Muslim communities: "We must increase the flow of intelligence coming from communities. Almost all of our prosecutions have their origins in intelligence that came from overseas, the intelligence agencies or from technical means [intrusive bugging or video surveillance]. Few have yet originated from what is sometimes called community intelligence."

He stressed the need to build public confidence in the integrity of the police and condemned unauthorised leaks about counterterrorism investigations. "I make no allegations about the source of leaks or about individual cases. What is clear is that there are a number, a small number I am sure, of misguided individuals who betray confidences. Perhaps they look to curry favour with certain journalists, or to squeeze out some short-term presentational advantage ... They reveal sources of life-saving intelligence. In the worst cases they put lives at risk. I wonder if they simply do not care."

Last August arrests were made in the West Midlands over an alleged plot to kidnap and behead a British Muslim serviceman. West Midlands police were furious after details of the operation were leaked after the men were arrested: "On the morning of the arrests, almost before the detainees had arrived at the police stations to which they were being taken for questioning, it was clear that key details of the investigation and the evidence had been leaked. This damaged the interview strategy of the investigators, and undoubtedly raised community tensions."

Mr Clarke said more ways were needed to divert potential extremists away from the lure of the al-Qaida ideology, without them getting a criminal record.

[Mark Gobell]

Now call me date obsessed if you like, but here is my email to the Guardian on a tiny error in detail.

Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2007 08:48:16 +0100 (BST)
From: "MARK GOBELL" <markgobell@btinternet.com>
Subject: Error in article
To: politics.editor@guardianunlimited.co.uk

Dear Politics Editor

Reference this article published on 25.4.2007 linked here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,,2064947,00.html

Al-Qaida thriving despite war on terror - Yard chief

The article states:

"Last August arrests were made in the West Midlands over an alleged plot to kidnap and behead a British Muslim serviceman."

Could I ask you to check the date please as this was widely reported to have happened on 31.1.2007 not August 2006

Hope this helps.

Kind regards

Mark Gobell

[Mark Gobell]

Annanova's take on DAC Clarke's Colin Cramphorn Memorial Lecture.

Interesting that there is not mention of the word "trust" in the Guardian's piece posted above or in the usual tripe from the Daily Mail

Mainstream media avoids the T word perhaps ?

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2303755.html?menu=

Anti-terror chief hits out at leaks

The UK's top anti-terror police chief has hit out over leaks about investigations saying they had put lives at risk and those responsible should be "thoroughly ashamed".

Peter Clarke, Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, did not name names but suggested the culprits were trying to "squeeze out some short-term presentational advantage".

In a wide-ranging speech, he also warned that a breakdown in public trust risks undermining efforts to prevent extremist attacks.

Mr Clarke said early arrests based on intelligence were essential in stopping atrocities. But he said when charges did not follow, communities and the media failed to give police the benefit of the doubt.

"I think it is no exaggeration to say that the lack of public trust in intelligence is in danger of infecting the relationship between the police and the communities we serve," he said in a speech in London on Tuesday night. "Trust and consent are two concepts that lie at the heart of the relationship between the British police and the public."

Mr Clarke, head of Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism unit, said the controversy over the 90-day detention period had also undermined confidence because people felt police were siding with the Government.

"The communities must believe, and it must be reality, that the police stand aside from politics in the exercise of their powers," he said. "That is why the allegations of political partiality that seem to have been made so lightly in recent times are so damaging.

"They undermine the relationship between police and public, they undoubtedly inhibit the flow of intelligence, and in doing so actually increase the risk to the public."

Delivering the first Colin Cramphorn Memorial Lecture in memory of the late West Yorkshire chief constable, Mr Clarke called for more information to be released to the public.

While juries had to be protected from prejudicial material, it was not sensible to pretend that much information was not available over the internet, he said. But, on the subject of leaks, he pulled no punches, saying he wondered if those responsible "simply do not care" about the damage they do.

===============================================

Brilliant stuff.

Details of an ongoing anti-terror raid are given to selected media outlets in briefings linked to John Reid's Home Office so that the incredibly well informed British public can stay incredibly well informed.

DAC Clarke then complains about the "leaks" claiming they put lives at risk and that "the culprits were trying to squeeze out some short-term presentational advantage".

John Reid agrees with everything Clarke says.

Yet the perps remain un-named and mysterious.

A Rumsfeldian known unknown if you will.

Now just who would benefit from squeezing out some short-term presentational advantage from an on going anti terror operation I wonder.

[rodin]

Anyone referring to Al Q as though it was real is either a dupe or complicit.

For some reason TPTB are desperate to ditch Brown. You'd think as a devoted soclialist and spendthrift he'd be right up their street. Looks like 'socialism' is about to reveal its true colours, and even Brown would not truck with concentration camps. He is probably just an ego-tripping big brain who thought he could steer UK into an end that justifies the means for the good of the UK as a whole. Reid is an altogether different kettle of fish. He is a Bolshevick. Think Lenin, Stalin etc.

If there is a successful move afoot to install Reid before the next general election, I may have to revise my assessment that Cameron is a shoe-in to lead a divided parliament, leading to a successful challenge on Brown. Perhaps a 'government of national unity' is planned...

Cameron - Reid - Menzies-Campbell...

[conspiracy analyst]

[rodin]

The Bolshevicks were/are monopoly capitalists. What better monopoly than a police state?

Socialism is a blend of Bolshevism and Fascism, no more no less.

Communism actually would be OK if it were not co-opted into a monopoly state suppression scheme. The tribe is the healthiest society because everyone knows everyone else. Once the leaders become removed from the led the potential is there for tyranny. Where a potential exists it will happen. Nature abhors a vacuum.

I have elaborated on this on previous posts.

As for 'privatisation'...

Why would a Bolshevick do this? What he is doing is removing assets from the public ownership (ie us) and giving them to the evilite. In the process we take on PFI debts that will enslave us as a nation.

What is the difference between the state (ie apparatchiks) taking your property (all property is theft until we own it) and the state forcing you to lose your property to taxes, inflation, etc? In the end the people who print the money end up with it all either way.

[TonyGosling]

Socialism is about distributing wealth - essentially springing from the earth and land rights - as equally as possible. Any decent version also includes space for individual entrepeneurism (ie free help for startup small businesses) and modest accumulation of private wealth which can spring from it. The most important factor is the absolute prohibition of the massive corporate wealth we see in the decadent West today... Tesco, Shell, HSBC, Halliburton, Comverse Technologies, Verint Systems, Capita... just take a look in Private Eye and you'll find these evil institutions gorging on the worlds resources - a free gift to mankind (I believe from God).

That socialist process of managing distribution of resources can be overseen by public spirited, 'for the people' types or it can be done by selfish people who want to use that power to feather their own nest.

The way to tell the difference is to look at the influence of secret societies and secrecy in general. Good socialist governments are openly accountable and bad ones are secretive.

It's that simple.

Anyway, back to the subject in hand....

This is a veiled attack on the press - warning them off from reporting the background to these stories, a reaction to the fact that more and more journalists and editors are seeing the poolice arrsts and announcements as a racist conspiracy and they are no longer taking Gestapo Watch stories like the mile-high toilet terror plot seriously.

[Annie]

Thanks for this post, Mark. It's an interesting one - the giveaway is the the phraseology. When something is a "leak" which "can" or "could" be breaking the law, we know it is authorised.

If information is disclosed which they don't want people to know about, it is a clear breach of the Official Secrets Act (1989), which is strict liability - ie there is no defense and should lead to immediate arrest.

This is a clear attempt to ramp up the public's fear of "Al Qaeda" in the UK.