UK Terror Investigations - News Roundup - July 5

By Jeffrey Imm

July 5 news roundup of UK terror plot investigation activities and related news:

-- 45 Muslim doctors planned US terror raids. Daily Telegraph reports that "45 Muslim doctors threatened to use car bombs and rocket grenades in terrorist attacks in the United States during discussions on an extremist internet chat site". Police found details of discussion on the British Jihadist web site run by Younis Tsouli ("Terrorist 007"). Jihadists stated "We are 45 doctors and we are determined to undertake jihad and take the battle inside America.The first target which will be penetrated by nine brothers is the naval base which gives shelter to the ship Kennedy." Telegraph believes that is refers to the USS John F Kennedy, which is often at Mayport Naval Base in Jacksonville, Florida. Daily Telegraph states that the Jihadists also referred to using six Chevrolet GT vehicles and three fishing boats and blowing up petrol tanks with rocket propelled grenades. This would support Sky News report on July 4 of British Anglican cleric Canon Andrew White who has said of an April discussion with Al-Qaeda representative where "[h]e told me that they were going to start killing in the UK then the USA".

-- UK Court Gives 24 Years in Prison to 3 British Internet Jihadists. Per Reuters, police said that three Islamist cyber-terrorists were sentenced to a total of 24 years in prison: Younes Tsouli (10 years), Waseem Mughal (7 1/2 years), and Tariq al-Daour (6 1/2 years). "Tsouli, the suspected ringleader, used the online identity 'irhabi007' -- the Arabic word for terrorist, followed by the code number of the fictional British spy James Bond. He was responsible for setting up an Internet chat room forum used by al Qaeda supporters from which explosives and weapons manuals could be downloaded." The Washington Post reports a related link in "Terrorism's Hook Into Your Inbox", where it shows a link between online fraud and jihadist networks, specifically how eBay Internet fraud was sold on the Internet black market by British Jihadist Tariq al-Daour (convicted for 6 1/2 years in this case). UK television has a video report on such cyber-terrorism.

-- Jihad tapes targeted UK professionals for more than a decade. BBC reports today that "Videos have tried to attract doctors, lawyers and scientists into Islamic extremism for more than a decade". BBC indicates that these videos include a 1999 film with "a man claiming to be a third-year medical student in Birmingham", and that such Jihadist recruitment videos included appearances by Al-Qaeda's Dr. Ayman Al Zawahiri.

-- Asylum-seeker convicted for terror training materials and money-laundering. AP reports that Omar Altimimi was convicted "Thursday of possessing terrorist training manuals, including instructions on using gas canisters to make car bombs". Guardian states that "[f]iles on Altimimi's computer contained detailed information on how to set up terror cells in the UK, ways to make explosives, and instructions on how car bombs could be detonated at the entrances to buildings via remote control." Prosecutors believe that Altimimi was linked to the Dhiren Barot British Jihadist group through connections with convicted terrorist Junade Ferouze. Reuters also reports that Manchester police called Altimimi a sleeper agent, and was likely planning to attack nightclubs and airports.

-- Mohammed Asha - Ringleader 'Al-Qaeda sleeper'. Courier Mail reported that suspected terrorist ringleader Dr. Mohammed Asha "was a "sleeper" sent to Britain to await orders from Al-Qaeda", according to British security sources. "There are genuine concerns that the cell which was broken up in the past few days was not a one-off and that there are others out there plotting mass murder," a British security source said yesterday."The worrying truth is, we don't know how many are out there."

-- Profiles of individual terror suspects: Daily Mail provides individual profiles on: Dr. Mohammed Haneef, Dr. Mohammed Asha, and Dr. Bilal Abdulla.

-- Ties between terrorists. Daily Telegraph reports that 3 of the terrorists "are members of the same family from the Indian city of Bangalore, while the families of another two were old friends in the Middle East. Several shared homes in Britain. All but one were doctors working in NHS hospitals. What unites them all is their chosen profession, medicine." Telegraph also provides an illustrative chart. London Times reports that two of the terrorists are cousins.

-- Airport attack doctor was known extremist. Daily Telegraph reports that Glasgow bomber Dr. Bilal Abdulla "had been recognised as a seriously "radicalised" student four years ago... with possible links to the al-Qa'eda-led insurgency".

-- UK Islamist Group Hizb-ut-Tahrir Tried To Recruit Glasgow Bomber. BBC television show "Politics of Terror" revealed that Cambridge cell of Islamist group Hizb-ut-Tahrir tried to recruit Glasgow bomber Dr. Bilal Abdulla. Hizb-ut-Tahrir is a legal organization in the UK, and its members have included an employee of the UK Home Office. See Zeyno Baran's Oct. 30, 2005 IHT op-ed on Hizbut.

-- UK Parliament Debate over Hizb-ut-Tahrir and other UK Islamist groups. Sky News shows video where UK Parliament members challenged UK PM Gordon Brown over the government's failure to ban Hizb-ut-Tahrir and Islamist groups in UK that advocate violence. UK PM Gordon Brown argues that there is insufficient evidence to do so, despite Parliament opposition referencing specific Hizb-ut-Tahrir literature advocating violence. On December 24, 2006, UK PM Tony Blair shelved plans to ban Hizb-ut-Tahrir.

-- Plan to consult Muslim leaders on raids shelved. Guardian reports: "Police have scrapped a plan to allow Muslim community leaders to examine intelligence ahead of terror raids".

-- Scottish House Used as Makeshift Bomb Factory. AP is reporting that a "Scottish house had been used as a makeshift bomb factory to carry out the terror attacks in London and Scotland" a few miles from Glasgow airport, and that Jihadists"slept upstairs and used the downstairs as a makeshift bomb factory".

-- London Bomb Failed Due to Mechanism. ABC reports that "London bomb plot allegedly planned by a cell of doctors failed early last Friday morning because a medical syringe used as part of the firing mechanism caused a malfunction."

-- Prophet cartoons protester convicted in London of incitement to murder. AP reports that on conviction of London's Mizanur Rahman, a "speaker at a rally protesting against cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed was convicted Thursday of inciting murder." Prosecutors showed video of Rahman calling for the death of British soldiers and carrying "placards calling for the beheading and annihilation of anyone who insulted Islam".

-- Britain Lowers Terrorism Threat Level to Severe. ABC News reported that "Britain reduced its terrorism threat level to 'severe,' meaning further attacks are still considered likely but not imminent, as was feared when authorities raised the level to 'critical' after the failed attacks. Still, Britain's home secretary asked the public to remain vigilant, saying there was still a 'serious and real threat against the United Kingdom.'"

-- House of Lords To Hear Terrorism Law Appeals. Sky News reports that the UK House of Lords will hear an appeal on control orders regarding British Jihadist suspects. UK Court of Appeal ruled last year that such control orders "were incompatible with Article 5 of the European Convention On Human Rights, which prevents indefinite detention without trial." Sky News reports that "[t]en terror suspects [have been] placed under controversial control orders - including at least two who are on the run".

-- Daily Express Reports UK PM and EU Disallows Link Between Terror and Islam. Daily Express has reported that UK PM Gordon Brown "has banned ministers from using the word 'Muslim' in ­connection with the ­terrorism crisis. The Prime Minister has also instructed his team – including new Home Secretary Jacqui Smith – that the phrase 'war on ­terror' is to be dropped." In addition, the Daily Express reports that "Secret EU guidelines have been drawn up warning governments not to link Islam and terrorism."

Sources:

Daily Telegraph: 45 Muslim doctors planned US terror raids

Sky News: Full Text Of Vicar's Terror Warning Email

Reuters: UK court jails trio who incited terrorism over Web

UK Television Video Report on Cyber-terrorists

Washington Post: Terrorism's Hook Into Your Inbox - U.K. Case Shows Link Between Online Fraud and Jihadist Networks

BBC: Jihad tapes targeted professions

AP: British court convicts man of having terrorist manuals, and money laundering

Guardian: Man convicted of keeping terror manuals

Reuters: Britain convicts al-Qaida "sleeper" agent Omar Altimimi

AP: British court cases highlight Al-Qaeda threat

Courier-Mail: Ringleader 'Al-Qaeda sleeper'

Daily Mail: Terror suspects: Mohammed Haneef - Doctor who was trapped at airport

Daily Mail: Terror suspects: Mohammed Asha - Surgeon 'who turned radical'

Daily Mail: Terror suspects: Bilal Abdulla - Wanted revenge for his friend killed in Iraq

Daily Telegraph: Ties that bind terror car bomb suspectsIllustrative Chart

London Times: Indian doctors held in terror raids are cousins

Daily Telegraph: Airport attack doctor was known extremist

BBC Video "Politics of Terror" focuses on Hizb ut Tahrir and their infiltration into British schools and institutions

Sky News: Prime Minister Gordon Brown addresses demands of Parliament members to ban Hizb ut-Tahrir

Evening Standard: Home Office staff can join Islamic extremists

BBC Video (30 minute) regarding Parliament debate on Islamist groups

Guardian: Plan to consult Muslim leaders on raids shelved

AP: British Media: Scottish House Used as Makeshift Bomb Factory

ABC News: UK Terror Plot -- Why the Bombs Failed - ABC News: Medical syringe used in firing mechanism caused malfunction

AP: Prophet cartoons protester convicted in London of incitement to murder

ABC News: Britain Lowers Terrorism Threat Level

Sky News: House of Lords To Hear Terrorism Law Appeals

Daily Express: Brown: Don't say terrorists are Muslims

Daily Express: Europe tells Britain: Don't Says "Muslim" in Connection With Terrorism

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