Britain, the most dangerous country in the west, says US

[Maxinquaye]

American officials now believe Britain poses a major threat to Western security because of the large number of al-Qaeda supporters that are active in the country. Two years ago Jonathan Evans, the head of MI5, estimated that there were 2,000 al-Qaeda sympathisers based in Britain – the largest concentration of al-Qaeda activists in any Western country. But American officials, who regularly refer to “Londonistan” because of the high concentration of Islamic radicals in the capital, believe the figure is growing all the time. They point out that recent al-Qaeda terror attacks planned in Britain have been the work of British-based Muslims, many of whom have been trained in al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/6996655/Al-Qaeda-threat-Britain-worst-in-western-world.html

When will the UK end up on the terrorist nation list with Iceland? Should I cancel my New York trip in June? Although, I don't have a British Passport, but going by Heathrow would be suspicious...

[MattW]

England is home to unique concentrations of violent, extremist Muslims who frequently and freely go back and forth between countries that train and harbor other violent, extremist Muslims.

No amount of travel prohibitions, metal detectors, x-rays, or scanners will catch all of the possible threats. They need to be caught before they go to an airport. Before they assemble explosive materials into a bomb, before they can go to a remote camp for specialist training... That means reliance on passenger profiling, and even more so vigilance of the Muslim community - both of which seem to offend someone.

[ReallyRong]

This is irritating, lazy journalism where the writer simply throws enough mud in the hope that it sticks to create a semblance of a story, but in this case it doesn't. I'm not an expert, but even I know that it was the French Secret Service that labelled London as Londonistan, and that was some years ago. I haven't heard it used since. The Nigerian bomber was living in Yemen and that was where he was "radicalised". His worried father even attempted to bring him back to Nigeria from Yemen, and having failed to do so said that he'd informed the local security services. Fort Hood had nothing to do with the UK. So there are "reports" of Al Qaeda operatives moving between the UK, Pakistan and Afghanistan are there? No there fucking aren't because that journalist wouldn't be privy to that information, so they've just made up some more inuendo in the hope that it sticks.

The main reason that this sort of muck-raking without any foundation really annoys me is that most of the world is trying to get along and live in peace, yet this sort of shit is going to get any number of people riled up when there's not really anything to get riled up about. We have our problems in the UK with the religious divide, but we seem to manage to get along together without killing each other , the London tube bombing aside. The problem here is that a single act by a few people becomes the accepted norm.

Let me ask a rhetorical question - I could google it but I won't - how many Americans were murdered by Americans in the past year and how many were murdered by terrorists?

[mscelina]

Let me ask a rhetorical question - I could google it but I won't - how many Americans were murdered by Americans in the past year and how many were murdered by terrorists?

I suppose that would depend on the definition of terrorist, wouldn't it?

And the number of murders committed in America has fuck-all to do with the topic.

[ReallyRong]

I suppose that would depend on the definition of terrorist, wouldn't it?

And the number of murders committed in America has fuck-all to do with the topic.

You're probably right there. I think I got a bit taken away by my soap box performance. That sort of reportage does irritate though.

[Fran]

It's 2,000 out of 60 million in the UK. This article http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5621482.ece says there are 2.4 million Muslims in the UK. Two thousand isn't a large number from that either. And if they know the number, doesn't that mean they know who they are? Otherwise how is such a figure arrived at? Ah, it's an estimate. So it could be 2,000 or 20,000 or twelve. And 'sympathiser', worrying as that is, doesn't mean 'actively trying to blow people up'.

Let's hope if there are that many, they're all as incompetent as the ones who targeted Glasgow Airport.

[Ellefire]

They picked the wrong airport there! Never tangle with A Scottish fella :D

[ReallyRong]

Okay, I'm going to be an agent provocateur. So what's the diffference between an Al Qaeda suspect from the UK (if there is such a thing) entering American shores and wreaking havoc, and Americans subscribing to Noraid and using their dollars to wreak havoc on Northern Ireland, (I have a bit between my teeth here).

[Fran]

They picked the wrong airport there! Never tangle with A Scottish fella :D

I believe he's married an American. I wonder if any airports over there want him. :D

[Shakesbear]

Okay, I'm going to be an agent provocateur. So what's the diffference between an Al Qaeda suspect from the UK (if there is such a thing) entering American shores and wreaking havoc, and Americans subscribing to Noraid and using their dollars to wreak havoc on Northern Ireland, (I have a bit between my teeth here).

Not just Northern Ireland but mainland UK as well. Noraid has an awful lot to answer for not just for paying for the murder of innocent people but also, if my understanding is correct, for the dissemination of terrorist expertise to those who wanted it. That would include groups like Al Qaeda.