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| Europe | |
| Germans, Brits behind Europe terror plot: official | |
| 2010-10-01 | |
| [Dawn] Eight Germans and two British brothers are at the heart of an al-Qaeda-linked terror plot against European cities, but the plan is still in its early stages, with the suspects calling acquaintances in Europe to plan logistics, a Pak intelligence official said Thursday. One of the Britons died in a recent CIA missile strike, he said. Anybody want to bet the deader's name wasn't "Clive" or "Percy"? The revelations underscore the role of Pakistain as a haven for many would-be hard boyz with foreign ties, a worrying prospect for Western countries who face additional challenges when tracking terror suspects among citizens who have passports and easier access to their shores. Pakistain, Britain and Germany are tracking the suspects and intercepting their phone calls, the official told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named. He said the suspects are hiding in North Wazoo, a Pak tribal region where militancy is rife and where the US has focused many of its drone-fired missile strikes. ''They have been making calls to Germany and London,'' the official said. ''They have been talking about and looking for controllers and logistics they need there to carry out terror strikes.'' Western security officials said Wednesday that a terror plot to wage Mumbai-style shooting sprees or other attacks in Britain, France and Germany was still active. Both European and US officials said the plot was still in its early stages and not considered serious enough to raise the terror threat level. Still, the Eiffel Tower in Paris was briefly evacuated Tuesday - the second time in two weeks because of an unspecified threat - and there was a heavy police presence around Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square and Big Ben. Although he characterised the plot as immature, the Pak official warned against underestimating the suspects, whom he said have backing from al-Qaeda, the Pak Taliban and the Afghan Taliban, all groups that are separate yet interconnected. ''It does not mean that they are not capable of materialisng their designs,'' the official said. ''They are very much working on it.'' The official spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information to the media. He is part of an intelligence team that has been tracking the two British brothers of Pak origin for nearly a year and the Germans for more than six months. The US has dramatically stepped up its missile attacks in North Wazoo, and is believed to have launched at least 21 this month. The official said a Sept. 8 strike killed one of the Britons, whom he identified as Abdul Jabbar, originally from Pakistain's Jhelum district. Jabbar was believed to be less than 30 years old. Toldja so... In Brussels on Thursday, Europol director Robert Wainwright said a drop in terror attacks in Europe - coupled with intelligence that had thwarted major plots in the past - masked an ongoing threat. ''There has been a significant decline in the number of terrorist attacks in Europe - certainly committed by Islamist groups - that hides the reality that these groups are still active,'' Wainwright told AP. A German intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak with the media, said Germany regularly tracks suspected beturbanned goons leaving the country to go to train in Pakistain or Afghanistan, but cannot do anything to prevent them from leaving the country. When they return, however, German laws enacted since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States now allow authorities to charge people for having trained in such camps. In August, for example, a 25-year-old German citizen identified only as Rami M. was extradited from Pakistain and charged with membership in a terrorist organisation. According to prosecutors at the time, he left Germany in March 2009 to join a terrorist training camp in Pakistain, where he learned how to handle ''weapons and explosives,'' prosecutors said when he was charged. He then joined the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan's fighting in the region, the prosecutors said. The group is suspected of terror attacks mostly targeting Pak security forces or Nato's international troops in Afghanistan, prosecutors said. French authorities, meanwhile, have received indications from allied intelligence services about the possibility of attacks, but no plot outright, a high-ranking French security official said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. A recent spate of anonymous, phoned-in bomb threats in Paris - including on the Eiffel Tower - didn't appear to have the ''signature'' of al-Qaeda, the official said, noting the terror network hasn't typically tipped off authorities to attacks in advance.
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| Posted by:Fred |
| #8 If the Brits really want to fill some Muzzie shorts, they should build a British Longbow Re-enactment Society, and begin practicing with the English yew longbow. It's not quite as effective as a firearm, but can prove quite deadly when used accurately. It's also VERY quiet, and you can probably still get in a second shot if the first misses. There aren't enough muslims in England to stand up to 3-4000 properly-armed, properly-trained British Yoemen. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2010-10-01 20:31 |
| #7 Then a little Kipling a little bitching and off we'll go into the dream zone of Paki Bashing. |
| Posted by: Goldies Every Damn Where 2010-10-01 20:19 |
| #6 I'll catch a flight to Lakenheath and be over to help. Ring you up from the R&C in Oundel. First pint is on me. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-10-01 14:27 |
| #5 I do not think that we would bother the RSA or Zimbabwe. I reckon we should call on the good old USA, as they are now experiencing the same problems with Muslims, that we have in the UK and Europe. |
| Posted by: Dave UK 2010-10-01 13:52 |
| #4 Well if the shooting starts in Old Albion, don't bother calling for reinforcement from General Solly Shoke or Minister Mnangagwa. Those bridges are unfortunately down. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-10-01 11:04 |
| #3 Glenmore, I see your point, however the average indigenous Brit does not think of these people as being British. What to do about it, well that is a very difficult game, as they are able to use EU Human Rights Laws against the host country, a very sorry state of affairs indeed. |
| Posted by: Dave UK 2010-10-01 10:54 |
| #2 Unfortunately, DaveUK, it seems they're being called that by the average native Brit. Like any group, these 'new' Brits will keep advancing until someone stops them. Ask the Native Americans how it works out if you don't stop them. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2010-10-01 10:37 |
| #1 I feel nothing but disgust when these Muslim scummers are called British. |
| Posted by: Dave UK 2010-10-01 05:59 |