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UK Terror Investigations - News Roundup - July 7

By Jeffrey Imm

July 7 news roundup of UK terror plot investigation activities and related news:

-- London Remembers July 7, 2005 Bomb Attacks. Sky News reports: "The second anniversary of the July 7 London bombings will be marked today by survivors and victims' relatives. Four suicide bombers killed 52 commuters and injured hundreds more in 2005. Hundreds were expected to gather at Kings Cross station shortly before 9am, when the first bomb exploded." DPA reports an analysis that states "Britain remains top terror target two years after July 7 attacks".

-- Dr. Bilal Abdulla Appears in Court. Per CNN, Dr. Bilal Abdulla appeared in court Saturday on charges linked to the failed car bomb plots in London and Glasgow. His next court appearance was set for July 27. His lawyers did not ask for bail. The charge against Dr. Abdulla specifies that the conspiracy began around the first of January 2007 and concluded at the start of this month, accused Abdulla of conspiring "with others to cause explosions of a nature likely to endanger life or cause serious injury to property in the United Kingdom."

-- Daily Mail Report: MI5 says Jihadists working for police. The Daily Mail and the Evening Standard report that UK's MI5 has drawn up a dossier on alleged Islamist extremists working for the police: "Up to eight police officers and civilian staff are suspected of links to extremist groups including Al Qaeda. Some are even believed to have attended terror training camps in Pakistan or Afghanistan. Their names feature on a secret list of alleged radicals said to be working in the Metropolitan and other forces." The papers go on to state that the alleged MI5 dossier was drawn up "amid fears that individuals linked to Islamic extremism are taking advantage of police attempts to increase the proportion of ethnic staff", but that UK police cannot dismiss them as information is based on classified intelligence. The papers also state "one suspected jihadist officer working in the South East has been allowed to keep his job despite being caught circulating Internet images of beheadings and roadside bombings in Iraq. He is said to have argued that he was trying to 'enhance' debate about the war." Sky News is also now reporting this story.

In addition, the Daily Mail article references past news on attempted infiltration of UK public services organizations: "It is widely feared that 'long-term' Al Qaeda sleepers are trying to infiltrate other public sector organisations in the UK. In November last year, it was revealed that a leading member of an extremist Islamic group was working as a senior official at the Home Office. MI5 has warned in the past that suspects with "strong links" to Osama Bin Laden's killers have tried to join the British security services and, in January, exiled radical Omar Bakri claimed that Islamic extremists were infiltrating the police and other public sector organisations."

-- Indian police: E-mails, internet chats of terror suspects probed. The Times of India reports that the "police team probing the Bangalore link of the UK terror plot has begun scrutinising the e-mails, internet chats and other communication modes of three suspects- Sabeel, Kafeel and Mohammed Haneef."

-- Australia: Dr. Haneef talked of car bombs; Iran involvement?. Daily Mail reports that Indian doctor Dr. Mohammed Haneef held "discussion on car bombings with other suspects. Investigators in Australia disclosed that the conversation was monitored during anti-terror operations and passed on to the Security Services." In the same report, the Daily Mail states that " 'significant' links between the bomb plot, the terror cell and Iran are being investigated after intelligence was uncovered indicating a 'Tehran involvement'."

-- Australia: Dr. Haneef questioning continues, five other Indian doctors released. Times of India reports today that Dr. Haneef is still in custody and being questioned, and it separately reports that five other Indian doctors in Australia have been released. The Australian has a different story titled "Six doctors questioned as terror net widens".

-- Australia: Hizb-ut-Tahrir faces ban. The Australian reports today that "Attorney-General Philip Ruddock will ask security agencies to reinvestigate the radical Muslim group Hizb ut-Tahrir after revelations that the British men arrested over the foiled car bomb plot were closely linked to members of the group in London." Hizb-ut-Tahrir is legal in UK and Australia.

-- UK Counterterror Analysts Surprised by Doctor Jihadists. Both the Daily Telegraph and the London Times are running articles about the suprise to British counterterrorism analysts that Jihadists are not uneducated and poor. The Daily Telegraph has an article "The textbook terrorists" and the London Times has an article "The unexpected profile of the modern terrorist: 26, from a caring family, married, with children, graduate". Daily Telegraph reports: "'The one overwhelming thing was that [these attacks] defied all of our assumptions,' Peter Neumann, the director of the Centre for Defence Studies at King's College, London. But the backgrounds of the alleged terrorists come as no surprise to Ed Husain, a former member of the extremist Hizb ut-Tahir organisation." Husain tells the Daily Telegraph: "Al-Qa'eda is filled with people who are graduates from medical and engineering colleges. They regard scripture like a textbook, manual or medical handbook. In their minds, there is no room for any humanity based nuance or even alternative arguments. They have the arrogance of their advanced education, consider themselves to be above the rest, and to be absolutely right."

-- Terror Suspect told family "the time has come now". Daily Telegraph reports on Dr. Kafeel Ahmed advising his family hours before Glasgow attack that "the time has come now", and also reports on social network Internet site called Orkut where a bombing suspect placed " a series of messages had been left in the run-up to the attack by a user calling himself 'mujahid' [holy warrior]."

-- Britons find comedy in Jihadist terror attacks. London Times and ABC News both did stories on how some Britons found comedy and humor in the failed Jihadist terror attacks. London Times reports that "Paul Stokes, the Mash’s co-editor, said: 'It helps that nobody died in the attack'".

Sources:

Sky News: London Remembers July 7 Bomb Attacks

DPA: Analysis: Britain remains top terror target two years after July 7 attacks

CNN: Suspect charged in UK bomb attempts

Daily Mail: Eight Al Qaeda fanatics working for the police (but they don't dare sack them)

Evening Standard: Eight Al Qaeda fanatics working for the police (but they don't dare sack them)

Sky News: Al Qaeda Extremists 'Working In Police'

Times of India: E-mails, internet chats of terror suspects probed

Daily Mail: Terror-case doctor talked of car bombs

Times of India: Five Indian doctors released, Haneef not charged yet

Times of India: Haneef continues to be quizzed; remains in custody in Aus

The Australian: Six doctors questioned as terror net widens

The Australian: Radical group faces ban

Daily Telegraph: The textbook terrorists

London Times: "The unexpected profile of the modern terrorist: 26, from a caring family, married, with children, graduate"

Daily Telegraph: Terror suspect told family 'time had come'

London Times: Airport hit by suicide bombers? You’ve got to laugh...

ABC News: Chin Up: British Papers Poke Fun at Terror