A pro-Palestinian protester, with a fake explosives belt, demonstrating near London's Trafalgar Square. (Photo: Fernando Cavalcanti)
Posted on 05/20/2002 9:58:17 AM PDT by Cinnamon Girl
A pro-Palestinian protester, with a fake explosives belt, demonstrating near London's Trafalgar Square. (Photo: Fernando Cavalcanti)
LONDON - British Jews recently began an organized effort to prepare for a possible outbreak of suicide terrorism, but those involved decided to keep the effort under wraps to avoid causing panic.
On Wednesday Jewish activists and rabbis will meet with the Israeli group Zaka - the Haredi Rescue and Recovery voluntary organization - to discuss Jewish law procedures for evacuating the bodies of terrorist victims. Zaka is preparing a seminar to train volunteers to evacuate and identify victims of terror attacks, based on experience and lessons learned in Israel.
The course begins in June and dozens of volunteers have indicated an interest in registering for it. Experience accumulated in Britain during incidents such as the 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 disaster at Lockerbie will be reviewed.
But the Jewish community is not alone in believing it is just a matter of time until a mass suicide attack reaches Britain. British security sources say Scotland Yard and intelligence experts are worried that the suicide terrorist phenomenon could soon arrive in Britain, and local security forces lack the know-how or means to counter such a threat.
This assessment was reinforced several months ago when a senior delegation from Scotland Yard visited Sri Lanka and Israel to study how both countries deal with suicide attacks. The British visitors got an unequivocal message - suicide bombings will increase in the coming years, and not just by radical Islamic groups, but by militant secular organizations seeking to spread terrorism.
Israeli security officials briefed Barbara Wilding, who led the Scotland Yard delegation, on how the suicide tactic has gradually spread in the Middle East. A source knowledgeable about British security forces told Ha'aretz: "The use of suicide bombers has become a ritual that crosses borders and organizations, and is regarded as an efficient response to the intelligence, military, and technological superiority of the security services in the West. In the Middle East, we've seen how the use of this weapon has been developed and improved by Hezbollah in Lebanon, and then copied by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas, and lately moved over to secular organizations like Fatah or the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Now these organizations recruit men and women alike for these operations."
According to this source "suicide attacks are regarded today in Britain and among other security services in Europe as a general threat, because the concept of martyrdom could also take hold among extreme Christian right-wing organizations, and there are already some signs of this in the United States. The concern is that Europe might be the next target for these types of attack."
Scotland Yard has formed a special committee led by Wilding, the head of security at Scotland Yard, to handle the threat of suicide terrorism. Relying on lessons drawn from the experiences of security services in Israel, the U.S. and Asia, this team is devising preventive procedures.
The Sunday Times reported last week that the task force is studying how to deploy snipers against suicide bombers and has asked the Home Office to design robots like those used in Israel to detect and disarm explosives. But some security experts are saying these efforts are "too little, too late."
Pro-Palestinian activists have received logistic and financial support from left-wing organizations, as well as encouragement from some Labor Party MPs, including George Galloway, who is married to a Palestinian, and Jeremy Corbyn. At a discussion at the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies on May 2, Galloway was reported as saying: "The suicide bombers are freedom fighters, not terrorists. I salute all of the fighters and all of the martyrs of Palestine ... Children throwing stones and becoming suicide bombers are heroes ... we must support the PLO and assist them in wiping out the Zionist entity."
Galloway's alleged comments apparently contravene British laws against incitement and promotion of terrorist attacks. Ha'aretz contacted Galloway for a reaction, but he was unavailable by press time.
As reported in Sunday's Ha'aretz, a week ago 20 pro-Palestinian leftists tried to storm the Israeli embassy in London. Embassy guards, reinforced by British police, repulsed these protesters. News of the attack was suppressed from the media for a week - again to avoid alarming Britain's Jewish community.
They are NOT going to do what it takes to get rid of the terror support cells. After all Mr. Cheney told is to simply expect the next attack as a given.
I seem to recall some suicides recently where the Muslims involved had enjoyed quite a few benefits of life in America, including first-rate flying instruction.
Islam out of Britain. The BNP is right on that count at least.
So who gets to cherry pick which religion/ethnic group stays or goes?
Perhaps when it comes time for the annual $3,000,000,000 welfare handout to Israel, she should ask G-d instead of Uncle Sam.
Pro-Palestinian activists have received logistic and financial support from left-wing organizations, as well as encouragement from some Labor Party MPs, including George Galloway, who is married to a Palestinian, and Jeremy Corbyn. At a discussion at the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies on May 2, Galloway was reported as saying: "The suicide bombers are freedom fighters, not terrorists. I salute all of the fighters and all of the martyrs of Palestine ... Children throwing stones and becoming suicide bombers are heroes ... we must support the PLO and assist them in wiping out the Zionist entity.
Same as it ever was. The Left/Pali connection. What more do you need to know?
Man that is just laughable. We haven't seen the Israelis resort to suicide attacks after living under terrorism for so many decades. Why would they think that Christians would suddenly snap? OMG, some people are so ignorant! It's like those people, right after 9-11, who were comparing Christians to Muslim extremists... and all that crap: "Well, if Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell had possitions of leadership, America would be run just like the Taliban." Dumb a$$e$!
Sunday Cheney said it and now the FBI is echoing the statement. The media is trying to sugar coat the issue for political reasons.
One… it will hurt the cause of the Palestinians when Hamas and PLO style bombings begin ripping apart US shopping malls and night clubs.
Two… the RATS will look like the partisan hacks they really are, people will remember the DNC playing the blame game when it begins and not addressing the real issue.
75 plus percent of the people smell politics and don’t like it, the RATS have been backpedaling as fast as they can and the media has been running block all the way.
If theses bombings begin here it will hurt all chances of the left advancing their agenda and the Palies will be de-legitimized because the homicide bombing carnage is no longer just on TV, it’s now on your street. The media isn’t dumb on this issue and I would bet you they are holding their collective breaths fearful of the first attack and how they can spin it favorably towards the RATS in the face of a Prez. With astronomical approval numbers and a public who is growing weary of partisan vomit.
TMMT
Copyright © 2002 AP Online
Special Report: America Responds
By PETE YOST, Associated Press
ALEXANDRIA, VA. (May 20, 2002 1:11 p.m. EDT) - Walk-in suicide bombers like those who have attacked public places in Israel eventually will hit the United States, FBI Director Robert Mueller said Monday.
"I think we will see that in the future, I think it's inevitable," Mueller said in response to a question during a speech to the National Association of District Attorneys meeting in suburban Alexandria, Va.
Mueller said the degree of fanaticism an informant must exhibit to get into the inner circle of a terrorist group makes it difficult for law enforcement agencies to penetrate such organizations and prevent such attacks.
"I wish I could be more optimistic," he said.
Mueller's prediction follows Vice President Dick Cheney's warning Sunday that because no specific information is available, the United States is finding it difficult to respond to the latest intelligence hints that al-Qaida may be planning another attack.
Mueller said law enforcement has been somewhat successful in combating acts of terrorism in Northern Ireland by developing sources who could provide information about terrorist plans and by using electronic surveillance.
But he said the difficulty of getting informants inside terrorist groups targeting the United States makes it much harder to obtain advance information.
Cheney said Sunday he sees "a real possibility" that walk-in suicide bombers may hit the United States if those who have attacked Israel succeed in changing the situation in the Middle East.
"Terrorism is an evil, pernicious thing, and it is one of the biggest challenges we've ever faced as a nation," Cheney said.
At the prosecutors meeting, Mueller said the FBI now believes that "an al-Qaida bomb maker" constructed the shoe bomb that Richard Reid had when he was apprehended aboard a flight from Paris to the United States in December.
Mueller made the comment in describing how the FBI is increasing its recruitment of scientific experts to help in terrorism investigations and is "centralizing analytical capability" to coordinate evidence gathering.
Mueller also said the arrest of Abu Zubaydah, a top al-Qaida operative, during raids in Pakistan in March was the result of a joint FBI-CIA operation. He cited the raids as an example of how the traditional wall between the FBI and the CIA is coming down as the two agencies battle terrorism.
How long before suicide bombers start here in the US? It's merely a matter of time - if the efforts of a hastily re-constituted intelligence community continue to prevent (or at least delay) islamic plans to "kill" large, highly visible, heavily populated targets in the US, they may become frustrated and start the market and mall suicide attacks a la Israel at any time.
The one thing we Amercians (a group NOT including constitution-subverting liberals like Daschle, Gebhardt, et. al.) can do is be vigilent (NO, Sally II, you're NOT being insensitive, you're being accurate) and watch for folks who look like they might be islamic (don't even TRY to get PC and talk about "profiling" - LOL!) and scrutinize them for anything appearing suspicious.
Remember, if one subscribes to the philosophy (NOT religion) of the koran, one seeks to convert ("revert") all nonislamics to islam, OR KILL THEM. The PC stand that Islam is about peace and love is a lie - the "peace and love" of islam only applies to islamics and, apparently only islamics who agree - even islamics, if they do not agree with each other, kill each other! - How dumb is THAT! It would appear that this merely proves the idiocy of islam!
Stay alert and stay armed! Best 9mm CCW regards!
They'll be more than just de-legitimized, they'll be dead because Americans will be so out-raged that they will take the law into their own hands. The basic task of govt is to protect it's citizens. Such an event will be viewed as a massive failure of govt. and the citizenery will deem it necessary to protect itself. Every mosque will be burned to the ground and every diaper-head seen in public will probably be shot on sight regardless of innocence or guilt. I suspect this was one of the biggest fears govt. had after 9/11 and thats why Bush had to call it a "religion of peace" in hopes of preventing a horrendous uprising....yeah, right. Soooo...if they wanna play rough on American soil...bring it on, it won't be the first time.
I don't blame you. Not a day has gone by since 9/11 that I don't think about suicide bombers as I'm walking the Times Square-to-Penn Station route or standing on a crowded corner in midtown waiting to cross the street.
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