Early this morning, English counterterrorism police arrested nine men in an alleged kidnapping plot during pre-dawn raids in Birmingham, England. More arrests could follow, police said. While reports alleged that the suspects wanted to abduct a British Muslim soldier and behead him, British police refused to comment about that, or about a plan to post the beheading on the Internet.
Counterterrorism officials — speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation — said the plot was the first of its kind to be uncovered in Britain.
The targeted victim remains in protective police custody. British news reports claim that the kidnapping was going to be an "Iraq-style" execution.
Birmingham has been the site of several recent terrorism sweeps, including summer raids that unveiled an alleged plot by several British suspects to use liquid explosives to blow up as many as 10 trans-Atlantic flights.
Birmingham is also the hometown of Britain's first Muslim soldier to be killed in Afghanistan last year — a death that prompted militant Islamist Web sites to denounce Cpl. Jabron Hashmi, 24 (pictured above), as a traitor. One site — that of extremist British sect al-Ghurabaa — posted an image of the soldier surrounded by flames.
There are 330 Muslim personnel serving in the British armed forces, according to the Defense Ministry, which would not comment on reports that the intended victim was a Muslim soldier.
Counterterrorism officials — speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation — said the plot was the first of its kind to be uncovered in Britain.
The targeted victim remains in protective police custody. British news reports claim that the kidnapping was going to be an "Iraq-style" execution.
Birmingham has been the site of several recent terrorism sweeps, including summer raids that unveiled an alleged plot by several British suspects to use liquid explosives to blow up as many as 10 trans-Atlantic flights.
Birmingham is also the hometown of Britain's first Muslim soldier to be killed in Afghanistan last year — a death that prompted militant Islamist Web sites to denounce Cpl. Jabron Hashmi, 24 (pictured above), as a traitor. One site — that of extremist British sect al-Ghurabaa — posted an image of the soldier surrounded by flames.
There are 330 Muslim personnel serving in the British armed forces, according to the Defense Ministry, which would not comment on reports that the intended victim was a Muslim soldier.
2 comments:
Incredible. The thot plickens - by the day. I don't know how armies and civil service bureaucracies are going to deal with when one or two individuals, or entire cells, are discovered operating within their ranks.
It's more proof that we still don't understand the enemy.
Many still want to insist that "it's all about al Qaeda," when Hezbollah and other groups are even more dangerous, in tact and well funded at this point.
The problem isn't merely a "small number of radicals," it's various rogue states using these radical elements the way the Barbary states once used the Barbary pirates - to advance ulterior agendas.
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