The Clipboard: British terrorist suspect list deeply 'flawed'

From an article¹:

British intelligence agencies have drawn up a list of around 100 Islamist activists they suspect are involved in terrorist activities in the UK, The Observer can reveal.

The security authorities are on high alert following a month of warnings and a series of arrests in Britain, the US and Pakistan. Most of those on the list are British citizens, mainly of Pakistani descent, although some are those of naturalised immigrants from the Middle East.

Since 11 September 2001, intelligence agencies have focused their efforts on a perceived threat from within the UK, rather than from a group of 'al-Qaeda operatives' who infiltrate from outside.

But sources who have viewed the list say that, although it includes some 'serious players', it is deeply flawed. They say many of the individuals are marginal figures or are not involved at all. The view will raise fears that poor intelligence could lead to operations that will damage community relations while serving no useful counter-terrorist purpose.

'A lot of the names there are pretty historic,' said one person who has seen the list. 'Even if the people named are still involved, they are only acting in very minor support activities. Often they are now family men who had a bit of an adventure in their youth. They are decent citizens now.'

Many of those on the list are Britons of Pakistani origin who fought for Islamist militant groups in Kashmir, the disputed Himalayan mountain state, several years ago and have since ceased their involvement with radical Islamist activism. Hundreds of British citizens are believed to have fought in Kashmir and then returned to the UK. Such activities were not illegal at the time. (link)

It would be quite something if governments would consider whether their actions serve a useful counter-terrorist purpose.

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Complete text of the article, British terrorist suspect list deeply 'flawed', by Jason Burke

British intelligence agencies have drawn up a list of around 100 Islamist activists they suspect are involved in terrorist activities in the UK, The Observer can reveal.

The security authorities are on high alert following a month of warnings and a series of arrests in Britain, the US and Pakistan. Most of those on the list are British citizens, mainly of Pakistani descent, although some are those of naturalised immigrants from the Middle East.

Since 11 September 2001, intelligence agencies have focused their efforts on a perceived threat from within the UK, rather than from a group of 'al-Qaeda operatives' who infiltrate from outside.

But sources who have viewed the list say that, although it includes some 'serious players', it is deeply flawed. They say many of the individuals are marginal figures or are not involved at all. The view will raise fears that poor intelligence could lead to operations that will damage community relations while serving no useful counter-terrorist purpose.

'A lot of the names there are pretty historic,' said one person who has seen the list. 'Even if the people named are still involved, they are only acting in very minor support activities. Often they are now family men who had a bit of an adventure in their youth. They are decent citizens now.'

Many of those on the list are Britons of Pakistani origin who fought for Islamist militant groups in Kashmir, the disputed Himalayan mountain state, several years ago and have since ceased their involvement with radical Islamist activism. Hundreds of British citizens are believed to have fought in Kashmir and then returned to the UK. Such activities were not illegal at the time.

The list, comprising detailed dossiers on each man, which often include up-to-date surveillance pictures, is continually being updated. However, campaigners say this has not eliminated the innocent.

Police privately admit that the 'bar' on intelligence is 'relatively low' but say that 'no chances can be taken'. One senior officer said: 'We are very aware of the community relations aspect of everything we do. It's a real priority. But you are continually trading it off against the potential security risk.

'The last thing we want to do is anger people but we don't want to miss the chance to disrupt a terrorist attack either. We are very alive to this issue.'

Critics say acting on poor intelligence risks will alienate large portions of the overwhelmingly law-abiding Muslim community in Britain and point to the relatively small number of people convicted for terrorist offences following high-profile arrests.

The father of a British terror suspect facing extradition to the US last week accused Tony Blair of helping to create a climate of fear for Muslims. Ashfaq Ahmad, 69, whose son, Babar, was remanded in custody today after being arrested 11 days ago, told a protest of more than 200 Muslims outside the Home Office that his son was innocent.

'I call on all decent people to make it clear to this government that enough is enough,' he told reporters. 'We want justice in Britain and a fair trial and not American injustice and a show trial.'

reference=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,1283572,00.html