This is a guest post by Gabrielle Nejad, Research intern at the Centre for Social Cohesion.
A white supremacist plot, aimed at using ricin as part of a biological weapon against ethnic minorities in the UK, has been thwarted by police after a father and son team have both been arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000. The lethal toxin was discovered in a sealed jam jar, after a six month investigation led to the dawn raids on two properties in County Durham.
A white supremacist plot, aimed at using ricin as part of a biological weapon against ethnic minorities in the UK, has been thwarted by police after a father and son team have both been arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000. The lethal toxin was discovered in a sealed jam jar, after a six month investigation led to the dawn raids on two properties in County Durham.
Nicky Davison, 18, was initially arrested at his home in Grampian Court, Annfield Plain, on suspicion of inciting racial hatred; however he has since been re-arrested. Both father, named Ian Davison, and son are now being detained under the Terrorism Act. Senior police believe the pair to be part of a worldwide terror plot targeting ethnic minorities.
The raids occurred after long running investigations by counterterrorism operations involving MI5 and other agencies. They had been monitoring the two suspects' access to internet sites that have been described as 'unhelpful to public safety'. However, Durham's assistant chief constable, Mike Barton, admitted that the discovery of ricin came as a complete surprise. The dangerous chemical, for which there is not antidote, was confirmed by a government laboratory in Edinburgh.
Contrary to the above threat and danger posed by the father-son partnership, a further twist in the tale sees the teenager being bailed until the 22 June 2009, despite being charged with possessing information useful to committing a terrorist act. He has been ordered by Westminster magistrates to wear an electronic tag.
The above plot cannot help but remind readers of the ricin plot of 2005. The al-Qaeda cell, headed by Kamal Bourgass, planned a coordinated biological attack across Europe targeting the transport system. With the BNP gaining two seats in the European elections, it seems fitting that a white supremacist plot, as accounted for above, should be discovered in the same week. The BNP's ideology is no secret, or if it is, then it's very badly kept. One only has to look at Andrew Brons' (the newly elected BNP MEP) CV - which highlights his anti-semitic and white supremacist views - to understand the lack of calibre and type of person that is attracted to BNP politics. The BNP is a deeply and truly racist party, whose ideas are not dissimilar to those that motivated the father-son combination to keep ricin in a jam jar in their kitchen. As Mike Barton stated, 'the terrorist threat in the UK is real and present'. Let's hope the enormity of such a threat, especially in today's climate, is fully realised once and for all.
The raids occurred after long running investigations by counterterrorism operations involving MI5 and other agencies. They had been monitoring the two suspects' access to internet sites that have been described as 'unhelpful to public safety'. However, Durham's assistant chief constable, Mike Barton, admitted that the discovery of ricin came as a complete surprise. The dangerous chemical, for which there is not antidote, was confirmed by a government laboratory in Edinburgh.
Contrary to the above threat and danger posed by the father-son partnership, a further twist in the tale sees the teenager being bailed until the 22 June 2009, despite being charged with possessing information useful to committing a terrorist act. He has been ordered by Westminster magistrates to wear an electronic tag.
The above plot cannot help but remind readers of the ricin plot of 2005. The al-Qaeda cell, headed by Kamal Bourgass, planned a coordinated biological attack across Europe targeting the transport system. With the BNP gaining two seats in the European elections, it seems fitting that a white supremacist plot, as accounted for above, should be discovered in the same week. The BNP's ideology is no secret, or if it is, then it's very badly kept. One only has to look at Andrew Brons' (the newly elected BNP MEP) CV - which highlights his anti-semitic and white supremacist views - to understand the lack of calibre and type of person that is attracted to BNP politics. The BNP is a deeply and truly racist party, whose ideas are not dissimilar to those that motivated the father-son combination to keep ricin in a jam jar in their kitchen. As Mike Barton stated, 'the terrorist threat in the UK is real and present'. Let's hope the enormity of such a threat, especially in today's climate, is fully realised once and for all.
