Four men arrested in national police counter-terrorism raids (UPDATE)
Four men from Stoke-on-Trent are among 12 arrested this morning in a national counter-terrorism operation.
The men – with a further five from Cardiff and three from London – were detained on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism in the UK (Terrorism Act 2000).
The suspects were aged between 17 and 28 and detained by unarmed officers at addresses in Shelton, Cobridge and Tunstall at approximately 5am.
All were arrested at or near their home addresses, with the exception of one suspect from the city who was at a domestic property in Birmingham.
A spokesman for West Midlands Police said searches are now being conducted at the home addresses, plus the address in Birmingham and another residence in London.
The suspects will be held at police stations in Central London, the North West and the West Midlands.
The operation is being led by Stuart Osborne and coordinated from the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit. It also involves the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command, South Wales Police and Staffordshire Police.
Assistant Commissioner John Yates, national lead for counter terrorism policing, says: "This is a large scale, pre-planned and intelligence led operation involving several forces.
"The operation is in its early stages so we are unable to go into detail at this time about the suspected offences. However, I believe it was necessary at this time to take action in order to ensure public safety."
The men from Stoke-on-Trent are aged 19, 25 and two are 26.
Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to call the confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321.
Numbers _________________ The Medium is the Massage - Marshall McLuhan.
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Twelve men, including four from Stoke-on-Trent, have been arrested in a major national counter-terrorism operation, West Midlands Police have said.
The men - five from Cardiff, four from Stoke-on-Trent and three from London - were detained on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism in the UK.
The suspects, aged between 17 and 28, were detained by unarmed officers at approximately 5am.
West Midlands Police said in a statement: "All were arrested at or near their home addresses, with the exception of one suspect from Stoke who was at a domestic property in Birmingham.
"Searches are now being conducted at the home addresses, plus the address in Birmingham and another residence in London. The suspects will be held at police stations in central London, the North West and the West Midlands."
The operation is being led by Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Osborne, the Senior National Co-ordinator Terrorist Investigations, and is being coordinated from the West Midlands Counter-Terrorism Unit. It also involves the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command, South Wales Police and Staffordshire Police, a spokesman said.
Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner John Yates, national lead for counter-terrorism policing, said: "This is a large scale, pre-planned and intelligence-led operation involving several forces. The operation is in its early stages so we are unable to go into detail at this time about the suspected offences. However, I believe it was necessary at this time to take action in order to ensure public safety."
The police statement said five of the suspects were from Cardiff, four were from Stoke-on-Trent and three were from London, including the 17-year-old.
The arrests come after intelligence agencies in Europe, Pakistan and the US intercepted a credible Islamic plot to launch raids on European cities, in a similar style to the attacks in Mumbai, India, two years ago. The UK's terror threat rating remains at "severe", the second highest rating, meaning a terrorist attack is highly likely.
Home Secretary Theresa May was fully briefed on the raids before they took place, the Home Office confirmed. _________________ The Medium is the Massage - Marshall McLuhan.
Men aged between 17 and 28 detained on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism
* Adam Gabbatt and Vikram Dodd
* guardian.co.uk, Monday 20 December 2010 13.57 GMT
* Article history
Police arrested 12 men in four separate raids around England and Wales this morning in what was described as a major national counter-terrorism operation.
The men, aged between 17 and 28, were held in Birmingham, Cardiff, London and Stoke-on-Trent on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism in the UK, police said.
Searches of properties in the four locations are taking place.
The raids were launched "to take action in order to ensure public safety", the country's leading anti-terrorism officer, Assistant Commissioner John Yates, of the Metropolitan police, said.
The home secretary, Theresa May, was briefed on the raids before they happened, the Home Office confirmed.
"This is a large scale, pre-planned and intelligence-led operation involving several forces," Yates said. "The operation is in its early stages, so we are unable to go into detail at this time about the suspected offences."
Counter-terror officials believed a bombing attack was being prepared and arrested the men.
The closeness of Christmas appears to have been a factor, but it is not clear whether investigators were nervous because of any specific intelligence that an attack was imminent, or whether the "landmark" date made them anxious.
Last year, al-Qaida attempted a Christmas day attack on a plane travelling to Detroit in the US.
Of those arrested today, five – aged 23, 23, 25, 26 and 28 – are from Cardiff, while three, aged 17, 20 and 28, are from London.
Four of the men – two 26-year-olds, a 19-year-old and a 25-year-old – are from Stoke. All 12 were arrested under the 2000 Terrorism Act. A number of the men are Bangladeshi. Intelligence was being gathered on the men until the arrests were made at 5am. Police said counter-terror officers were unarmed when they detained the men.
The man arrested in Birmingham was detained by officers in the Small Heath area. He is believed to have recently moved there from Stoke. The arrests in London were made in the Newham and Tower Hamlets areas, in the east of the capital.
Of the five men arrested in Cardiff, three were said to be from the Riverside area of the city, close to the Millennium Stadium. Two are believed to be from the Ely area, a mile west of the centre. The men are all believed to be in their twenties.
City councillor Ramesh Patel said he understood they were members of the Bangladeshi community.
"The police told me and other councillors what that they were going to make these arrests," he said. "It's a shock for the community.
"The police seem to have acted quickly, but it's important not to accuse these people yet. It will be up to the police and courts."
"The suspects were detained by unarmed officers at approximately 5am," West Midlands police said.
"All were arrested at or near their home addresses, with the exception of one suspect, from Stoke, who was at a domestic property in Birmingham.
"Searches are now being conducted at the home addresses, plus the address in Birmingham and another residence in London."
The suspects are being held at police stations in central London, the north-west and the West Midlands, police said.
The arrests were co-ordinated by the West Midlands counter-terrorism unit but also involved the Metropolitan police's counter-terrorism command, South Wales police and Staffordshire police.
The South Wales and Staffordshire forces said they had no further details about the operation to give.
The government's assessment of the risk of a terrorist attack in the UK remains at "severe" – the second-highest level, meaning an incident is seen as highly likely.
This followed speculation that al-Qaida was planning a "commando-style" attack similar to the 2008 Mumbai massacre, in which 166 people were killed.
Although police and security services have been planning for the possibility of such an attack, it is understood that the arrests are not connected with a possible Mumbai-style event.
They are also not connected with the attempted suicide bomb attack in Sweden last week, which was carried out by a man who had lived in Luton, Bedfordshire. [Even though he still hasn't been positively identified yet] _________________ The Medium is the Massage - Marshall McLuhan.
Harakat-Ul-Jihad-Ul-Islami (Bangladesh) (Huji-B) - proscribed on 14.10.2005
Jammat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) - proscribed on 25.7.2007
You may recall that the Iranian MEK group, Mujaheddin e Khalq, was - de-proscribed on 23.6.2008 - the rationale of the UK Government seems to include the idea that proscribing "the enemy of my enemy" is not in our - the public's interest - so it is perfectly legal in the UK to belong to a known terrorist outfit - the MEK, simply because they terrorise a government of a foreign land that the UK Gov also has a problem with.
So, by this provision, it looks like UK Gov could be facilitating and / or encouraging terrorism, which of course, isn't an offence in this case.
MEK terrorist actions against the Iranian government therefore seem to be in the public's interest, by order of Whitehall. _________________ The Medium is the Massage - Marshall McLuhan.
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A dozen men, most of them Britons of Bangladeshi origin, were arrested today in connection with an alleged plot to carry out synchronised bombings in a number of British cities.
The suspects were held in raids just after 5am at London, Stoke-on-Trent, Birmingham and Cardiff after months of surveillance by MI5 and police during which they had been tracked meeting each other in different parts of the country.
The decision to carry out the arrests was taken after information was received that the alleged plotters had brought forward intended attacks and planned to strike in crowded areas, like shopping streets, in the days before Christmas.
Security sources claimed that the arrests were unconnected with the suicide bombing carried out in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, by Taimur Abdulwahab al-Abdaly, who had been living in Luton. There were also no links, they said, with intelligence coming from Pakistan of impending “Mumbai-type” attacks in western Europe.
This was, however, the first time that an alleged terrorist plot has been discovered with a large number of people of Bangladeshi origin involved. The intelligence services say that groups of aspiring jihadists have been going to Bangladesh for training after greater scrutiny on those travelling to Pakistan.
Further arrests are expected to follow. Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner John Yates said “"We are also searching a large number of premises and I expect that these searches will take some time to complete. "The operation is in its early stages so I am unable to go into any detail at this time as I do not wish to say anything that may prejudice any future legal proceedings. However, what I would say is that with the current threat level in the UK at severe and with the information we have, I believe today's arrests were absolutely necessary in order to keep the public safe.”
Home Secretary Theresa May said "For obvious reasons it is not appropriate for me to comment further at this early stage of what could be a complex and lengthy investigation. We know we face a real and serious threat from terrorism and I would like to thank the police and security service for working to keep our country safe." _________________ The Medium is the Massage - Marshall McLuhan.
Old habits die hard...
If they cant get maximum political capital out of snow events, good old fake terrorism is always at hand.
After all they are being hammerred in Afghanistan having lost the most soldiers EVER this year there, 701 so far and despite the surge will leave soon with their tail between their legs...
Quite how The Telegraph comes by this info is not known, given that very little is being said by official sources.
Quote:
Duncan Gardham, Gordon Rayner and Nick Britten 10:22PM GMT 20 Dec 2010
...
Those arrested included men from Stoke using the pseudonyms Abu Saif, 19, Abu Bosher, 26, and Abu Sumayyah, 25, a Muslim convert.
...
Some had protested in favour of Islam4UK, a successor organisation to al-Muhajiroun, now also banned, which planned a march through Wootton Bassett against the British troops in Afghanistan.
In Cobridge, Stoke, one of those arrested was alleged by neighbours to have distributed extremist material. The man, who lived alone in a small terrace house, was said to be one of several young Muslims who picketed mosques and stood on street corners handing out leaflets promoting holy war.
...
The obligatory "Muslim convert" .... _________________ The Medium is the Massage - Marshall McLuhan.
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MEMBERS of a radical Islamic group say the Government's decision to ban the organisation is a "victory" for them.
Under terror laws, Home Secretary Alan Johnson has banned web-based Islam4UK.
The group, which acts as a platform for the extremist movement Al Muhajiroun, had planned to stage a controversial march through Wootton Bassett to highlight the number of Muslims being killed in Afghanistan.
On Sunday, Islam4UK cancelled the march, saying it had "successfully highlighted the plight of Muslims in Afghanistan".
The banning order will come into effect tomorrow and make it a criminal offence to be a member, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Group members in Stoke-on-Trent say they will fight on for troops to be removed from Muslim countries, along with the introduction of the contentious Sharia Law in Britain.
Abu Sumayyah, aged 24, of Cobridge, pictured left, said: "The Government's decision to ban Islam4UK is a victory for Islam and Muslims.
"When you look at the Terrorism Act and the organisations banned, they are the ones that have been at the forefront calling for Sharia Law.
"We know we have been banned for fighting a true and noble cause."
Mr Sumayyah, who converted to Islam five years ago, also backed the decision to call off the Wootton Bassett demonstration. We are happy with the attention we got through planning the march and our word is out.
"We have honoured the Muslims who need us to speak for them." _________________ The Medium is the Massage - Marshall McLuhan.
SHARIA LAW: A group once raided under terrorism laws held a meeting to voice why they think Sharia law should be implemented in the United Kingdom.
Dozens of people gathered at Cobridge Community Centre for the meeting yesterday to listen to speakers including Anjem Choudary, who was leader of the Al-Muhajiroun group, now banned under anti-terrorism legislation. Sharia law is based upon the religion of Islam.
Mr Choudary said: "The unique thing about Islam is that it has a solution for every problem."
Abu Sumayyah, a 23-year-old, from Cobridge, who converted to Islam five years ago, helped to organise the conference.
He said: "We are challenging the democrats to come up with a system that is better than Sharia.
"We believe there is no system better than Sharia."
Speaker Abu Hafs told those at the meeting: "We don't just want to see the flag of Islam in Stoke-on-Trent or 10 Downing Street, we want to see it everywhere."
The conference was organised by members of a group, which was targeted by police in July 2008.
But the group has always denied links to terrorism and no action was taken against the members.
Also pictured is speaker Abu Saif. _________________ The Medium is the Massage - Marshall McLuhan.
FROZEN OUT: Muslim protesters held an outdoor demonstration after claiming two venues refused to let them in.
Demonstrators gathered in Cobridge Park yesterday in support of a controversial anti-war march in Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire. The national event was cancelled last night. Potteries-based members of Islam4UK had said they would take part in the rally to mourn Muslims killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. And the seven-strong group says it was turned away from two community venues it had booked in North Staffordshire yesterday.
Abu Sumayyah, aged 24, of Cobridge, said: "One said it was because of icy conditions and the other said all their staff were ill."
Abu Saif, left, is pictured leading the protest. _________________ The Medium is the Massage - Marshall McLuhan.
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1. This Order may be cited as the Proscribed Organisations (Name Changes) Order 2010 and shall come into force on 14th January 2010.
2. — (1) Each of the names specified in paragraph (2), being names that are not specified in Schedule 2 to the Terrorism Act 2000, is to be treated as another name for both Al-Ghurabaa and The Saved Sect, being organisations listed in that Schedule F1 .
(2) Those names are—
(a) Al Muhajiroun (ALM),
(b) Call to Submission,
(c) Islam4UK,
(d) Islamic Path, and
(e) London School of Sharia.
Al-Ghurabaa and The Saved Sect were already proscribed under Schedule 2 of the Terrorism Act 2000, which came into force on 19.2.2001
. _________________ The Medium is the Massage - Marshall McLuhan.
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Operation Aragorn raids. 30 June 2008 according to Duncan Gardham - 1st July 2008 according to everyone else. No arrests.
Timestamps on Duncan Gardham's Telegraphs articles:
Most odd how the current time stamp is earlier than the timestamp captured on the original article. Maybe they've just removed the "last updated" time stamp, but the date format is different too. Maybe they just type the timestamp in to suit themselves, as I've noticed a couple of articles on this case from The Telegraph's "Security Correspondent" carry a couple of "spooky" timestamps ...
Two different timestamps and two different date formats ?
Is this proof that the journos can type in the date and times of their articles to suit themselves ?
This is the original as captured here on 1st July 2008 - the day of publication and shown below - ie: the original article:
Quote:
Gang 'who radicalised young Muslims' raided
By Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent and Nick Britten
By Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent and Nick Britten
Last Updated: 8:50PM BST 01/07/2008
A gang suspected of trying to radicalise young Muslims has been targeted in a series of police raids on homes in Stoke-on-Trent.
Officers were yesterday using their powers under the Terrorism Act to search three properties in the Staffordshire town and had completed searches at two more.
Ch Supt Jane Sawyers of Staffordshire Police said the searches were part of "an ongoing investigation into the activities of a small group of people suspected of being involved in promoting violent extremist views and radicalising vulnerable community members."
She said they had been "prompted by concerns about the activities of a small number of people in the local community" and added: "Staffordshire Police has acted upon those concerns and today's operation is the latest stage of the force's investigation to resolve them and help establish the facts."
Police sources said fears were raised from both within the Muslim community and from the "police intelligence system."
The investigation, called Operation Aragorn, has been going on since last year and officers executing search warrants have now seized a significant amount of computer material along with printed literature and four vehicles.
A source said: "We are looking at people trying to influence impressionable people and that includes young people and those with mental health problems."
Three of the houses were in the Cobridge area of Stoke, one in the High Lane area of Burslem and one in Tunstall.
No arrests have been made and police said the operation posed "no direct risk to public safety."
Stoke City Councillor Lee Wanger, a councillor in Tunstall and deputy leader of the Conservative and Independent Alliance group, said: "The people whose houses were raided were handing out leaflets and pamphlets to people in the street, particularly targeting the younger element of the community."
Ms Sawyers, divisional commander for Stoke-on-Trent, said: "The focus of our work now is to examine all of the items recovered during our searches and to carefully assess their value to our ongoing investigation."
Stoke has recently become one of the largest strongholds for the far-right BNP, with nine representatives on the local council, and police were yesterday keen to prevent any tension building up.
Ms Sawyers said: "I am extremely proud of the strong community relations we have in the city and would ask for the public's continued support and vigilance.
"We can only tackle the real and serious threat posed to us all by violent extremism if we all work together.
"Staffordshire Police's role is to protect, reassure and support the local community, and I'm sure that local residents will respond to the news of these searches taking place in a calm and sensible way."
But she said she understood some people might feel vulnerable and added: "We are working closely with our communities to support everyone by keeping them informed about today's operation.
"Local neighbourhood officers are out and about to provide support, reassurance and information and community leaders and our partners have been briefed on the current situation. We are doing everything we can to return our communities back to normal as soon as our work is completed.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank the communities affected for their support, patience and cooperation."
It comes after counter-terrorism police have expressed growing fears that extremists are targeting teenagers and the mentally ill for radicalisation following recent investigations.
Page last updated at 13:27 GMT, Friday, 4 July 2008 14:27 UK
Abu Bosher (left) and Abu Saif (right)
The two men say they are not hiding anything
Two men living in homes where police carried out raids targeting people suspected of promoting extremist views said they had been "humiliated".
The men said they had been co-operating with police since claims against them came to light and to carry out the raids was "unfair".
Staffordshire Police searched and took items from five homes in Stoke-on-Trent on Tuesday under the Terrorism Act.
No-one has been arrested following the searches.
The raids took place in the Cobridge, Burslem and Tunstall areas of Stoke.
'Not hiding anything'
The two men run a stall in Stoke-on-Trent which sells Islamic literature, CDs and DVDs.
One man, Abu Bosher, said: "To raid our houses for no apparent reason seems unfair. We gave police our leaflets, we gave them our contact details, they know us by our first names.
"Its not like we are hiding anything."
Another man whose home was raided, Abu Saif, said: "I was born and bred in Stoke-on-Trent. All the community know me. They all know I am not a terrorist."
Police said they had recovered a "significant amount" of property, including literature, documents and computers, from the houses.
They said they did not seek to target or criminalise any members of the community.
The raids were part of an investigation launched last autumn, which police said had been prompted by concerns from within the local community.
Quote:
Breaking news: Terror case dropped after 20 months
CITY residents whose homes were raided under anti-terror laws 20 months ago have today been told they will not face prosecution.
Staffordshire Police launched an £83,000 investigation after a huge amount of material was seized during raids across Stoke-on-Trent on July 1, 2008.
And the force this morning announced that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has decided that there is not a realistic chance of conviction in the matter.
No further action will now be taken and the seized material will be returned.
More than 100 police officers raided five homes under the Terrorism Act two years ago after receiving intelligence from within the neighbouring communities.
Officers searched three houses in Cobridge, one in Smallthorne and one in Tunstall as they investigating the activities of a "small group of people" suspected of being involved in promoting violent extremist views and radicalising vulnerable members of the community. No-one was arrested then or since.
Staffordshire Police have this morning been leafleting the affected areas and liaising with community leaders.
Page last updated at 15:52 GMT, Thursday, 25 February 2010
Abu Bosher (left) and Abu Saif (right)
Two men whose homes were raided said they had been 'humiliated'
Anti-terror raids on five Stoke-on-Trent homes cost £83,000 and yielded no prosecutions, police have revealed.
On 1 July, 2008, three houses in Cobridge, one in Smallthorne and another in Tunstall were raided following "community" concerns.
Staffordshire Police say they responded to fears of "violent and extremist views, and... radicalising vulnerable members of the community".
Computer equipment and documents were taken, but no arrests were made.
Ch Supt Bernie O'Reilly said the raids were made under the Terrorism Act after files were handed to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
He said when the "community" raise terror concerns, the police "have got a job to act."
'No apparent reason'
Two men whose homes were raided said shortly afterwards they felt "humiliated" by the raids.
They ran a stall in Stoke-on-Trent which sells Islamic literature, CDs and DVDs.
One man, Abu Bosher, said at the time: "To raid our houses for no apparent reason seems unfair.
"We gave police our leaflets, we gave them our contact details, they know us by our first names. It's not like we are hiding anything."
And another man whose home was raided, Abu Saif, said: "I was born and bred in Stoke-on-Trent. All the community know me. They all know I am not a terrorist."
But Ch Supt O'Reilly defended his forces actions, saying: "These same people may need to reflect on whatever it was at the time that made the community contact us with their concerns about them".
Some 330,000 computer files were examined over an 18-month period.
But the CPS ruled there was not enough evidence for a realistic chance of prosecution.
RELIGIOUS zealots have vowed to continue distributing their literature despite being the subject of a 20-month investigation by anti-terror police.
Organisers of a temporary stall which distributes leaflets promoting their beliefs say they now aim to expand their campaign into new parts of Stoke-on-Trent.
And the men, who are all Muslim, also want to have a debate about their beliefs with the city's political leaders.
The Sentinel reported yesterday how Staffordshire Police announced that there would be no prosecutions brought as a result of raids at five city addresses in July 2008.[Operation Aragorn]
A 20-month investigation drew to a close on Thursday after the Crown Prosecution Service ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute anyone for either terrorism or public order offences.
Within hours of being informed of the decision by letter on Thursday, three men whose homes were targeted two years ago were manning their stall in Burslem.
They have remained in operation while the police investigation was conducted, but said they now intended to preach their message in new places.
The stallholders have taken the fact they were not prevented from setting up while under investigation as proof that they were acting within the law.
Call centre worker Abu Bosher, aged 25, from Cobridge, said: "If I was a genuine threat, they would have arrested me straightaway."
But Staffordshire Police have stressed that it deliberately kept the operation low-key as evidence was gathered and "meticulously" reviewed following a complaint from concerned members of the community.
But, now that it has concluded, the stallholders say they intend to roll the stall out further afield than its current temporary pitches in Cobridge, Burslem, Shelton and Tunstall.
Former Haywood High pupil Abu Sumayyah, from Cobridge, said: "We are going to be changing certain venues to try to broaden the areas we cover.
"We plan to do Hanley a bit more often and we are also trying to focus on campuses and universities, because we are looking at thinkers and we want to challenge them.
"We have also got a big thing coming up where we are going to challenge the democrats and open it up to a debate.
"If they want to take it up they can, but, if they do not, it will show that they are scared, or that we will get the better of them with our system."
The 24-year-old added: "They will not stop us unless they put us in prison, after making some more new laws, or unless we die.
"That is the only way we will stop."
Former Haywood High pupil Abu Saif, aged 18, from Cobridge, said: "We are going to carry on until the last breath, because we believe this is the truth."
However Steven Pritchard, chairman of Portland and Cobridge Residents' Association, said he would be watching them.
He told The Sentinel: "I don't like it. I don't like any religious extremism. I will be keeping a close eye on it."
But he added: "It has not really been an issue of concern in the last year or so." _________________ The Medium is the Massage - Marshall McLuhan.
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A CALL centre worker questioned by anti-terror police almost three years ago is among 12 suspects held by officers investigating a Christmas plot to blow up city centres.
Father-of-one Abu Bosher is one of four Stoke-on-Trent men being quizzed by counter-terrorism officers following raids in Shelton, Cobridge and Tunstall.
Eight more men were arrested following simultaneous dawn raids in Cardiff, Birmingham and London yesterday morning.
Britain's top counter terrorism officer described the arrests as "absolutely necessary" amid fears the suspects were planning an al-Qaida-style bomb attack.
Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner John Yates said: "The threats from terrorism to the UK remain real and serious. The threat level remains at severe, which means that an attack is highly likely. It is absolutely vital that we all remain vigilant."
Unarmed anti-terror police raided four homes in Grove Street, in Cobridge, as well as individual properties in North Road, Cobridge; Havelock Place, Shelton; and Persia Walk, Tunstall.
Three of the men were arrested in Stoke-on-Trent, with the fourth held at a friend's house in Birmingham. They are aged 19, 25, 26 and 26.
They are being held under the Terrorism Act 2000 on suspicion of the commission, cooperation and instigation of acts of terrorism and are being held at police stations across England. They are expected to be questioned over the next few days.
No firearms or explosives were found in the Stoke-on-Trent raids. Searches of the houses are expected to take days.
The North Road property had also been raided in July 2008 by anti-terror police.
The raids resulted in the questioning of a "small group" of Stoke-on-Trent men suspected of promoting extremist views and radicalising vulnerable people. But the men, including 25-year-old Mr Bosher, were released without charge 20 months after police dropped the £83,000 inquiry.
Police refused to confirm which addresses the dozen, at least five of whom are of Bangladeshi origin, had been arrested at.
Stoke-on-Trent Divisional Commander, Chief Superintendent Bernie O'Reilly, said: "We only act against individuals when there is reasonable suspicion they may be engaged in criminal acts."
Police swooped amid fears the group was increasing its activities after months of surveillance and monitoring by counter-terrorism officers and MI5.
Last night sources said police are on alert for al-Qaida-inspired Christmas attacks, possibly with suicide bombers.
Quote:
Assistant Commissioner John Yates:
"I believe the arrests were absolutely necessary in order to keep the public safe."
Quote:
Home Secretary Theresa May:
"We know we face a real and serious threat from terrorism and I would like to thank the police for working to keep our country safe."
Quote:
Assistant Commissioner John Yates:
"The threats from terrorism to the UK remain real and serious. The threat level remains at severe, which means that an attack is highly likely. It is absolutely vital that we all remain vigilant."
It's been highly likely since the threat level was raised on 22.1.2010
Why do you have to keep telling us that it is real ? _________________ The Medium is the Massage - Marshall McLuhan.
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The arrest of 12 men in four cities stopped a "significant" terror plot, the independent reviewer of counter-terrorism powers has said.
Lord Carlile told the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee that charges were "very possible" within days.
The suspects, aged between 17 and 28, were held by police in raids in London, Cardiff, Stoke-on-Trent and Birmingham.
They were detained on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism in the UK.
'Significant activity'
Lord Carlile told the committee: "The briefing I have had shows there to be allegations of a significant plot in the cities mentioned.
"The gestation period for the arrests has been long. I was aware of an operation some time ago which led to these arrests."
The five arrested in Cardiff are believed to be of Bangladeshi origin.
He continued: "On one occasion I was able to observe, literally observe, some of it occurring. I believe that it is very possible that people may well be charged and prosecuted.
"I happen to know the Crown Prosecution Service has been involved... for some time in this operation and I would expect significant activity over the next few days."
Security Minister Baroness Neville-Jones, giving evidence to the committee before Tuesday's meeting of the National Security Council, said the threat to the UK's security was "indefinite".
She said: "My understanding is the reason for the arrests relates to activity which was not really safe or wise for them to be permitted to proceed.
"It's very clear that these were important arrests and, as the police said yesterday, necessary for the safety of the nation, with which I think the security service undoubtedly agrees and we should take that at face value."
Searches made
Unarmed police swooped at about 0500 GMT on Monday over fears the group were ramping up their activities after months of surveillance and monitoring by counter-terrorism officers and colleagues at MI5.
At least five of the men - five from Cardiff, four from Stoke-on-Trent and three from London - are of Bangladeshi origin.
Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner John Yates said the arrests were 'absolutely necessary'
The operation was led by the West Midlands Police counter-terrorism unit, supported by Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorism Command, South Wales Police and Staffordshire Police.
Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner John Yates, national lead for counter-terrorism policing, said: "With the information we have, I believe arrests were absolutely necessary in order to keep the public safe."
West Midlands Police said in a statement: "All were arrested at or near their home addresses, with the exception of one suspect from Stoke who was at a domestic property in Birmingham.
"Searches are now being conducted at the home addresses, plus the address in Birmingham and another residence in London.
"The suspects will be held at police stations in central London, the North West and the West Midlands."
'Early stages'
Home Secretary Theresa May said she had been kept fully informed of the police operation, adding the UK faced "a real and serious threat from terrorism".
Three terraced houses, including two neighbouring properties, were searched in Grove Street in Cobridge, Stoke-on-Trent.
Police said four men, one aged 19, two aged 26 and one aged 25, were being questioned. One was arrested at a friend's house in Birmingham.
Officers confirmed to BBC Wales that arrests in Cardiff were at a house in Neville Street in the Riverside area and at a takeaway in the Ely area two miles away.
Police also arrested three men at their homes in central London, and it is understood they are being held at Paddington Green police station.
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said it was an MI5-led operation and the alleged plot was in "relatively early stages".
He said the police had up to 14 days to question the men before either charging them, releasing them or applying for more time.
There was always a balance to be struck between letting a plot develop, in order to build up enough evidence, and protecting the public, he added.
According to the Home Office:
* During 2009-10, 30% of terrorism arrests in England, Scotland and Wales resulted in individuals being charged
* Of these charges, 48% were for terrorism offences
* Over the same time period, 57% of those charged under terrorism legislation were convicted
Quote:
Which is a rather long winded and deceptive way of saying that out of every 100 folk arrested for terrorism offences only 8 were actually convicted of "terrorist" offences, which, no doubt include CD / DVD & document crimes. So, thats 92 out of 100 not convicted. Not a bad return on a multi billion pound annual budget.
* From 2006-10, only six people have been held for 28 days without being charged
BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw said counter-terrorism sources had described the operation as significant and it was related to an investigation into al-Qaeda-inspired terrorism.
"The suspects are believed to have been involved in a plot against targets in the UK," he said.
"This is not believed to have been a potential plot of a Mumbai-style attack, but a plot involving explosives or bombs."
Threat level
Our correspondent said the officers who arrested the men were unarmed, suggesting the police felt there was no serious threat against them.
The alleged plot was not linked to the recent suicide bombing in Sweden, he added.
Earlier this month, Iraq-born Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly blew himself up in the Swedish capital Stockholm.
He had been living in Luton and had been thrown out of one of the town's mosques in 2007 for advocating violence, but he had not been reported to the authorities.
In September, intelligence sources said they had uncovered the early stages of an al-Qaeda plot to carry out co-ordinated attacks in the UK, France and Germany.
It was thought militants were planning to copy the 2008 attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai, where 10 gunmen went on a three-day rampage, killing 166 people.
The UK's terror threat level of "severe", the second-highest rating, means a terrorist attack is highly likely.
:Ends:
You can watch the "review" [aka a cosy chat] of counter-terrorism at today's Home Affairs Select Committee here
Cue HASC Chairman, Keith Vaz forensically questioning the Baroness, by, erm, reading from the Guardian and our Security Minister replying by erm, not saying much at all.
Quote:
Lord Carlile:
The briefing I have had, in some detail yesterday, shows there to be allegations of a significant plot in the cities that were mentioned. The gestation of the arrests has been long, I was aware of an operation some time ago, which led to these arrests and indeed on one occasion I was able to observe remotely, literally observe, some of it occurring, some of the observations occurring.
I believe that it is very possible and I couldn't put it higher than that properly, as you will understand, that people may well be charged and prosecuted.
I happen to know that the Crown Prosecution Service have been involved and that the counter-terrorism group at the CPS, very well led by Sue Hemming, has been involved for some time in this operation and I expect significant activity over the next few days.
No doubt our razor sharp media will be questioning just how and why the "independent reviewer of terrorism legislation" gets to watch covert video in an ongoing criminal investigation, unless, of course, the esteemed Baron has a goat in his back garden ... _________________ The Medium is the Massage - Marshall McLuhan.
Last edited by Mark Gobell on Sun Dec 26, 2010 9:59 am; edited 4 times in total
Members of an alleged terrorist cell plotting to launch suicide attacks on Christmas shoppers and tourists in London were radicalised in jail, it has been claimed.
By Duncan Gardham, Peter Hutchison, John Bingham and Richard Savill 8:12PM GMT 21 Dec 2010
The alleged terrorist cell, based in Stoke-on-Trent, Cardiff and London is said to be linked to the banned extremist group al-Muhajiroun and its off-shoot Islam4UK.
Sources say the gang was planning a “spectacular” attack on commercial sites such as banks and shops along with “iconic” sites in London.
They were arrested after months of surveillance by MI5 as they prepared to launch their attacks in the week before Christmas, sources said.
The group of mainly British nationals of Bangladeshi origin, is said to have links with Anwar al-Awlaki, the radical al-Qaeda preacher based in Yemen.
It emerged yesterday that three men arrested were apparently radicalised while serving time in prison.
A neighbour in Cardiff said the three men were convicted of theft and drugs offences, and that they “went to prison as petty criminals and came out expressing extreme views.”
The man said he believed a "radical preacher" had "politicised" them during a stint in prison.
He said the men had grown long beards while in jail and later handed out leaflets at the Jalalia mosque encouraging people not to vote in this year's general election, saying it was "unmuslim".
Muslims leaders said they tipped off police about the group of extremists in the Welsh capital, where five men between the ages of 23 and 28 were arrested.
They said they had stopped the group from holding meetings in mosques in the last month and told them to "go elsewhere."
Mosque officials informed police but it is thought that MI5 was already aware of the group.
The group, comprising about 15 to 20 young radicalised men, is understood to have held a meeting at a community centre in Cardiff less than two weeks ago, addressed by Abu Izzadeen, a radical preacher recently released from jail.
Counter-terrorism officers are understood to have been aware of the event at the Cathays Community Centre attended by up to 30 people.
Constantly adopting new titles, the group has held events under the banner Islam4uk and Islamic Pathways among others.
Saleem Kidwai, secretary general of the Muslim Council for Wales, said: "The Muslim community is aware that there is a small group of people who have links to extremists and they have been brought to the attention of police.
"This is no shock, the shock will be when the details are released of what they were planning to do.
"There was a group of 15 boys that the community was aware of, they were going to have a meeting and they were rejected by all the mosques.
"If you do not conduct your affairs within the rules of the club then you are not allowed in.”
In Stoke-on-Trent the arrests included men using the pseudonyms Abu Saif, 19, Abu Bosher, 26, and Abu Sumayyah, 25, a convert, who were arrested in another operation two years ago.
They had protested in favour of Islam4UK which was planning a march through Wootton Bassett against British troops in Afghanistan.
Lord Carlile, the terrorism watchdog, said the arrests marked a "significant" terrorist plot and charges were likely within days.
He said he observed part of the surveillance operation on the suspects which had been conducted for a long time.
The 12 suspects, aged between 17 and 28, were held during early morning raids by unarmed officers in London, Cardiff, Stoke and Birmingham on Monday.
Baroness Neville-Jones, the Security Minister, told the same committee that the threat to the UK's security was "indefinite."
Speaking before a meeting of the National Security Council, she said: "I would say it was an indefinite duration, yes, and of course this country also faces a threat from Irish terrorists as well."
Al-Muhajiroun has been associated with members of the Operation Crevice fertiliser plot and a member of the group died in a suicide bombing in Israel.
Anjem Choudary, a former leader of al-Muhajiroun and Islam4UK, said: “I do a lot of activity and I have been to most of these towns. They say some of the people came to Islam4UK demos and it is possible but I don’t know for sure.
“People should be happy that they associated with us because we don’t believe they should attack this country, we just call for shariah [Islamic law]. Ours is a political and ideological struggle as opposed to a military one in this country.” _________________ The Medium is the Massage - Marshall McLuhan.
Cardiff Muslims condemn leaflet threatening believers who vote in the general election
Apr 7 2010 by Clare Hutchinson, South Wales Echo
Saleem Kidwai
MUSLIM leaders have condemned a leaflet being distributed in Cardiff, urging members of their community to boycott the upcoming general election.
The leaflet, which has been handed out outside mosques and Indian restaurants by a group calling itself The Path of Success, warns Muslims will “go to hellfire” if they vote in the May 6 election.
Saleem Kidwai, left, secretary of the Muslim Council of Wales, said the group was deliberately skewing Islamic teachings to fit its own agenda.
He said: “Sadly, as the election draws closer we will see more and more leaflets like this.
“The people who write them are naive. They have got no idea about what they are saying and they are doing a great amount of harm. When you speak to the scholars, they completely dismiss this idea that voting is prohibited.
“These are the people who just make controversial remarks to get publicity and, of course, they get it.”
The Muslim Council for Wales has now produced its own leaflet explaining why it is important for Muslims to register their vote. Mr Kidwai said: “It is part of our civic duty to take part in the civic process and to communicate our sentiments and feelings into a vote.
“We encourage people to take an active part in the political process.”
Shahab Uddin, the chairman of the Jalalia Mosque at Machen Place in Riverside, said the leaflet had “angered” the community and given Islam a “bad name”.
He said: “None of us is very happy about this. We don’t understand what they are looking for.
“If this was happening inside our mosque we could stop it but because it’s outside there’s nothing we can do.”
Five years ago our sister paper Wales on Sunday revealed how an extremist Muslim group based in Cardiff was urging members of the community to steer clear of that year’s general election.
It has been suggested the group, called Al-Ghurabaa, might have links with The Path of Success.
One prominent member of the Muslim community in Cardiff, who saw the leaflet but did not want to be named for fear of repercussions, said: “The people distributing these leaflets are kids.
“Someone has implanted this idea in their head and as a result of this they are distributing these leaflets.
“They are the kind of people who give religion a bad name and they have no place here.
“A lot of people are very angry about this and they don’t want these kind of leaflets being circulated in their community.”
No-one at The Path of Success was yesterday available for comment. _________________ The Medium is the Massage - Marshall McLuhan.
Talk starts at 1.30pm (Zuhr Salaah at 1pm)
SUNDAY 16th NOVEMBER 2008
Venue: Barry Mosque
332 Holton Rd
Barry
CF63 4HY
Facilities for Sisters
Cd’s, DVD’s and literature will be available
~~~~~PLEASE FORWARD & SHARE THE REWARD~~~~~
over a year ago
*
Abu JOIN CALL TO ISLAM AT:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=91986505042
over a year ago
*
Abu The contact number has been changed for the event, the new number is *********
over a year ago
Quote:
CALL TO ISLAM
Category:
Organizations - Religious Organizations
Description:
Call to Islam (submission)
A call to embrace Islam
Oh reader! Islam came to liberate mankind from the worship and obedience of the creation to the exclusive worship and obedience of the Creator (without intermediaries), it is a divine belief from which emanates a complete system of life (shari’ah), containing answers for everything you could possibly think of from tying your shoe laces to conquering the world!
In addition to that, it is not enough for you to simply affirm the existence of God, or His right of worship, rather you must declare and accept His final messenger Muhammad (saw) and the Deen of Al-Islam which abrogates all other religions that have passed or are to follow:
Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an, “The only Deen accepted by Allah is Al-Islam.” [EMQ 3:85] (read less)
Call to Islam (submission)
A call to embrace Islam
Oh reader! Islam came to liberate mankind from the worship and obedience of the creation to the exclusive worship and obedience of the Creator (without intermediaries), it is a divine belief from which emanates a complete system of life (shari’ah), containing answers for everything you could possibly think of from tying your shoe laces to conquering the world!
In addition to that, it is not enough for you to simply affirm the... (read more)
Privacy Type:
Open: All content is public.
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Email:
Location:
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Recent News
Needless to say Muhammad (peace be upon him) was and is not the final messenger, ect.
And that it's just a "Hadith" interpretation.
“The only Deen accepted by Allah is Al-Islam.” and the Deen of Al-Islam which abrogates all other religions that have passed or are to follow:[EMQ 3:85]"
Koran
3:84. Say: "We believe in God, and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the (twelve) Tribes, and in (the Books) given to Moses, Jesus, and the Prophets, from their Lord: we make no distinction between one and another among them, and to God do we bow our will."
3:85. If anyone desires a religion other than (submission to God's Will), never will it be accepted of him and in the Hereafter he will be in the ranks of those who have lost (all spiritual good).
As for the voting, That part is correct, we all here know it's a sham.
PS: please don't associate me with "shari’ah" I don't even know what it is fully. I’m Brit-ish and want “British Law” The (Berit) Covenant people’s Ish, Law. God’s demonstration people (not a master race, that we have become)
Compare that global media terrorism of co-ordinated, simultaneous bouts of nonsense-on-an-unimaginable-scale, with this latest episode.
During an ABC News interview on the day of the arrests here on 20.12, US Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, was literally lost for words, when asked the following question by Diane Sawyer :
Quote:
"First of all, London. How serious is it? Any implication that it was coming here?"
[That'll be, London, Cardiff, Birmingham and Stoke-on-Trent, Diane.]
James Clapper did not reply. In fact the only interpretation one can reasonably deduce from his rather nonplussed, silent non-reaction is:
Quote:
"WTF are you talking about ?".
The US Director of National Intelligence, clearly knew nothing of the, MI5 "intelligence led", major terrorist plot that was "busted" by our hugely professional and trustworthy and still, clearly over stretched and under funded "security services".
And why should he have known anything you may ask. Leaflets in the Potteries vs North Korea. Tough call.
One can imagine the headline that Foxnews missed:
Quote:
British cops determined to prosecute someone, having been made to look like complete idiots after wasting huge amounts of money and 20 months of unproductive police resources, trying to protect the taxpayer from leaflet non-crimes in Stoke-on-Trent.
All rather desperate stuff from Murdoch's desperate Foxnews here
The video of James Clapper's response is well worth a watch, for entertainment purposes if nothing else.
Squirming on an unimaginable scale begins at at 3.38:
Based on past precedents, one would imagine that a plot so "significant", that it warrants Assistant Commissioner John Yates' reassurance that it was both "real" and "was absolutely necessary in order to keep the public safe", would have been revealed to the terrorist overlords in the USA.
The fact that it wasn't revealed, leads one to conclude, at this stage, that it is more than likely an indication that "The Potteries Plot" is headed for the, by now, familiar mix of no charges, membership & incitement charges via embedded MI5 pseudo terrorist entrapment artistes, for being in possession of some dodgy CDs / DVDs / leaflets and assorted "terroristically useful" documents along with incriminating dialogue from "Cable-esque" covert recordings.
And who would bet against it being used to justify the pressing need to retain 28 day pre-charge detention?
During the course of "The Potteries Plot", those now arrested, were subject to the "remote viewing" powers of the, overly smug and caprid Control Order obsessive, Lord Carlile of Berriew.
[Theresa May: Time for a "watchdog" change methinks - 9 years on the job is way too long - he is, after all, showing signs of radicalisation, due to his habit of watching "real time", covert "terrorism plot porn", an interest that conflicts with and clearly compromises any "independence" he is supposed to have.]
One would have to be completely ignorant of the modus operandi not to question the historic, symbiotic relationship between the British state and the various flavours of radical Islam, including Mr Fostock's al-Muhajiroun and it's most recent incarnations headed up by Anjem "teflon" Choudary.
_________________ The Medium is the Massage - Marshall McLuhan.
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Police have met Muslims at a Cardiff mosque to discuss the arrests of five men in the city suspected of terrorism offences.
Properties across Cardiff have been searched by officers after dawn raids on Monday, when 12 arrests were made in total across the UK.
There was disquiet among some of those at the mosque about the arrests.
But the Muslim Council of Wales said the police visit was "reassuring" to the community.
Of the 12 men were arrested during the anti-terrorist operation, four others were from Stoke-on-Trent and three from London.
They were detained on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism in the UK.
Police met community leaders at the Jalalia Mosque and Islamic Education Centre in Riverside, Cardiff, on Friday.
Reassurance
Saleem Kidwai, of the Muslim Council of Wales, welcomed the visit, and said: "The chief inspector came in the mosque and talked to the community just to reassure them that we are all in this together and we have to deal with this together," he said.
Some members of the Muslim community said they were concerned about the arrests.
One, who did not wish to be named, said: "Of course we're concerned about the arrests.
"Tomorrow it could be my door being kicked down, or any other Muslim's door being kicked down, without no-one even defending them or speaking up for them.
"It's our duty really as Muslims to defend and speak up for the truth.
'Continued patience'
Earlier this week, South Wales Police asked for the patience of all communities in Cardiff.
Assistant chief constable Matt Jukes said on Tuesday: "I am grateful to all communities in Cardiff for their continued patience and assistance as addresses continue to be searched by specialist officers.
"We anticipate those searches will take some time to complete.
"Public safety remains the priority for police and we continue to engage with all communities and businesses to provide reassurance and advice.
"I would encourage the public to carry on with their daily lives.
"However, it should be remembered that the current threat level in the UK remains at 'severe', meaning an attack is highly likely, so people are asked to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious to the police." _________________ The Medium is the Massage - Marshall McLuhan.
Detention of individuals arrested on suspicion of involvement in terrorism is governed by TA 2000, Sch 8, as amended by the Terrorism Act 2006 (TA 2006), ss 23-25.
In considering the question of detention beyond two days, the court must ask itself two questions:
* are there reasonable grounds for believing that further detention is necessary to preserve relevant evidence-this includes "pending the result of an examination or analysis of any relevant evidence"; and
* is the investigation being conducted diligently and expeditiously.
Quote:
There is at no stage in the whole process a requirement for the police to demonstrate to the suspect's representative or the court that there is sufficient evidence to justify the decision to arrest and detain. All that the court is required to be satisfied of is that the police are awaiting the result of an examination or analysis of any relevant evidence, and that the investigation is being conducted diligently and expeditiously. This can, in most cases, be established even where the detainee is manifestly innocent.
In this case, police were granted a 5 day extension to the standard 2 days on 21.12 (7 days) [police application to a District Judge at a Magistrate Court]
So, by 5 AM'ish on 27.12 they must either release or charge or have been granted a further 7 day extension. (14 days) [police application to a very disgruntled District Judge who's had his Boxing Day disrupted, at a Magistrate Court]
Two further periods of 7 days can be applied for thereafter. (28 days) [CPS application to the High Court]
Quote:
In the early hours of the morning on 10 August 2006, police officers burst into the home P shared with his wife and newborn baby, arrested him on suspicion of involvement in terrorism and transported him to Paddington Green Police Station. When P's assets were frozen, his name, like most of the other suspects, was released by the Treasury and widely reported. He was kept in virtual solitary confinement at one of highest security police stations in the UK for 14 days during which time not a shred of evidence implicating him in the aircraft liquid bomb plot or any other terrorism was disclosed to him. At the end of all this, he was released with no explanation, apology or promise that it would not happen to him again.
And they wanted to increase this to 90 days on 9.11 (2005).
Quote:
There is a real danger that the longest periods of pre-charge detention will be used for those people against whom there is the least evidence.
The 28 day pre-charge detention provision has to reviewed annually.
On 24 June 2010, the latest incarnation of the UK government announced it's plan to extend the 28 day provision for a further six months only, not the usual 12 months, due to their planned review of terrorism legislation announced on 13.7.2010
After 25 January 2011, unless it is further extended, the limit for pre-charge detention will revert back to 14 days. _________________ The Medium is the Massage - Marshall McLuhan.
Last edited by Mark Gobell on Sun Dec 26, 2010 2:50 pm; edited 6 times in total
Last Monday, 12 men were also arrested in Britain in the largest counterterrorism raid there in nearly two years. The men - whose ages range from 17 to 28 - were arrested in London, Cardiff, Stoke-on-Trent and Birmingham. At least five were of Bangladeshi origin.
Security officials said a large-scale terror attack was aimed at British landmarks and public spaces. Lord Carlile, the government's independent watchdog for terror, said the alleged plot appeared significant and involved several British cities, but he did not identify the targets.
Police removed computers from the suspects' homes. They have up to 28 days to either charge the men or release them.
Possible targets that were scouted include the Houses of Parliament in London and shopping areas around the U.K., according to a security official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing.
...
_________________ The Medium is the Massage - Marshall McLuhan.
The operation is being led by Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Osborne, the Senior National Co-ordinator Terrorist Investigations. [Replacement for Bob. "Quick get me to the Church on time"]
Police were tipped off that at least 15 young radicals were banned from meeting in Cardiff mosques for preaching hate.
Saleem Kidwai, secretary general of the Muslim Council for Wales, said: “The Muslim community is aware that there is a small group of people who have links to extremists and they have been brought to the attention of police.”
Mr Kidwai added: “Their views are extremist views and are not in line with the teaching and beliefs of Islam.”
No call is a waste of time - National counter-terrorism campaign
'No call is a waste of time', that is the key message of a national counter-terrorism campaign launched across the UK on Monday 8 March 2010.
The public are being encouraged to pick up the phone and report any activity or behaviour which is suspicious or out of the ordinary to the confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321.
The annual campaign will run for a month on national and regional radio, in national and regional press and in a range of magazines.
The advert includes a picture of what appears to be a normal neighbourhood garage brimming with bottles of chemicals and boxes. It asks the reader to consider what they see and questions whether the garage is being used by a handyman, a pest controller - or whether it is being used as storage by a bomb maker.
In addition to the adverts, leaflets are being delivered to around four million homes across the country. The leaflet contains the same garage images and also includes a list of suspicious activities that residents should keep an eye out for.
... and take care to note the subliminal sleight of hand, like the Crevicious "fertiliser" and "plot" in the same sentence combined with the image of a lock-up and especially the conflated catch phrase:
"A-terr-rest-plot-may-have-been-discovered."
Which, if you think about it is a self defeating, or at least revelatory choice of slogan given that the "terr-rest" homophone is constructed from the words "terraced" and "rest" [listen to the ad].
It is only after those syllables have been mangled for the requisite 28 days, with no grammatical oversight whatsoever, that they can be joined together into a sound bite that simply sounds like the word "terrorist".
Not that any of the alert citizens in the advert actually said the word "terrorist" - it was just made up, out of thin air, with no evidential basis whatsoever.
Thereby explicitly confirming that, from the juxtaposition of a few unconnected components, the notion of a "terrorist" can be conjured up from virtually anything.
An interesting choice of campaign strategy ne c'est pas ?
As a campaign, it's not big and it's not clever and probably not very effective, although in fairness, it does provide an insight into the mindset of it's sponsors. The overstretched and underfunded MPS Counter Terrorism Command signed it off and embarked on an pre-planned, coordinated, simultaneous and unprecedented mass leafleting operation on an unimaginable scale. So, one assumes that it appealed to them. Somehow.
In reality, it's just rubbish and based on a deception on an unimaginable scale.
I telephoned Liberty to complain on a massive scale, and spoke to someone whose name I didn't quite catch, but which sounded a lot like Sham E Feckyaliberty, who said that she was too busy practicing being indignant to discuss individual cases and in any case, she lives in a semi, so couldn't possibly comment.
91.1% of respondents to a Moribund Poll of a million ordinary citizens, when asked about the effectiveness of the police response to reporting crimes by telephone said:
"No. A call is waste of time."
7.7% said that the police response was just a recorded message, which said "you're just scared of crime" and then hung up.
The remaining 0.2% said that they had links to Al Qaeda, so there was little point in ringing the police about anything.
That campaign had an instant impact, radicalising the ordinary shopper from their slumber as this comment clearly illustrates:
hampton wrote:
i for one will be rugby tackling anyone acting suspiciously in the frozen veg section
Which, in turn, reminded me of this masterpiece:
Quote:
The Al Qaeda Song
We got Al Qaeda in the supermarket
Buying flour for explosive bread
Al Qaeda when we shop
Al Qaeda 'til we drop
Al Qaeda everywhere we tread
We got Al Qaeda doctors in hospitals
Hippocratically save us from death
Al Qaeda GPs
Al Qaeda if you're weak
Al Qaeda in the NHS
We got Al Qaeda in our institutions
Hearing every word that is said
Al Qaeda police
Al Qaeda for peace
Al Qaeda in our terrorised heads
We got Al Qaeda in our homes and houses
Destroying all that we hold sacred
Al Qaeda in your life
Al Qaeda is your wife
Al Qaeda hiding under your stairs
We got Al Qaeda on our summer holidays
Scaring some of us half to death
Al Qaeda in the night
Al Qaeda in flight
Al Qaeda hidden under our beds
We got Al Qaeda taking all of our liberties
Helping all of us to stay free
Al Qaeda MPs
Al Qaeda TV
Al Qaeda in our free and fair press
We got Al Qaeda in our children's classes
Giving lessons in how to be scared
Al Qaeda in our lives
Al Qaeda in our lies
Al Qaeda 'til we're better off dead
We are Al Qaeda on our demonstrations
We are Al Qaeda when we choose to protest
We are Al Qaeda when we're taking photographs
We are Al Qaeda when we're under arrest
We are Al Qaeda if we're not in uniform
We are Al Qaeda when we are oppressed
We are Al Qaeda if we live in tyranny
We are Al Qaeda when we're tortured to death
We are Al Qaeda if we don't feel terrorised
We are Al Qaeda when we just ain't scared
We are Al Qaeda if we see through all their lies
We are Al Qaeda that just doesn't exist
Al Qaeda in the night
Al Qaeda in flight
Al Qaeda in our terrorised heads
Al Qaeda on the left
Al Qaeda on the right
Al Qaeda 'til we're better off dead.
_________________ The Medium is the Massage - Marshall McLuhan.
WALES has been complacent about the threat of terrorism for far too long.
That’s the explosive claim of a leading security expert after a week in which five Cardiff-based terror suspects aged between 23 and 28 were arrested in the city.
The plotters were among 12 men, said to be from the Bangladeshi community, picked up by anti-terror cops in dawn raids in the Welsh capital, London, Stoke and Birmingham.
The community in Cardiff expressed shock, with one local councillor saying: “Cardiff is not one of those places you would expect this.”
“True, during the IRA period they deliberately avoided targeting Celtic nations. In terms of Islamic threat, there are a hell of a lot of Muslims living in South Wales. There is a complacency I think.
“We have prestige with the Millennium Stadium, Welsh government and Cardiff University is a big University. The idea that we are somehow immune like we were in the Irish period is not true.”
Cardiff-born Prof Moorcraft has previously lived with Jihadists in Afghanistan, and he grew up in Ely and lived in Riverside
– two areas of Cardiff where this week’s arrests were made.
He said most radicalism was bred in Welsh prisons and university societies and that the UK government “hadn’t touched the issue”.
“Universities and jails are the main centres for radicalisation,” he said.
“It is a wake-up call. We hope MI5 have acted early enough to stop it and have enough evidence. It doesn’t mean there won’t be an attack. We assume MI5 is aware of everything. They are not. We just have to do the sums. It takes 50 people in three shifts to properly monitor one individual. Although MI5 has doubled in size, it is very small to monitor all potential threats.”
The discovery of this week’s alleged plan to wreak terror comes after major cuts to the country’s counter terrorism resources earlier this year.
At the time, Monmouth MP and Chairman of the Home Affairs Sub-Committee David Davies said he was aware there were “plenty of characters” who were being monitored by WECTU.
He said: “Any cuts to their funding would be of grave concern. Preventing terrorism has to be the most important job of policing.”
But the Assembly Government said it had put “well-established arrangements” in place across a network of security agencies.
A spokesman said: “Whilst security and counter-terrorism issues are non-devolved and therefore a matter for the UK government, we totally refute the suggestion that Wales has ‘taken its eye off terrorism’.”
“We have well-established arrangements in place involving the Assembly Government, police, security services, local authorities, faith communities and others, which constantly monitor and confront terrorist threats.”
The spokesman also refuted the suggestion Welsh citizens of Muslim faith should be regarded as a threat.
“We have a long tradition of tolerance and mutual respect, and we regret inflammatory comments that could potentially disturb the harmony of our communities.”
South Wales Police also rejected the allegations.
Assistant Chief Constable Matt Jukes said: “The Welsh Extremism and Counter Terrorism Unit – WECTU, is highly regarded across the police and security service nationally and its officers have been involved in the operation unfolding in Cardiff this week. I am hugely proud of the work they have done.
“If we were not focused on terrorism issues, as Mr Moorcraft suggests, we simply would not have seen the professional and prompt response from South Wales Police to support this week’s national counter terrorism operation.
“The operation has used significant resources from the country’s CT policing network and officers from WECTU and South Wales police have played their part locally.
“In Wales, we are fortunate to have the support of local communities and powerful partnerships to enable our law enforcement activity to be focused and proportionate”.
Police met Muslims and their community leaders at the Jalalia Mosque and Islamic Education Centre in Riverside, Cardiff, on Christmas Eve to discuss the arrests of the five Cardiff suspects.
The meeting was not open to the public but the Muslim Council of Wales said the police visit had been “reassuring” to the community.
Saleem Kidwai, of the Muslim Council of Wales, welcomed the visit, and said: “The chief inspector came in the mosque and talked to the community just to reassure them that we are all in this together and we have to deal with this together,” he said.
Some members of the Muslim community said they were concerned about the arrests.
Next up, Osama Bin Laden on why the Welsh just don't get it. _________________ The Medium is the Massage - Marshall McLuhan.
Last edited by Mark Gobell on Sun Dec 26, 2010 7:22 pm; edited 8 times in total
However, a “secretive police force”, under the control of the publicly unaccountable Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), is precisely the type of role that NETCU, WECTU and NPOIU are beginning to adopt in Britain today.
NETCU is not a public body or a formal police service – it's a private organisation that (like WECTU and NPOIU) is a functional subsidiary of ACPO. As a private company ACPO is not subject to a defined system of legislative oversight like that usually applied to organisations discharging public functions on behalf of the Government. The “secretive” role of NETCU was demonstrated by the event that brought it to the attention of the wider public – the fiasco that followed the off-the-record briefing by a NETCU “senior source” to The Observer newspaper. The problem with this off-the-record briefing, for The Observer at least, was that there was absolutely no evidence to back up the claims of environmental extremism made in the article.
WECTU is the Welsh equivalent to NETCU, and it liaises between police forces and the Welsh Assembly Government. The anti-protester bias in WECTU was illustrated in April 2009. In the Dyfed-Powys police authority's 'local policing summary', sent to all council tax payers in Carmarthenshire, under the title of combating “domestic extremism” a very similar picture to NETCU's statements was made – one of the threats it talked of was “campaigners”.
...
George Monbiot, an environmental extremist from mid Wales who thinks 19 Arabs pulled off 9/11, writes:
Quote:
...
The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) now runs three units whose purpose is to tackle another phenomenon it has never defined: domestic extremism. These are the National Extremism Tactical Coordination Unit (Netcu), the Welsh Extremism and Counter-Terrorism Unit and the National Public Order Intelligence Unit. Because Acpo is not a public body but a private limited company, the three bodies are exempt from freedom of information laws and other kinds of public accountability, even though they are funded by the Home Office and deploy police officers from regional forces. So it's hard to work out exactly what they do, apart from libelling peaceful protesters.
...
_________________ The Medium is the Massage - Marshall McLuhan.
Last edited by Mark Gobell on Sun Dec 26, 2010 7:33 pm; edited 3 times in total
FUNDING cuts to North Wales’ counter-terrorism operations have met with concern from a police watchdog.
Police Authorities of Wales (PAW) wants the Wales Extremism and Counter Terrorism Unit (WECTU) to keep 18 specialist officers currently facing redeployment, including 11 from this region.
A PAW spokeswoman claimed reassigning the officers will have a “significant impact” on the nation’s security and put high-profiles events – notably this autumn’s Ryder Cup at the Celtic Manor Resort, Newport – at risk.
With, according to PAW, the Wylfa power plant on Anglesey and Prince William’s deployment to RAF Valley vulnerable targets, Maria Chapman said: “The loss of funding will have a significant impact on the ability of the forces to protect the west coast ports, and for WECTU to protect UK national security.”
Formed in 2008, WECTU’s remit is to respond to threats posed by international terrorism, and the National policing plan 2008-2011 states: “There is every possibility that an attack could occur in Wales without warning or early intelligence.”
Despite this, Wales’ chief anti-terrorism officer Andrew Edwards has told PAW of the intention to withdraw the 18 designated security posts over the next two years, with North Wales Police losing five anti-terrorism officers this year and six next year.
All 18 seconded officers are returning to their own bases to aid regular policing.
Ms Chapman added a decrease in funding for specific policing areas may be “detrimental to our collective efforts”.
She said: “A letter was sent on March 30 to David Hanson MP, the Minister for Policing, expressing our concerns regarding the allocation of Counter Terrorism Specific Grant Funding for Dedicated Security Posts for 2010-2012. This matter will also be brought to the attention of the Welsh Assembly Government and Minister for Social Justice and Local Government, Carl Sargeant AM.”
A spokeswoman for the Welsh Assembly Government said the matter would be addressed shortly: “Police authorities in Wales have not yet raised the matter with the Social Justice Minister but it is on the agenda for their next meeting with him.”
With an annual budget of around £3.5m, WECTU deploys officers from across Wales to high-profile spots most likely to suffer a terrorist attack and works in the community to steer vulnerable people away from extremist influences.
Nobody from North Wales Police was available for comment yesterday.
Quote:
The ACPO Cokey - sung at Lodges throughout Christendom.
The ACPO Cokey
You put your ACPO in
Your WECTU out
ACPO, WECTU and you shake em all about
You get a few Jihadists
And you turn em round
And that what it's all about
Oh the ACPO Cokey
Oh the ACPO Cokey
Oh the ACPO Cokey
We're bent, you're fecked, la la la ...
_________________ The Medium is the Massage - Marshall McLuhan.
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