Recently in Security Category

Brennan gets it wrong at NYU

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Reproduced below is my latest blog for Conservative Home.

John Brennan, the deputy national security adviser and top counterterrorism aide to President Obama, has come under increasing fire recently over the government's handling of Umar Abdulmutallab. Republican critics have complained that the Detroit bomber was read his Miranda rights too quickly, meaning vital intelligence could not be extracted from him, and called for him to be treated as an enemy combatant and therefore subejct to military tribunal.

Islam4UK Ban - Why So Late?

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Reproduced below is my latest blog for Standpoint magazine:

Yesterday, Home Secretary Alan Johnson banned Islam4UK in what seemed a knee-jerk reaction to their planned march in Wootten Bassett.  Although the ban has come late and was quite clearly done with the upcoming election in mind, it is still the right move.

RICU Give Update on April 2009 Student Terror Arrests

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This is an article which first appeared on my Standpoint Focus on Islamism blog


Readers may remember that back in April, counter terrorism officers arrested 12 students in the North West of England as part of Operation Pathway.  The government has now released an update about the arrests and subsequent detentions, which have caused much consternation among some British Muslims, who (in some cases justifiably) saw the arrests as another example of the increased suspicion and victimisation of Muslims in the UK.

In my last blog, I wrote about the decision to ban an al-Qaeda supporter from a London local council.  The government's Research, Information and Communications Unit (RICU) have now released a statement about this move.

United States Institute of Peace Calls for US Engagement with Hamas

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Click here for my latest blog on the USIP report on Hamas engagement.

What really inspired the 7/7 ringleader?

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Well, it certainly was not UK involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq.  James Forsyth of The Spectator, with the assistance of Shiraz Maher, has highlighted a crucial segment of the recenly released review of the intelligence.  On page 93 of Could 7/7 Have Been Prevented?, there is a picture of Mohammed Siddique Khan from a surveillance operation in January 2001, this was before the invasion of Afghanistan and long before Iraq.  In fact, it would be difficult even to argue that Khan took his inspiration from the bravery and heroism of the 9/11 murderers.

MI5 absolved of blame over 7/7

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This is a guest blog by CSC Research Intern Gabrielle Nejad.

The eagerly anticipated second Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) report released today has absolved the security services and police of any blame they may have incurred for failing to prevent the suicide bombings in July 2005.

The Muslim Safety Forum (MSF) is one of the groups reported to have influenced the Chief of the Metropolitan Police's decision to scale down police stop and seach powers. This comes two months after revelations that the founding chairman of the MSF and, according to the most recent reports, its current treasurer, Azad Ali, held extremist Islamist views and praised one of the godfathers of modern jihad, Abdullah Azzam.

Islamists kill, and the UK wants to talk

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Reproduced below is my article from today's Lebanon Daily Star, the country's main English language daily.

Imagine this scene: One of the senior leaders of a movement the European Union has designated a "terrorist entity," and that for the last two decades has based a good part of its military strategy on attacking civilians; that has repeatedly heightened the prospect of conflict whenever there has been an increased probability of peace; and that has a founding Charter effectively advocating the elimination of a United Nations member state, is allowed to address the government of a European nation in the heart of its democratic institutions, with no strings attached.

Guest blog by Tom Parkinson, CSC research intern:

The Daily Mail today reported that following the CSC's press release on Monday documenting a meeting between Abu Qatada and convicted Egyptian extremist Yasser al-Sirri, the Home Office is to review the former's bail conditions. Al-Sirri - who was identified by the Centre - is currently not included on a list of more than 20 extremists with Qatada is banned from associating.

Tory MP Patrick Mercer, a security adviser to the Prime Minister, said: "Yasser Al-Sirri is a dangerous individual. The fact he is allowed to associate with Abu Qatada makes a mockery of Qatada's bail conditions. 'The Home Office has got to stop its tinkering and ensure that proper checks and measures are in place to protect the public from extremists. That includes adding Al-Sirri to the list of those Qatada cannot associate with."

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