Britain terrorists number 1 target

Britons have been warned that their country is now the number one target for al-Qaeda, and that the network of terrorists in their own country is becoming larger, stronger and better-organised than ever before. Security and intelligence experts involved in analysing the evolving terrorist threat now generally agree that things are getting worse rather than better, and that the 7 July bomb attacks in London last year, rather than being a one-off, may have marked the beginning of a long-term campaign of terror in Britain.

Before the infamous 9/11 attacks, al-Qaeda was seen as a loosely-connected web of various cells and factions with common aims rather than one homogenous and well-organised group. The American-led War on Terror and particularly the campaign in Afghanistan helped to incapacitate and scatter much of the al-Qaeda leadership, but they have now regrouped and restrengthened under a more unified structure in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region.

While America is of course the main enemy for these terrorists, Britain’s extensive links with Pakistan due to the large numbers of people of Pakistani origin in the country mean that the UK has for practical reasons become the main breeding ground and target for terrorist activity. Al-Qaeda cells are active in hunting for recruits in Britain, targeting men in their late teens and early twenties. This process takes place in stages, designed to gauge the attitude and commitment of the potential recruit at each stage. Creating a rather worrying picture, the BBC sums up how ‘they set up groups a bit like the Boy Scouts...totally legitimate. Those who are particularly interested they start giving religious indoctrination. Then those who are very interested they start introducing to political teachings, anti-Western rhetoric. And those who are still interested they start giving technical training. They also send them on bonding sessions to things like white-water rafting. You end up with a small team of people – the cell is prepared.’ It is easy to understand how susceptible young British Muslims can be gradually enveloped into this terrorist web.

Numerous small terrorist cells are known to be active within Britain, each of which is designated a different plan to work on. These groups can often be unaware of each other, and are supervised and controlled by someone further up the chain. Many members of these cells also make trips to Pakistan, where training camps give them the necessary knowledge to carry out attacks while further indoctrinating them and creating a sense of camaraderie.

This newly-evolved set-up is not dissimilar to how the IRA operated within Britain so successfully for many years. While in one way this indicates a worrying precedent for future decades of terrorist activity, it also means that the British security services should have the experience necessary to help counter this threat. The recently foiled attempted airline attack at Heathrow airport indicates that the authorities are, for the moment, largely in control of the situation. But with terrorist cells continuing to recruit disillusioned young men in Britain, and with al-Qaeda’s leadership and structure apparently stronger than ever, it is a worrying time. While the threat of IRA attacks has now thankfully receded, it has been replaced by a similar and even more worrying menace.