One of the astonishing things about the somewhat farcical terror attack that occurred in Glasgow, and the failed one in London’s West End is just how much information journalists have been able to uncover about the men carrying out the attack, worryingly, it seems as these men were well known radicals. For example, Bilal Abudllah the only man arrested in connection with the attacks was described by his professor in Baghdad as one of the most radical students he had ever met http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/08/nrmuslim408.xml. He also seems to have been a member of a radical group in Cambridge.
If journalists knew so much about these people it begs the question as to how much our security services knew, several of the plotters were known to MI5 and the home office. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=34DI4PBVRCP5LQFIQMFSFGGAVCBQ0IV0?xml=/news/2007/07/03/nterror104.xml
Worryingly the recent conviction of some of the 21/7 bombers has lead to the revallation that many of these failed bombers were also known to the security services. Muktar Said Ibrahim, the man who attempted to blow up a London bus, had been filmed by security services attending a terror camp and traveled to Pakistan to undertake more training.
Despite some of the serious questions that should be asked of the security services are being missed. The Conservatives are using these revelations to push their policies of a border police and the Liberals have fallen silent on the matter.
We should be seeking proper and thorough oversight of our security services, if for nothing else so that the public can be safe in the knowledge that all has been possibly done to protect them. In the United States the directors of the intelligence services have to appear regularly before Congress to testify. In the UK on the other hand our response to seemingly preventable acts of terror is to further curtail our civil liberties, as with the extension of the 28 day detention without charge law last week so perfectly demonstrated.
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The voice of young liberal democrats 
Again, and not surprisingly, the Labour Government has failed in its duty to protect the public. It is too obsessed with other things, i.e. plotting an Autumn or Spring (or whenever) General Election. Policy non-delivery in the NHS, Schools, etc is frankly negligent — but policy non-delivery when it comes to schools is frankly murderous.
Comment by wiltedrose August 20, 2007 @ 8:47 pm