Britain Now No 1 al-Qaida Target
Thu, October 19, 2006
Source: Guardian Unlimited
Britain has become the main target for a resurgent al-Qaida, which has successfully regrouped and now presents a greater threat than ever...
Officials say group sees July 7 attacks as 'just the beginning' of UK campaign.
Anti-terrorism officials believe Britain is an easy target because of its links with Pakistan.
Britain has become the main target for a resurgent al-Qaida, which has successfully regrouped and now presents a greater threat than ever before, according to counter-terrorist officials. They have revised their views about the strength of the network abroad, and the methods terrorists are able to use in the UK.
Intelligence chiefs with access to the most comprehensive and up to date information have told the Guardian that al-Qaida has substantially recovered its organisation in Pakistan, despite a four-year military campaign to seek out and kill its leaders. In that time, the organisation has become much more coherent, with a strong core and a regular supply of volunteers.
More worrying, officials say, is evidence of new techniques that would-be terrorists within the UK have adopted. The structure of individual al-Qaida-inspired groups is much more like the old Provisional IRA cells, with self-contained units comprising a lead organiser/planner, a quartermaster in charge of weapons and explosives acquisition and training, and several volunteers.
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