veiled4allah: terrorist plot in Britain?

Also in Britain, we learn about a raid that found the largest haul of chemical explosives ever found at a residence in the country, a rocket launcher, and "some kind of master plan" to use these weapons.

Why haven't you heard about it? Apparently, because the suspects are right-wing extremists associated with the British National Party, rather than being Muslims.

I first read about this in Socialist Worker: A terror raid that doesn't make the headlines - despite chemical explosives and a rocket launcher. Later I saw it again in The Bomb Factory You Won't Hear About, by bat020 at Lenin's Tomb, which found a grand total of two stories from purely local newspapers, Nelson News: Pendle Today - Chemicals Find: Two In Court and Burnley Citizen: Ex-BNP man faces explosives charge.

A couple of other bloggers picked up the story from Lenin's Tomb, including Large bomb apparently found, not many informed, by jamie at Blood and Treasure and Chemicals, rocket launcher, master plan, man charged, by Thabet at under|progress.

A search on Google News turned up two reprints of the Burnley Citizen report in other local newspapers in the area (1, 2) and an independent report in another local newspaper, Northwest Evening Mail: Rocket Launcher Found at Dentist's House. Also, some commentary from a Muslim news site, Mathaba News: Terror raid, rocket launchers, chemical explosives but no headlines.

I think we all know that if the suspects had been Muslims, this would be a huge news story with much hyperventilating. To see it get so little coverage when the suspects are white right-wing extremists makes the double standard pretty darn blatant.

Hopefully, the British blogs will be able to get more publicity for this story, inshallah.

Update 10/11: Various other blogs have picked up the story including Rachel from North London, qwghlm.co.uk, Wis(s)e Words, Sunny Hundal, and Lenin's Tomb, which wrote to the BBC to find out why they weren't covering it. The London Sunday Times had a single paragraph in a "News in Brief" round-up, but so far that's it as far as any mainstream media coverage goes.

Update 10/23: Little further has happened on this, but Rachel from North London reports that the suspects are in court today and she has been trying to get some media coverage for it (and thanks for the shout-out, Rachel!)

Later, Tom at Blairwatch goes digging to find out what happened. According to the North-West Evening Mail, at least one of the suspects would be appearing in court on Saturday (October 28), although not the court mentioned by the BBC in its earlier reply to Lenin (according to Blairwatch, the court mentioned by the BBC does not appear to exist!). The Lancaster Unite Against Fascism blog also looks for information on what happened and a commenter reports that one of the suspects was let off, although this appears to contradict the report in the NW Evening Mail. In other words, nobody appears to have any idea what is happening!

Update 10/27: I missed this for a few days, but Pickled Politics has the goods, and some news links. Apparently both suspects did appear on October 24 and their trial will be in February 2007. Sunny also discusses reporting restrictions and the media.