Posted on 01/25/2003 3:55:04 PM PST by MadIvan
DETECTIVES investigating a plot by Islamic terrorists to carry out a chemical weapons attack in Britain have found chemical warfare protection suits at a mosque in north London.
The NBC (nuclear, biological and chemical) suits were discovered during a raid by 150 police officers on the Finsbury Park mosque last Monday. Informed sources said the discovery confirmed growing fears by police and MI5 that a chemical attack is being planned by supporters of Osama Bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda movement in Britain.
Police announced after the raid they had seized a small arsenal of weapons including a stun gun, an imitation firearm and a CS gas canister.
But discovery of the NBC suits has been kept a closely guarded secret known only to a handful of senior officers. Ministers are acutely aware that any suggestion that the mosque may have been involved with chemical weapons could inflame racial tensions. Seven men — six north Africans and one eastern European — were arrested during the raid. Last night two were still being held under the terrorism act.
It is not known how many suits were found at the mosque or their purpose. However, police say there has so far been no evidence found of chemicals or anything that would pose an immediate threat to the public.
The suits are being analysed to see if there are any traces of ricin or other chemicals on them. Scientists at the defence science and technology laboratories at Porton Down are thought to have been consulted.
Police emphasised that the operation was not against the mosque itself or those who regularly attend it to pray.
Reda Husseine, an Algerian journalist once paid by French and British security services to infiltrate the mosque, said he had heard conversations by militants there about the possible use of chemical weapons. He said: “In 1999 and 2000, there were discussions about chemical, biological and even a possible attack with a ‘dirty bomb’ (a crudely constructed device containing uranium). I told British authorities about that. They dismissed it as rubbish.”
The mosque has been used by Abu Hamza, a radical Muslim cleric, to preach holy war against the West. Its visitors have included two would-be suicide bombers. One was Richard Reid, the “shoe bomber”, who tried to blow up a plane using plastic explosives in his shoe in December 2001. A second was Zacarias Moussaoui, the man the FBI claims was to be the 20th hijacker on September 11.
Scotland Yard has said the search of the mosque last week was linked to a raid earlier this month on a flat in Wood Green, north London, where ricin is believed to have been made. Four north Africans have been charged with being concerned in the development or production of chemical weapons.
Police mounted the operations after receiving information on New Year’s Day of a threatened chemical attack in Britain. Officers fear there may be chemical “factories” operating elsewhere in Britain.
Last month a chemical warfare suit was seized after French police arrested four suspects in a Paris suburb. Sources say that raid has helped investigators in Britain begin to unravel a new terrorist network.
A typical NBC suit consists of hooded overalls, protective boots and inner and outer gloves. A cloth outer suit impregnated with carbon and a respirator are designed to protect users from chemical, biological or nuclear fallout.
Scotland Yard said it was “not prepared to discuss” the investigation.
Why would you go to the trouble of getting an infiltrator in there, paying him for his efforts, and then dismiss what he tells you? I bet they're not dismissing it now.
This is big, big news.
And the reaction of the man in the pew.....er.....man squatting on the floor to this news? Outrage? Sadness? Indignation?
None of the above. Those that don't think it's a great idea will swallow the Imam's lie that the cops planted it all.
You can also get them out of dumpsters on military installations. But there are some issues to be confronted here: (1) The filters that the masks use are sometimes specific to a certain agent(s). (2) Neither the filter nor the charcoal impregnation of the suit confers long-lasting immunity. The useful life ranges from minutes to days depending the what the suit and mask are exposed to. So there might be some surprised terrorist if they ever try to use one in a real situation!
It's sickening.
NBC suits come in special airtight bags for a reason. They have a fairly short shelf-life after they are opened, even if not exposed to chemicals (less if they are). Most people are not aware of this, but just having a chemical suit sitting around exposed to the environment in a box somewhere will slowly deteriorate its protective ability. The military considers chemical suits and filters short-term consumables, because in any kind of real deployment you would throw them away pretty regularly, even if you weren't exposed to chemical weapons due to their rapidly deterioriating performance. Note that the same goes for gas masks. If you have one sitting on the shelf for years, the filter will be nearly useless. You need a supply of filters in the factory packaging (i.e. sealed canisters) that you can swap out if you need them.
"Seven men — six north Africans and one eastern European — were arrested during the raid. Last night two were still being held under the terrorism act." ...
"The suits are being analysed to see if there are any traces of ricin or other chemicals on them. Scientists at the defence science and technology laboratories at Porton Down are thought to have been consulted." ...
Reda Husseine, an Algerian journalist once paid by French and British security services to infiltrate the mosque, said he had heard conversations by militants there about the possible use of chemical weapons. He said: “In 1999 and 2000, there were discussions about chemical, biological and even a possible attack with a ‘dirty bomb’ (a crudely constructed device containing uranium). I told British authorities about that. They dismissed it as rubbish.” The mosque has been used by Abu Hamza, a radical Muslim cleric, to preach holy war against the West. Its visitors have included two would-be suicide bombers. One was Richard Reid, the “shoe bomber”, who tried to blow up a plane using plastic explosives in his shoe in December 2001. A second was Zacarias Moussaoui, the man the FBI claims was to be the 20th hijacker on September 11.
Scotland Yard has said the search of the mosque last week was linked to a raid earlier this month on a flat in Wood Green, north London, where ricin is believed to have been made. Four north Africans have been charged with being concerned in the development or production of chemical weapons.
Police mounted the operations after receiving information on New Year’s Day of a threatened chemical attack in Britain. Officers fear there may be chemical “factories” operating elsewhere in Britain.
Last month a chemical warfare suit was seized after French police arrested four suspects in a Paris suburb. Sources say that raid has helped investigators in Britain begin to unravel a new terrorist network."
***An Interesting Discussion on FREEREPUBLIC.com regarding a www.opinion.TELEGRAPH.co.uk article by Sean O'Neill: "HAMZA ACCUSED OF TRYING TO SET UP TERRORIST CELL" (TELEGRAPH.co.uk ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Sheikh Abu Hamza al-Masri, the imam of Finsbury Park mosque, stands accused in the United States of attempting to establish a terrorist cell there to "engage in violent global jihad". Hamza, 45, is the key figure in a federal grand jury investigation in Seattle which accuses him of being a terrorist recruiter and names one of his followers as an al-Qa'eda agent in the US. James Ujaama, a black Muslim activist, faces trial later this year on charges of trying to set up a terrorist training camp in Bly, Oregon.") (January 22, 2003)
NY POST.com: "CHILLING RICIN TWIST" by Niles Lathem (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "WASHINGTON - The terrorists arrested in Europe for planning to carry out attacks there with ricin are part of the vicious Algerian network behind the millennium bomb plots in the United States, sources say. U.S. officials are monitoring the recent arrests in Britain and France amid concern that the "Algerian wing" of Osama bin Laden's terror empire has been activated for assassinations and biological and chemical attacks in America and Europe.") (January 20, 2003)
FREEREPUBLIC.com - Discussion Thread - Topic: IDF.il - Spokesperson's Unit Article: "AL QAEDA IS A DANGER TO THE FREE WORLD" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "An Israeli security source stressed that "Al-Qaeda"persists in attempting to re-establish its terror infrastructure and is also striving to acquire unconventional weapons. Recently, they have set up covert cells in areas under Palestinian Authority control for the purpose of carrying out terror attacks. The increasing threat against the free world inherent in Al-Qaeda may be seen in the extreme anti-western line taken by that organization, in which all citizens of democratic counties are defined as "combatants" thus conferring religious legitimacy to the indiscriminate killing of civilians. An article published recently on one of the Internet sites identified with Al-Qaeda, endorsing annihilation of the United States and its allies through use of nuclear and biological weapons, conveys, according to the security source, the urgent need for cooperation in the fight against international terror. The following is a translation of the article that endorses "annihilation of the United States" with nuclear and biological weapons: Nuclear Warfare is the Solution for Destroying America...") (January 20, 2003)
***ALBAWABA.com: "RAFT EXPLODES OFF GAZA COAST AS ISRAEL ARREST 9 PALESTINIANS" (ARTICLE NOTE: The raft is described as an "unmanned, booby-trapped raft".) (011703)
***ALBAWABA.com: "HAMAS GETS RPG LAUNCHERS, DEVELOPS ADVANCED VERSION OF QASSAM ROCKETS" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The Palestinian resistance group Hamas said Tuesday it has received a large number of rocket-propelled grenade launchers and has produced a new batch of an advanced version of its Qassam rockets.") (January 14, 2003)
***An Interesting Discussion on FREEREPUBLIC.com regarding a DebkaFile article: "ARAFAT'S NEW TERROR WEAPON: EXPLODING TOY PLANES" (January 14, 2003)
***BUSH COUNTRY.org - Opinion Corner by Jeremy Reynalds: "TERRORIST GROUP'S TV STATION APPEALS FOR FUNDS FOR 'OPPRESSED PALESTINIAN PEOPLE.'" (COMMENTARY SNIPPET: "The radical terrorist group Hizballah, on the U.S. State Department's list of terrorist organizations, is raising funds for its activities on an associated web site apparently hosted by an American internet service provider. The web site is www.manartv.com, a Lebanese television station broadcasting by satellite, that is commonly considered to be a propaganda arm of the Hizballah.") (January 14, 2003)
***NATIONAL POST.com: "AL QAEDA PLANNING URANIUM BOMB: UN" by Steven Edwards (121102)
An Interesting Discussion on FREEREPUBLIC.com regarding a BBC article: "ANTI-TERROR POLICE RAID LONDON MOSQUE" (BBC NEWS Article Snippet: "Police have raided Finsbury Park mosque in north London, arresting seven people. Scotland Yard said the raid was linked to the investigation into the discovery of traces of the deadly poison Ricin in a flat in Wood Green, north London, earlier this month. The mosque has attracted controversy over its connection with radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza.") (January 20, 2003)
***MSNBC.com: "REPORT: AL QAEDA DEAL FOR NERVE GAS U.S. Suspects Nerve Agent VX Was Smuggled Through Turkey" (121202)
***IDF.il - ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES Spokesperson's Unit: "BIN LADEN'S DEPUTY CALLS FOR TERROR ATTACKS AGAINST U.S. TARGETS IN MUSLIM COUNTRIES" (January 13, 2003)
***ALBAWABA.com - The Middle East Gateway: "BOOK PURPORTEDLY SIGNED BY BIN LADEN AIDE CALLS FOR JIHAD" (January 15, 2003)
FBI.gov - MOST WANTED - TERRORISTS: "AYMAN AL-ZAWAHRI"
MEMRI.org - MIDDLE EAST MEDIA RESEARCH INSTITUTE Inquiry and Analysis Series No. 120: "EGYPT RETHINKS ITS NUCLEAR PROGRAM - Part III: THE NUCLEAR LOBBY (Continued) by Yotam Feldner" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Leading elements in Egypt's religious establishment have expressed clear support for developing Arab/Islamic nuclear weapons, based on Koranic verses that they claim permit, and even require, them doing so. The first to support Arab nuclear weapons was Sheikh of Al-Azhar Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi in the opening speech at a conference on the future of nuclear strategy held at the University of Asyut in October 1999, with the participation of nuclear scientists from various Arab countries. Sheikh Tantawi explained, "Islam calls for strength, but for logical and just strength that stands by the oppressed until he completely vanquishes the oppressor, because this strength is one of the traits of Allah and one of the traits of divine inspiration."") (012103)
MEMRI.org - MIDDLE EAST MEDIA RESEARCH INSTITUTE Inquiry and Analysis Series No. 119: "EGYPT RETHINKS ITS NUCLEAR PROGRAM - PART II: THE NUCLEAR LOBBY (Continued)" by Yotam Feldner (011703)
MEMRI.org - MIDDLE EAST MEDIA RESEARCH INSTITUTE Inquiry and Analysis Series No. 118: "EGYPT RETHINKS ITS NUCLEAR PROGRAM - PART I: THE NUCLEAR LOBBY" by Yotam Feldner (011703)
***ALBAWABA.com: "GROUP CONFIRMS ABU ABBAS VISITED CAIRO, EGYPT DENIES" (ARTICLE SNIPPETS: "Abu Abbas, also known as Mohammed Abbas, is the leader of the Palestine Liberation Front, which hijacked the cruise ship Achille Lauro in the eastern Mediterranean in 1985. A disabled elderly American, Leon Klinghoffer, was killed during the operation. The Israeli newspaper, The Jerusalem Post, said on Thursday that Abu Abbas arrived in Cairo on Monday night to participate in Palestinian talks on an end to attacks on civilians in Israel."..."An official of his Abu Abbas group said Friday he came to Egypt this week for talks with the government. "He did visit Cairo, but I can't say where he is now for his own safety," said Nazim el-Youssef of the Palestine Liberation Front in Lebanon. The group issued a statement earlier in the week saying a delegation led by Abu Abbas had arrived in Cairo at the invitation of Egyptian authorities for talks to "unite the Palestinian groups to enable them to face Israeli aggression."" (Albawaba.com)) (January 11, 2003)
stepping back in time...SPECIAL OPERATIONS.com: "ACHILLE LAURO HIJACKING, Mediterranean Sea, October 1985"
***TERRORISM FILES.org: "TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS: PALESTINE LIBERATION FRONT (PLF)" (TERRORISM FILE SNIPPET: "Location/Area of Operation: PLO faction based in Tunisia until Achille Lauro attack. Now based in Iraq. External Aid: Receives support mainly from Iraq. Has received support from Libya in the past.")
ISLAM-Online.net - ASK THE SCHOLAR: TOPIC: "MARTYR OPERATIONS CARRIED OUT BY THE PALESTINIANS" (NOTE: The Mufti for this question is Sheikh Faysal Mawlawi) (ARTICLE SNIPPET: ""So the Palestinians resort to martyr operations, in which the martyr blows himself/herself up, sacrificing his life for the sake of his country and inflicting serious but reciprocal harms on the enemy. In the light of the above-mentioned facts, I believe that those missions are a sacred duty carried out in form of self-defence and resisting aggression and injustice. So whoever is killed in such missions is a martyr, may Allah bless him with high esteem. I call on every Palestinian not to hesitate in carrying out such operations as long as they are the only way of making Jihad and are made with an intention of sacrificing one's life for the Sake of one's religion and nation. I wish that other scholars who hesitate concerning such a matter to reconsider their views according to what I have said and what other scholars have said. May Allah guide us all to what is right."") (010503)
Anyone who would continue to go to that mosque though, after what the police found, would have to be suspect...that's just common sense. It would be like showing support for terrorists - even if they had no knowledge of it beforehand.
You mean "Rule Britannia". I could do, but certain Irish girls would want to hit me over the head if I did. ;)
Regards, Ivan
Especially seeing as the BBC World Service discovered the the Irish 'A Nation Once Again' was the most popular song in the world!!!! ;-)
It's all due to Paul's Grandfather in "A Hard Day's Night" -
"I'm a soldier of the Republic...A Nation Once Again! A Nation Once Again!"
Love, Ivan
Well, gee, imagine how the racial tensions will flame up when 2000 Londoners are laying dead in the street and the only people walking around are a bunch of Islamifascists in NBC suits holding gas canisters.
This PC crap has to stop. Tell the people what was found and who was arrested.
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