Category Archives: Great Britain

Airliner Security Leaves Travelers More Vulnerable in Airports

1 NovpmTue, 13 Nov 2012 23:24:22 -06002012-11-13T23:24:22-06:0011 2009 – 23:24

by Christopher W. Holton

Since the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, the federal government has gone to great lengths to keep weaponry of all sorts from finding its way on airliners.

The effectiveness of these measures is open to debate, but the idea has been to prevent items such as explosive devices fashioned in the form of contact lens saline solution bottles, shaving cream cans and the like from finding their way onto an airliner. The TSA is also supposed to be on the lookout for box cutters (and pocket knifes and fingernail files), as well as shoes loaded with explosives.

All of these measures have been reactive–in response to both successful and failed terrorist plots from the past. Such is the nature of our bureaucratic counter terror apparatus. The enemy watches what we do and dreams up more methods to exploit holes and vulnerabilities in the defensive security measures. And, of course, once the enemy tries a new method, successful or otherwise, the TSA modifies its policies to defend against the last attack.

Americans of all philosophies are frustrated by what they perceive as onerous inconveniences and gross invasions of personal privacy.

But that is not the issue that should be of greatest concern to Americans. What should truly concern us all is that the measures that have locked down airliners tighter than a drum have created bottlenecks and choke points in airport terminals, leaving even larger numbers of travelers vulnerable to violent terrorist attack.

One attack on a single airliner has the potential to kill anywhere from dozens to a few hundred innocent passengers. But an attack on a busy airport terminal has the potential to kill several plane loads of innocent travelers before they get on the airplane.

Take a look at the accompanying photographs and the vulnerability is clear. A backpack bomb in a security line would be devastating and the security apparatus is exactly what caused the vulnerability.

To be fair, security lines are not the only vulnerability. Long lines at ticket counters produce huge crowds and bottlenecks as well:

What all this adds up to is an overall air travel industry that is still quite at risk.

Lest you think that I have pointed out a vulnerability that the Jihadists may not have thought of yet, rest assured that the Jihadists have already identified airports as targets for mass casualty attacks.

In fact, there have been two such attacks in recent years, one successful and one failed.

In January 2011, Islamikaze bombers attacked Domodedovo airport in Moscow, killing 35 and wounding 182. This incident is largely forgotten in the West. In fact, it received scant media attention beyond the day of the attack.

The fact that the attackers were believed to have been trained at an Al Qaeda camp in Pakistan should serve as a warning to America. If the Jihadis can train to attack Russian airports, they can train to attack American airports just as well.

The photographs below of the carnage serve as a stark contrast to the photos above showing travelers queuing up to get their tickets or go through security…Note that these photos were taken from camera phones soon after the bombing.


When one compares the photos from the security and ticket counter lines to the photos from Moscow, it is not difficult to grasp the magnitude of the vulnerability.

Moscow was not the only airport attack.

In 2007, two Moslem physicians attempted to blow up the terminal building at Glasgow International Airport in the UK with a VBIED (Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device).

The two planned on driving a Jeep Cherokee through the front door and detonating a large bomb upon slamming through  the entrance. Fortunately, their bomb fizzled, but the images below show just how close they came to achieving their evil objective. Given the results from other VBIED attacks in the past in places like Lebanon, Iraq, Kenya and Tanzania, it’s not hard to imagine the horrible effects of a successful attack on a crowded airport terminal.

There is an old saying that he who tries to defend everything defends nothing. What is the answer to these vulnerabilities? No doubt technology will play a prominent role in finding solutions, but we should also consider the fact that while the newly unionized TSA is confiscating nail clippers from soldiers returning from war, making mothers sample their own breast milk, frisking  wheelchair-bound grandmothers and fondling genitalia, they are actually putting all travelers in real danger.

By terrortrends | Also posted in airliner bombing, Al Qaeda, Failed terrorist attack, Homeland Security, Terrorist attack, Uncategorized, United Kingdom | Comments (4)

Was Bin Laden in Charge and Will his Death Defeat Jihad?

1 MaypmSun, 15 May 2011 14:59:23 -06002011-05-15T14:59:23-06:0002 2009 – 14:59

In the wake of the killing of Osama Bin Laden, there is a debate as to the extent that Bin Laden was operationally in charge of Al Qaeda. There have also been those who have naively speculated that Bin Laden’s death means an end to the war on terror or even Jihad altogether.

It seems apparent that Bin Laden was actively communicating with Al Qaeda elements, but it wasn’t in real time. He used a system of couriers to relay messages via email and the internet, but went to great pains to securely communicate. This means no direct internet connection and no phones, cellular, satellite or landline.

This would preclude any real dialogue with operators and cells. It seems as if Bin Laden was able to communicate in general terms about his “commander’s intent,” but was in no position to take part in detailed planning. Bin Laden wanted his followers to carry out mass casualty attacks, he wanted the attacks to occur on important anniversaries and holidays, and he was especially interested in attacks on trains, which is not hard to believe given that Jihadists have been targeting trains in the UK, Spain, France, Germany and India in recent years.

Unfortunately, what this probably means is that the loss of Bin Laden will not operationally hinder Al Qaeda. It may hurt the group’s morale and it may erode some of the group’s financial and moral support, but it might also energize those who seek to avenge Bin Laden’s death at the hands of US special operations forces.

Al Qaeda doctrinal leader Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri still lives and he has been by far more active in communicating in recent years than Bin Laden was. Anwar Al-Awlaki is still at large in Yemen and he has been the one who has successfully trained and inspired Jihadi attacks on US targets in recent years, such as the Fort Hood Jihadi murderer, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the Underwear Bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, Little Rock Jihadist murderer, Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad (aka Carlos Bledsoe) and the unsuccessful plot to send bombs embedded in printer cartridges from Yemen to the US on board cargo and passenger airliners.

Muslim Brotherhood apologist Peter Bergen maintains that Awlaki is a small player and that the war on terror should end with the killing of Bin Laden, but this is hardly surprising that Bergen essentially built a career around Bin Laden, including perpetuating the illusion that Bergen himself was some sort of expert on Jihad because he had managed to spend a few hours with Bin Laden in a tent 13 years ago or so.

On top of all this, there is the additional issue of groups and organizations sympathetic to Al Qaeda and allied with Al Qaeda, but not actually part of Al Qaeda. Two significant organizations fall into this category: the Taliban and Lashkar e Taiba.

The Taliban need no introduction, but many people do not realize two things about the Taliban: Taliban leader Mullah Omar specifically declined to merge with Al Qaeda and refused to take an oath of loyalty to Bin Laden. Because of this, Bin Laden exercised no operational control over the Taliban. Second, the failed Times Square bomb plot appears to have been a Taliban operation, vice an Al Qaeda operation: https://terrortrendsbulletin.wordpress.com/2010/05/02/new-york-times-square-car-bomb-bulletin/

The significance of this is that the Taliban are willing and able to attempt terrorist attacks here in America. Adding to this worry is the recent news that six American Muslims, including Imams at a Florida mosque, appear to have been raising money for the Taliban: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1387185/Imam-Florida-mosque-sons-arrested-charges-financing-Taliban-Pakistan.html  Moreover, there is no ignoring the Taliban’s recent bombing attack against a Pakistani paramilitary training facility in northern Pakistan, which was declared as vengeance for Bin Laden’s death–with the promise of more to come.

Unfortunately, the slaying of Osama Bin Laden will have no operational impact on Taliban operations.

Then there is Lashkar e Taiba, the Pakistani Jihadi terrorist group which carried out the horrific Mumbai attacks. Again, this is a group that is often misidentified as an Al Qaeda affiliate, but, like the Taliban, LeT is a separate, standalone organization that declined to pledge any oath to Osama Bin Laden.

What does LeT have to do with America? Two things:

1. The Jihadist who conducted recon ahead of the Mumbai attacks was an American from Chicago named David Coleman Headley:

https://terrortrendsbulletin.wordpress.com/2010/07/07/18-american-jihadist-terrorists/

In fact, Headley also conducted recon on an Indian nuclear power plant as well:

https://terrortrendsbulletin.wordpress.com/2009/12/21/chicago-jihadi-conducted-recon-on-nuke-plant-for-lashkar-e-taiba/

2. LeT is known to be active in America:

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/015/927uxqry.asp

Members of the group fought against US forces in Iraq back in 2004. The group is known to have a presence in Germany and the UK as well.

These are just two examples of Jihadi organizations that pose a threat to America that will not be impacted at all by the death of Bin Laden.

Then there is the “lone wolf” threat, the so-called “sudden jihad syndrome” threat in which enraged Muslims commit acts of violence because they were inspired by organizations like Al Qaeda and people like Osama Bin Laden. There have been examples of this, the most recent being the case of a Yemeni-American who tried to storm the cockpit door of an American Airlines flight whilst screaming “AllahuAkbar!” Fortunately, the reinforced door was securely locked and there were a retired Secret Service agent and retired police officer on board who subdued the subject:

http://www.examiner.com/headlines-in-san-francisco/did-yemen-man-yells-allahu-akbar-incident-outside-cockpit-door-video

Officials have issued warnings about such “lone wolf” attacks in the wake of Bin Laden getting his brains blown out:

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/US/05/10/bin.laden.attacks/

What of Al Qaeda itself? At least four Al Qaeda affiliates have either declared their intent to avenge Bin Laden’s death or issued veiled threats to carry on with the Jihad:

Somalia’s Al Shabaab, including Daphne, Alabama-born Jihadist, Abu Mansur Al-Amriki, mourned Bin Laden’s passing in a radio communication, confirming, incidentally, Al Qaeda’s role in fighting US forces in Somalia way back in 1993:

http://www.raxanreeb.com/?p=95817

In Indonesia, Jemmaah Islamiyah leader Abu Bakar Bashir, mourned Bin Laden and issued a veiled threat:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/jemaah-islamiyahs-abu-bakar-bashir-says-death-of-bin-laden-wont-kill-al-qaeda/story-fn3dxity-1226049072983

And, finally, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (which has been especially active in hostage taking in recent months and years) and Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, both vowed to carry on with Jihad after Bin Laden’s death:

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.312069e9fc4253641862a854552f7c85.8b1&show_article=1

http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat-matrix/archives/2011/05/al_qaeda_affiliates_weigh_in_o.php

None of this takes two other significant Jihadi terrorist threats into account: Hezbollah and HAMAS.

Hezbollah has not issued any comments on Bin Laden’s death, but a former Hezbollah leader mourned Bin Laden as a hero who defended Islam:

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=45936

Hezbollah has not targeted Americans with terrorism in recent years, but they did take an active combat and advisory role against US forces in Iraq and they are believed to have a substantial presence inside the USA. Most recently, reports have once again surfaced of the group’s presence along the American-Mexico border:

http://video.foxnews.com/v/4692389/terror-on-the-border/

What could touch off renewed attacks by Hezbollah? A confrontation with Iran for one.

The same can be said for the Palestinian Jihadist terrorist group HAMAS. Like Hezbollah, HAMAS is greatly dependent on Iran for financing, arms and training. Any confrontation with Iran carries with it the danger of HAMAS terror attacks. Many Americans do not remember that Palestinian terrorists used to target Americans with regularity. They stopped, not out of love for America, but to avoid being targeted by American power. HAMAS has the same basic goals as Al Qaeda and issued a eulogy honoring Bin Laden in which they bestowed upon him the honorific title “Sheikh:”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdDapb1rrvk

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/8488479/Osama-bin-Laden-dead-Hamas-condemns-killing-of-bin-Laden.html

HAMAS is known to have conducted extensive fundraising inside America and, like Hezbollah, is believed to have a major presence inside our country.

So, we have no answers but certainly some educated guesses:

• Bin Laden was unlikely to have played an active operational role in Al Qaeda in recent times; most likely he was limited to expressing “commander’s intent” via intermediaries with little or no direct contact with operatives around the globe.

• The Jihad will of course continue.  Jihad is not limited to a few groups and it didn’t commence on September 11th, 2001. It’s been going on for a millennium and is based on Shariah doctrine, not just the personal philosophy of Osama Bin Laden. Jihad, however, can be made dormant for a period through strong resistance since, according to Shariah, Muslims are specifically not supposed to wage Jihad if they are not strong enough to do so, therefore the situation is far from hopeless.

Al Qaeda and its affiliates have pledged to continue the Jihad and allied Jihadist groups still pose an independent threat above and beyond Al Qaeda. In fact Bin Laden’s death may ironically spur them to action. This says nothing of the threat from Jihadists that were not aligned with Bin Laden, such as Hezbollah and HAMAS, who pose an ongoing, if dormant, threat to Americans.

Now is no time to rest or become complacent. Just the opposite.

By terrortrends | Also posted in 5th Column, Abu Sayyaf, Al Qaeda, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), al Shabaab, Al Shahab, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Anwar Al-Awlaki, Carlos Bledsoe, Faisal Shahzad, Fort Hood Massacre, Germany, HAMAS, Hezbollah, Homegrown Jihad, Homeland Security, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jemaah Islamiyah, Jihad, Lashkar-e-Taiba, London transit bombings, Madrid train bombing, Mexico, Mumbai attack, Muslim Brotherhood, Nidal Malik Hasan, Osama Bin Laden, Pakistan, Palestinian terrorism, Philippines, Somalia, Sudden Jihad Syndrome, Taliban, terrorism funding, Times Square bomb attack, Uncategorized, United Kingdom, Yemen, Zawahiri | Comments (0)

TOP 10 JIHADI MOSQUES: Wikileaks Documents Reveal Main Mosques Used to Recruit, Train for Jihad According to Pentagon

1 AprpmMon, 25 Apr 2011 20:20:48 -06002011-04-25T20:20:48-06:0008 2009 – 20:20

Wikileaks has revealed a US report on Guantanamo terrorist prisoners called the “Matrix of Threat Indicators for Enemy Combatants.”

You will see this document written up in dozens of articles in the media and the blogosphere over the next few days.

We wanted to call attention to one list that has come out of that report: a list of foreign mosques and Islamic centers that are used to recruit and train Jihadis. Note that this list does not include mosques here in the US which, beyond a shadow of a doubt, are also centers for Jihad recruitment. This list is not meant to be exhaustive, but it does purport to be the largest centers of Jihadi activity.

This should serve as a stark warning for those among us who still insist that Jihadist organizations like Al Qaeda and their followers are not embedded in religion…

• Al Sunnah Al Nabawiah Mosque Montreal, Canada

• Abu Bakr Islamic University Karachi, Pakistan

• Makki Mosque Karachi, Pakistan

• Al Khair Mosque Sanaa, Yemen

• Dimaj Institute in Sadah, Yemen

• Finsbury Park Mosque Great Britain

• Four Feathers Youth Club Great Britain

• Laennec Mosque Lyon, France

• Islamic Cultural Institute  Milan, Italy

• Wazir Akbar Khan Mosque Kabul, Afghanistan

Mosques in places like Pakistan and Yemen certainly come as no surprise. The ones in Great Britain, France, Italy and Canada are much more worrisome for those of us who live in the West. It might also be noted that no Saudi mosques or Islamic centers are mentioned, no doubt due to a lack of intelligence. There is certainly no shortage of Saudi Jihadis in the world and they had to be recruited somewhere…

By terrortrends | Also posted in Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Canada, France, Guantanomo, Homegrown Jihad, Islam, Italy, Jihad, Pakistan, United Kingdom | Comments (1)

Report: Al Qaeda has sent Jihadist Terrorists to Germany, Britain for Attack

1 NovamWed, 17 Nov 2010 10:51:25 -06002010-11-17T10:51:25-06:0010 2009 – 10:51

German intelligence has received evidence from the US that Al Qaeda has sent two to four terrorists who were en route to Germany and Britain, the daily Tagesspiegel reported.

Intelligence agents reportedly fear attacks on Christmas markets or similar popular events.

The organizer of the attack is reported to be Mohammed Ilyas Kashmiri, a prominent Al Qaeda leader from Pakistan. Kashmiri is also thought to be behind an attack earlier this year on a German bakery in Pune, India, in which 17 people were killed.

Kashmiri is said to have recruited the Jihadis for the latest planned attacks from the Afghan-Pakistani border area. The terrorists’ identity is not known.

The report indicated that the terrorists planned to travel to Germany and Britain via India and the United Arab Emirates. German police had been checking visa requests at embassies in Pakistan, India and the UAE in recent days.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1599662.php/Report-al-Qaeda-sent-operatives-to-Germany-for-attack-Extra

Mohammad Ilyas Kashmiri

By terrortrends | Also posted in Al Qaeda, Europe, Germany, India, Pakistan, Terrorist attack, UAE | Comments (1)

ISLAMIC SUPREMACISM AND CONQUEST

1 AugamSat, 14 Aug 2010 11:38:45 -06002010-08-14T11:38:45-06:0011 2009 – 11:38

The soon-to-be constructed Ground Zero mosque has generated a lot of controversy. There seems to be a general level of confusion as to what this is all about.

There shouldn’t be.

The Ground Zero mosque is about Islamic supremecism and conquest. It’s really quite that simple–and this is not a new phenomenon, as evidenced by these videos posted on YouTube by an individual going by the alias “mujahadeen911.”








By terrortrends | Also posted in 5th Column, appeasement, dhimmitude, Europe, Ground Zero Mosque, Homegrown Jihad, Islam, Islamic Jihad, Islamic Supremecism, Jihad, Muslim Brotherhood, New York, Obama, Sharia, Shariah, Uncategorized | Comments (1)

Britons join the jihadist ranks to fight in Somalia

1 MayamSun, 02 May 2010 07:41:43 -06002010-05-02T07:41:43-06:0007 2009 – 07:41

Britons join the jihadist ranks to fight in Somalia

Fears grow that al-Qaida is constructing a safe haven in east Africa with UK groups’ help

A growing number of Britons are answering the call to jihad in Somalia and joining the ranks of militants linked to al-Qaida…

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/02/britons-somalia-al-qaida-insurgency

By terrortrends | Also posted in 5th Column, Al Qaeda, Homegrown Jihad, Islamic Jihad, Jihad, Somalia, United Kingdom | Comments (0)

Al Qaeda threatens to attack UK versus USA World Cup Match

1 ApramSat, 10 Apr 2010 07:27:03 -06002010-04-10T07:27:03-06:0007 2009 – 07:27

On 12 June, the British and American soccer teams are scheduled to face off in South Africa as part of what is surely one of the world’s largest sporting events, the World Cup.

Al Qaeda has decided to interject itself into the mix as well, threatening to attack that game, as has been widely reported in British media:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/04/10/al-qaeda-threats-to-attack-during-england-world-cup-match-against-usa-115875-22175319/

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/2010/04/10/al-qaeda-in-threat-to-england-and-usa-fans-at-world-cup-86908-22175674/

These are surely threats that should be taken seriously.

First of all, the wing of Al Qaeda which made the threat, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AGIM), has a very violent history and is one of the most active wings of the terrorist organization. It doesn’t get much coverage in the USA, but it is a serious problem in Africa.

Secondly, Islam has been on the rise in South Africa for some years now, particularly Salafi Islam, thanks to the Saudis. This is of course the sect of Sunni Islam which gave birth to Al Qaeda in the first place. Similar to Mumbai, any Al Qaeda attackers can probably depend upon a local support structure for intelligence, reconnaissance and logistics.

Third, South Africa is a country that has been wracked by a great deal of violence in the past decade. Crime, particularly murder, is a huge problem there and the authorities already have their hands full.

Here’s hoping that the South Africans bring in outside help for security at this event. Specific threats from Jihadists are not to be taken lightly. They lose their credibility if they do not follow through.

By terrortrends | Also posted in Al Qaeda, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Jihad, Salafi Islam, South Africa, Terrorist attack, United Kingdom | Comments (0)

Zakat At Work: UK-based Muslim Aid charity has funneled $850,000 to Jihadist Terrorist Groups

1 ApramSat, 10 Apr 2010 06:46:33 -06002010-04-10T06:46:33-06:0006 2009 – 06:46

Muslim Aid was supposed to be one of the “good” Muslim charities.  Prince Charles and Prime Minister Gordon Brown had heaped praise on them for the good work they had done, as the good folks at Jihad Watch and Weaselzippers point out:

http://www.weaselzippers.net/blog/2010/04/uk-muslim-charity-praised-by-prince-charles-and-gordon-brown-has-funneled-hundreds-of-thousands-of-p.html

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2010/04/uk-islamic-charity-praised-by-prince-charles-and-gordon-brown-funnelled-nearly-850000-to-hamas-and-o.html

Why do so many Muslim charities fund Jihadist terrorists?

Because it is their religious duty to do so.

There are 8 approved destinations for “zakat” (a form of tithing in Islam). Number 7 is those fighting in the way of allah. This is spelled out clearly in Islamic law texts, such as “Reliance of the Traveler.”

By terrortrends | Also posted in HAMAS, Islamic Charities, Islamic Jihad, Jihad, Palestinian terrorism, Sharia, Shariah, terrorism funding, United Kingdom, Zakat | Comments (0)

Brits give in to Hezbollah, will Obama follow suit?

1 MarpmSat, 07 Mar 2009 21:41:18 -06002009-03-07T21:41:18-06:0009 2009 – 21:41

We have now been greeted with the disgusting news that Great Britain has decided to reach out to Hezbollah in an effort to enter into a dialogue with the group to convince them to abandon terrorism.

This incredibly naive approach to a Jihadist terrorist organization likely stems from the British approach to the Irish Republican Army. This notion of using the IRA model with a Jihadist organization is not new. The rock star Bono has suggested the same moronic idea with Al Qaeda.

We could write volumes about how bad an idea this whole approach is, but it is probably much better to simply use Hezbollah’s own words to illustrate the futility of negotiating with them:

‘We are not fighting so that you will offer us something. We are fighting to eliminate you.’

These words were uttered by Hussein Massawi, the Hezbollah leader at the time of the Islamikaze attacks on the US Marine Barracks in Beirut.

We can only hope that the Obama administration does not follow the British policy, though we can’t help but suspect that Obama will do something just along those lines, since he is already doing so with Hezbollah’s sponsor, Iran.

The Obama and Brown administrations simply cannot get over with fast enough.

The intrepid Melanie Phillips has an excellent story on this subject:

By terrortrends | Also posted in appeasement, Hezbollah, United Kingdom | Tagged | Comments (0)