Terrorists in England Planned Kidnap and Beheading of British Muslim

hotballa · Jan 31, 2007

Terrifying news IMO. It seems that they have moved away from the coordinated bombs (probably too long and difficult to plan) to the Iraqi style kidnappings and subsequent videotaping of beheadings.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/01/31/uk.terror.arrests/index.html

BIRMINGHAM, England (CNN) -- A major anti-terrorism raid in the UK was intended to foil a plot to kidnap a Muslim soldier serving in the British Army, and behead him, according to a security source.

Police arrested eight people during a series of early-morning raids in Birmingham, central England, early Wednesday.

A ninth suspect was apprehended later on a major road in the region, police said.

The Home Office said the arrests were made by West Midlands police under the country's anti-terrorism laws.

The arrests did not involve a plot to cause mass casualties, but instead the kidnap of a British Muslim soldier who has served in Afghanistan, a senior security source told CNN.

Once kidnapped, the attackers allegedly planned to videotape the torture and execution of the soldier for later publication on the Internet.

Media reports said the plot would have involved an "Iraq-style" execution.

Former Scotland Yard commander John O'Connor said: "This is a major breakthrough in thwarting what seems to be a genuine and terrifying potential crime. These are not the kind of people that take hostages."

Security sources said this new plot style signals a major departure from previous attacks by terrorists in Britain, who have used coordinated explosions aimed at killing and injuring the masses.

Instead, the attack would have mirrored the kidnappings of hostages Ken Bigley and Margaret Hassan -- both Britons murdered by Iraqi insurgents.

West Midlands Police said the suspects were arrested on "suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism under the Terrorism Act 2000."

Assistant Chief Constable David Shaw said the initial suspects were arrested in eight properties across Birmingham, 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of London. A further four commercial locations were raided and searched by police.(Watch police cordon off raided homes)

"This is a dynamic field operation and it is by no means finished," Shaw said.

"We are right at the foothills of what is a very, very major investigation for us. This is a long process, one that will take days, possibly weeks."

The British Home Office said earlier said the operation was "a reminder of the real and serious nature of the terrorist threat we face."

Security services believe a terrorist attack is highly likely in Britain. An attack on London's public transport in 2005 killed 52 people, and the country is on its second highest alert level.

Last year the head of MI5, Britain's domestic spy service, said that about 30 terrorism plots were being worked on and agents were monitoring around 1,600 suspects.

On January 23, British police arrested five men in terror raids across northern England. (Full story)

Two of the men -- Rizwan Ditta, 29, and Mohammad Bilal, 25, both from Halifax -- were charged Monday under the Terrorism Act 2000. The other three men are still being questioned by the Greater Manchester Police.

In Birmingham, Shaw said that Wednesday's operation had won backing from local Muslim leaders. He said religious leaders had issued an edict rejecting support of violent acts.

"This morning an Islamic center aware of what we were doing offered their rest facility to our officers. It shows the ways in which the Muslim community is seeking to tangibly support what we are doing," he added.
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Terrorists in England Planned Kidnap and Beheading of British Muslim

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