Ottawa Citizen : U.K. cops defend terror raids after Pakistani suspects released

U.K. cops defend terror raids after Pakistani suspects released

By Prashant Rao, Agence France-Presse | April 22, 2009

LONDON - British police on Wednesday defended anti-terror raids this month that led to the arrests of 12 mostly Pakistani men who were then all released without charge.

The pre-dawn swoops across northwest England on April 8 had been described by Prime Minister Gordon Brown as part of a probe into a "major terrorist plot".

After the two remaining suspects were freed Wednesday, police defended the arrests on the grounds of public safety.

"All of the suspects arrested by the North West Counter Terrorism Unit during the recent operation have now been released," Greater Manchester Police said in a statement.

The statement said prosecutors had advised that there was "insufficient evidence gathered within the permitted timescales which would have allowed a warrant of further detention to be gathered or charges to be pursued."

The suspects were 11 Pakistani nationals, 10 of whom were in Britain on student visas, and a lone Briton.

All the Pakistanis have been handed over to British immigration officials, who have said they will be deported to Pakistan.

Brown's spokesman told reporters Wednesday that the government was "seeking to remove these individuals on grounds of national security.

"The government's highest priority is to protect public safety. Where a foreign national poses a threat to the country, we will seek to exclude or deport them where appropriate."

The raids had to be hastily brought forward after Britain's top counter-terrorism policeman Bob Quick was photographed holding clearly legible briefing notes on the operation. He resigned over the gaffe.

The notes he was carrying into a meeting at Brown's Downing Street offices stated police were investigating a plot that was "AQ-driven", meaning al-Qaida.

But a senior police officer defended the arrests, insisting that no mistakes had been made in the operation.

"I don't feel embarrassed or humiliated about what we have done because we have carried out our duty," Greater Manchester Police's Chief Constable Peter Fahy told reporters on Wednesday.

"I don't think a mistake has been made, no. I do not believe a mistake has been made."

A Muslim community leader in Manchester, however, criticized the police, saying detectives could "not keep getting it wrong" because such instances were "sapping" community confidence in the police.

Of the dozen arrested, one 18-year-old student was released just three days after the anti-terror operation, while nine were freed from police custody Tuesday, with the final two being let go on Wednesday.

The arrests, and the revelations that 10 of the men held were on student visas, have put Brown's government under pressure to tighten its visa rules.

Relatives of the men in Pakistan had pleaded their innocence, and in a statement issued late Tuesday, a British-based lawyer for three of the men said he would challenge any attempt to deport them.

"Our clients have no criminal history, they were here lawfully on student visas and all were pursuing their studies and working part-time," said Mohammed Ayub, who is based in Bradford, northern England.

"Our clients are neither extremists nor terrorists. Their arrest and detention has been a very serious breach of their human rights."

Shami Chakrabarti, director of the human rights group Liberty, described deportation on the grounds of national security as "an extremely shadowy process" and called for assurances from the government that the powers would not be abused.

The BBC reported Wednesday that the case would be independently reviewed by Lord Alexander Carlisle, Britain's independent reviewer of anti-terror laws.

© Copyright (c) AFP

Crime Central : Turf wars over terror fiasco

Turf wars over terror fiasco

April 22, 2009

The blame game over the North-West terror arrest fiasco is in full swing. The intelligence folks say the cops went too early. Scotland Yard says that despite Bob Quick's infamous blunder all the operational decisions were down to Greater Manchester Police, who run the North-West Counter-terrorism Unit. Greater Manchester says there are no disagreements and it acted to protect the public. Lord Carlile, who is going to review the whole sorry affair, will have quite a job on his hands.

Meanwhile, Crime Central would just like to point out that if you went on to the GMP website just a few short months ago and typed the word "terrorism" into the search box, up would pop an anti-terrorist surveillance video. Shot from a car, the rather fuzzy footage showed the "target" running around a Manchester park. Top secret stuff, out there on a public website for all too see.

Guardian : Lord Carlile calls inquiry into terror bomb plot raids

Lord Carlile calls inquiry into terror bomb plot raids

Police deny error as 12 are freed without charge
Lawyers try to stop deportation to Pakistan

Sandra Laville and Helen Carter | April 23, 2009

The operation that led to 12 men being arrested on suspicion of plotting a large al-Qaida atrocity is to be investigated by Lord Carlile, the country's terror watchdog.

Carlile, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said he would carry out a review into the raids, that took place in the north-west of England on the Wednesday before Easter, after all 12 suspects were released without charge.

As lawyers for some of the men said they would resist attempts to deport them to Pakistan, the chief constable of Greater Manchester police, who led the operation, denied his force had been embarrassed.

"I do not believe a mistake was made," said Peter Fahy. "We were faced with a very difficult decision."

The last two suspects were released into the custody of the UK Border Agency by the police yesterday, 24 hours after nine others had been transferred to the border agency for deportation without being charged.

A 12th suspect was released earlier in the operation. Eleven of the men are Pakistani nationals who entered the country on student visas. They now face deportation on the grounds of national security. The 12th is a British national.

Carlile said yesterday he alone had decided to launch an inquiry into the operation, which was co-ordinated by counterterrorist officers from the police in Manchester, London and the security service MI5. His investigation will start next month but he would not commit himself to making the report public.

"The questions I shall raise will centre on (but not necessarily be limited to) the nature and extent of the use of the Terrorism Act 2000 and connected legislation used for the purposes of the operation," he said.

He said the review did not necessarily imply criticism but was part of his ongoing activity. But the decision to mount an inquiry into the arrests, which led to comments by Gordon Brown that the police had foiled a "very big terrorist plot", will be viewed by some as reflecting concern over the way police and politicians are dealing with the terrorist threat.

Fahy acknowledged the concerns of the Muslim community in comments yesterday. But he stood by his force's decision to move in and make the arrests.

"When it comes to the safety of the public we can't take any chances - we must act on information we receive. We don't take these decisions lightly and only carry out this kind of action if it was wholly justified."

He said police were still gathering information but after consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service and a judge there had not been enough evidence to bring charges.

The Guardian understands that the decision to arrest the 12 on 8 April came after discussions between the security service MI5 and the police. Fahy denied that there had been any disagreement with the security services.

There was hope early on that evidence might be found of bombmaking material or on computer disks seized from the suspects' homes, but in the event the police did not find enough evidence even to convince a judge that the men could be held and questioned for the full 28 days available under terror legislation.

A spokesman for Brown said yesterday: "We are seeking to remove these individuals on grounds of national security. Where a foreign national poses a threat to the country we will seek to exclude or deport them where appropriate."

Inayat Bunglawala of the Muslim Council of Britain said the prime minister's comments on the arrests had been prejudicial and premature. "These arrests took place in very dramatic circumstances with students being pulled from universities and thrown to the floor. Instead of releasing them with good grace and making clear a mistake has been made the government is seeking to deport them citing a very vague national security threat."

The raids were brought forward after the country's then head of counterterrorism, assistant commissioner Bob Quick, inadvertently allowed details of the operation to be photographed outside Downing Street. Neither the police nor security services believe the raids were compromised by advancing them.

Al Jazeera : UK police release al-Qaeda suspects

UK police release al-Qaeda suspects

April 22, 2009

British police have released all 12 men arrested in raids earlier this month over a suspected al-Qaeda plot.

Officers did not charge the men, 11 Pakistanis and one Briton, who were seized on April 8 in a raid that had been brought forward due to a security breach.

The arrests, which took place in northwest England, were rushed through after Bob Quick, Britain's senior counter-terrorism officer, was photographed holding notes on the operation.

The security blunder led him to resign a day later.

Gordon Brown, Britain's prime minister, said at the time of the raids that police had foiled "a very big terrorist plot".

Insufficient evidence

The men, 10 of whom held student visas, were arrested in raids in Manchester, Liverpool and Clitheroe in Lancashire.

But prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence to justify holding them any longer or bring charges against them.

Peter Fahy, chief constable for Greater Manchester police, defended the operation.

He said: "We had a duty to act to protect the public and a subsequent duty to investigate what lay before us.

"We don't take these decisions lightly and only carry out this kind of action if it is wholly justified."

All but one of the suspects are expected to be deported on national security grounds.

A lawyer for three of the men said they would fight to stay and continue their education in the UK.

Mohammed Ayub said: "Our clients have no criminal history, they were here lawfully on student visas and all were pursuing their studies and working part-time.

"Our clients are neither extremists nor terrorists. Their arrest and detention has been a very serious breach of their human rights."

Times : The trick is knowing when to intervene and when to wait

The trick is knowing when to intervene and when to wait

Commentary by Andy Hayman | April 22, 2009

Since the atrocities of July 7, 2005, Britain has had to be on full alert in the very real knowledge that an attack by international terrorists could be mounted at any time. When arrests such as those that occurred just before Easter take place, the public holds its breath. Was this the real thing? Or was it the authorities overreacting?

The release without charge of 10 of the 12 suspects will cause public opinion to shift more to the idea that those in power are scaremongering. The view that an attack is a very real possibility will lose credibility.

The difficulty with investigating the threat posed by al-Qaeda, as I found it, is knowing when to make your move. It is one thing to eavesdrop on telephone calls or e-mails. It is a completely different discipline to turn those conversations, which are not admissible in court, into evidence that passes the jury test.

The huge responsibility that goes with the job of fighting terror is judging the balance between when to intervene to stop a possible attack and when to wait, to allow events to unfold so that incriminating evidence can be collected. If you wait too long, there is the danger that public safety is threatened; but waiting that extra hour could be the key to getting the golden nugget that secures a conviction. It is a test of nerve.

The secret is to be in control. Keep the suspects under intensive surveillance and, by doing so, minimise the risk of attack. If the suspects move, you are alongside them. In this case, it appears that the authorities moved to the arrest phase because they thought that an attack was imminent. That was at the expense of waiting a little bit longer to collect evidence, or to establish the lack of it.

Andy Hayman is former Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations in the Metropolitan Police

Guardian : All 12 men arrested during anti-terror raids released without charge

All 12 men arrested during anti-terror raids released without charge

Police face criticism over operation but deny that bringing arrests forward disrupted investigation

Sandra Laville, Richard Norton-Taylor and Stephen Bates | April 22, 2009

The government today faced a barrage of criticism after police released without charge the remaining 11 suspects arrested a fortnight ago in the north-west of England over an alleged terror plot.

The last two men to be released joined nine others given their freedom last night and one freed on 11 April.

Opposition parties, human rights lawyers and Muslim groups accused the government of mistreating the suspects and botching the anti-terror operation.

The shadow security minister Baroness Neville-Jones said: "It is very worrying that, following an investigation based on strong intelligence into what the prime minister described as a serious terrorist plot, the police have not been able to present sufficient evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service on which it could lay charges against any of the 12 arrested."

Shami Chakrabarti, director of human rights group Liberty, said: "In the vital task of policing open societies, it is inevitable that you arrest more people than you charge and that sometimes suspicion will never be converted into evidence. But national security deportation is an extremely shadowy process and we need assurances from ministers that these powers will only be used for public safety and not for political signalling."

Gordon Brown had claimed the operation uncovered a "very big plot" against the UK.

In a statement, Greater Manchester police said: "The 11 men were questioned and the evidence gathered presented to the CPS who advised there was insufficient evidence gathered within the permitted timescales which would have allowed a warrant of further detention to be gathered or charges to be pursued.

"It is not possible to bail people under terrorism legislation so the men were released.

"Public safety is always the police's top priority and all information is fully considered and acted upon appropriately to minimise risk to the public."

In a press conference on the steps of the police headquarters, chief constable Peter Fahy said: "These people are innocent and they walk away … there are constant threats to this country but we totally respect the situation, we respect that they are innocent until proved guilty."

Fahy denied that there had been a dispute with the security services or that bringing the arrests forward by up to 12 hours had disrupted the investigation. He criticised speculation by outsiders, including retired officers, and said: "I have not conducted any speculation. I do not feel embarrassed or humiliated by what we have done because we have carried out our duty. I don't think a mistake has been made at all."

The BBC reported that security services continued to maintain that a terrorist plot had been disrupted by the operation.

Nine of the men are due to be deported after being handed over to the UK Border Agency but it was not immediately clear what would happen to the last two men. One of the 11 is understood to be a British national. The releases came after investigators spent 13 days searching for evidence following the arrests from a number of addresses in Greater Manchester, Liverpool and Lancashire under the Terrorism Act.

The police operation was condemned today by a spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain. Inayat Bunglawala told Radio 4's Today programme: "When these arrests took place in very dramatic circumstances with students being pulled from universities and thrown to the floor, we were told by the prime minister, no less, that this was part of a very big terrorist plot. Clearly there just has not been the evidence produced to substantiate such a plot."

The raids led to the resignation of the country's leading counterterrorism officer, Bob Quick, after he inadvertently allowed details of the operation to be photographed. Before the men had been interviewed the prime minister spoke of how the police had foiled a "very big plot", but as early as last Monday it emerged the government had spoken to Pakistani officials seeking reassurances that if the men were deported they would not be tortured.

The Guardian understands the decision to arrest the suspects on 8 April came after a three-way row between MI5, senior officers in the Metropolitan police and the Greater Manchester police. MI5 was strongly of the opinion that the arrests should wait while more intelligence was gathered. But in an example of the tensions between Whitehall counterterrorism officials and their counterparts in the police, the decision was made to take "executive action" even though the intelligence suggested there was little evidence to charge the suspects.

It is understood anti-terrorist officers in the Met disagreed with their counterparts in Greater Manchester that the arrests should be made. But the concern that there was a threat to the public led to the decision being made to move in.

Investigators had hoped to find something at the suspects' homes. But after initially hunting for, and failing to find, bomb-making equipment, they turned to the computers hoping that some evidence of a plot would turn up. They found nothing substantial.

Despite media reports and the plot being talked up by Brown, there was never any evidence that the suspects had identified targets for an attack.

The arrests came several hours earlier than the police had planned after Quick accidentally allowed a top secret briefing document on the raids, Operation Pathway, to be caught on camera by a photographer outside Downing Street, when he went to brief ministers on the action. The error led to his resignation after politicians condemned the security breach.

Officers from the north-west counterterrorism unit arrested 12 men under the Terrorism Act following the raids on 8 April. Of the 12 men initially arrested, 11 were Pakistani nationals, 10 held student visas and one was British.

A 12th suspect, an 18-year-old, was released without charge and handed to the Border Agency for deportation on 11 April.

The arrests led to claims that the student visa system contained loopholes which allowed abuse by people attempting to enter the country for illegal activities.

The government has admitted that the system is flawed and, two weeks ago, introduced tougher measures designed to root out false applications. At the time of the arrests counterterrorism sources expressed the fear that al-Qaida was using Pakistani students not known to the security services.

Sixty-eight people are currently on trial, or awaiting trial for alleged terrorist offences.

According to the Home Office, from 11 September 2001 to 31 March 2007, 1,228 terror-related arrests were made, excluding Northern Ireland.

Since January 2007, 92 people have been convicted in significant terrorist cases with 47 people pleading guilty.

Guardian : Pakistani students' lawyer: 'They are neither extremists nor terrorists'

Pakistani students' lawyer: 'They are neither extremists nor terrorists'

Full text of statement from Mohammed Ayub, who represents three men facing deportation after Operation Pathway arrests

Press Association | April 22, 2009

This is the full statement from Mohammed Ayub, the lawyer representing three of the men – Sultan Sher, Mohammed Rizwan Sharif and Mohammed Umer Farooq – who were yesterday released by Greater Manchester police into the custody of the UK Borders Agency (UKBA) following their arrests on April 8.

"I, Mohammed Ayub of Chambers Solicitors, Bradford, act for three young Pakistani men, all aged in their 20s, who were arrested on 8 April 2009 as part of Operation Pathway.

"Today, after 13 days in custody, during which no evidence of any wrongdoing was disclosed, they have now been released without charge. Our clients were arrested in a blaze of publicity and speculation. Their release without charge and the wrong that has been done to them deserves to be accompanied by a similar amount of publicity.

"Our clients have no criminal history, they were here lawfully on student visas and all were pursuing their studies and working part-time. Our clients are neither extremists nor terrorists.

"Their arrest and detention has been a very serious breach of their human rights. Now, adding insult to injury, attempts are being made to deport them. We intend to challenge the deportation orders and, if necessary, will take our fight to the highest courts.

"Our clients are entirely innocent and are entitled to complete the studies they came here for. We call for an independent inquiry into Operation Pathway so that lessons can be learned as to how this investigation could have got it so terribly wrong and so that no other innocent person should have to suffer the ordeal that our clients have.

"The UK Border Agency has issued deportation orders on the basis of their being involved in Islamist extremist activity and therefore their presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good on the grounds of national security. It is intended to appeal the deportation orders and their basis for the orders is not accepted.

"As a minimum our clients are entitled to an unreserved apology and no further action should be taken against them."

Guardian : Anti-terror raids: police weigh red faces against an atrocity

Anti-terror raids: police weigh red faces against an atrocity

Sandra Laville | The Guardian | April 23, 2009

Imagine if the raids in Greater Manchester had not taken place, a terrorist atrocity had happened and the bodies of victims were pictured being pulled from the wreckage of buildings.

This was no doubt in the mind of every senior police and security services officer when deciding, after three months of intelligence gathering, whether to arrest 12 people suspected of being engaged in extremist activity which could impact directly on innocent members of the public.

Today as senior officers survey the aftermath of the operation they will be feeling bruised and embarrassed. But that, they say, is a price worth paying. The higher price would have been to have waited too long and to see their decision to delay proved spectacularly wrong by a terrorist attack.

While the police and security services are involved in many ways in a no-win situation, they are not helped by the comments some politicians - most notably Gordon Brown - made in the middle of the operation, even before the suspects were interviewed. It was Brown who raised the idea that the police had foiled a big terrorist plot, and it was politicians yesterday who shouted criticism of the police from the sidelines after no evidence was found to charge the men.

The operation began in Pakistan when intelligence suggested the 12 warranted examination. When they arrived in the UK on student visas, the surveillance continued at close hand. So much so that when the police moved in, 12 hours earlier than planned after Bob Quick was photographed carrying his secret notes on operation Pathway into Downing Street, they were so close they were able to arrest one student as he walked across the campus.

Some security experts have argued that because the surveillance was so tight the police could have continued watching the suspects for longer before deciding to act. But past experience has shown that this does not always work, and critics are quick to condemn when terrorist atrocities are carried out by people who were under the radar of counter-terrorism officials.

Today the general public might be doubting the credibility of the threat to the country. Certain communities might feel they have been unfairly targeted. But there is no doubt that the security threat remains high, and there will come another time in the near future when police and security services face the same dilemma.

It is the police's job to take decisions based on assessing risks. And more than any other agency they are likely to press for quick action in the knowledge that a few red faces are worth it if a bigger crime is averted.

Times : All suspects in 'student terror plot' released

All suspects in 'student terror plot' released

Nico Hines and Russell Jenkins | April 22, 2009

All 12 suspects arrested in a security operation to thwart what the Prime Minister called “a very big terrorist plot” have been released without charge.

Eleven of the men - all Pakistani nationals - face being deported after they were transferred into the custody of the UK Borders Agency.

The failure to bring charges against any of the men came after police released the final two suspects they had in custody this morning.

Last night they freed nine men, aged between 22 and 38, after 13 days detention. An 18-year-old student was transferred to the custody of the UK Border Agency after three days in detention.

Mohammed Ayub, a lawyer for three of the men, called for an independent inquiry into Operation Pathway and said their deportation orders would be challenged.

“Our clients have no criminal history, they were here lawfully on student visas and all were pursuing their studies and working part-time,” he said.

“They are neither extremists nor terrorists. Their arrest and detention has been a serious breach of their human rights. As a minimum they are entitled to an unreserved apology.”

Responding to criticism of the police operation, Gordon Brown’s spokesman said: “Both the Home Secretary and the Prime Minister believe they are doing an excellent job in continuing to protect the public from terrorist threats.

"The Government’s highest priority is to protect public safety. Where a foreign national poses a threat to the country, we will seek to exclude or deport them where appropriate.”

The investigation into alleged al-Qaeda activity in the North West involved 14 properties in Manchester, Liverpool and Clitheroe, Lancashire, being searched by specialist teams.

Four uniformed police officers stood guard outside 36, Galsworthy Avenue, in Cheetham Hill where two of the terror suspects were arrested in an armed swoop two weeks ago.

The sunlit street was deserted apart from a few pressmen and one passer-by who shouted aggressively: "Go home - [it's] all over now."

There is, however, deep disquiet about the arrests in the neighbourhood among residents who say that the police has a record of making dramatic terror swoops, disrupting and upsetting the local community but subsequently releasing the suspects for lack of evidence.

Locals cited the the behaviour of Lancashire Police in February when nine men from Burnley and Blackburn on a humanitarian convoy were arrested on the M65 near Preston and later released without charge.

GMP distributed a letter to local residents in an attempt to explain their position.

Afzal Khan, the Labour councillor for Cheetham Hill, said: "I am deeply concerned. On the same day of the arrests people on the streets were saying straight away that they will find nothing and that is is all political. This has only reinforced that view".

The arrests were brought forward by 12 hours after Bob Quick, Scotland Yard’s head of counter-terrorism, accidentally disclosed details of the raids to Downing Street photographers while on his way to brief Gordon Brown and Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary.

Mr Quick, Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations, resigned, admitting that he had compromised a high-level security operation. Ms Smith told the House of Commons this week that the error had not damaged the operation and that the only impact had been that the raids had been brought forward “by a matter of hours”.

However, The Times understands that even before Mr Quick quit there were furious disagreements between Scotland Yard, which is supposed to have national responsibility for counter-terrorism, the North West Counter-Terrorism Unit, led by Greater Manchester Police, and MI5.

Security sources said that the arrests were premature and complained that police had panicked after picking up intelligence “chatter” that appeared to discuss timings and targets. Some of the suspects were allegedly under surveillance while photographing and filming at Manchester shopping centres and a nightclub.

It was hoped that the arrests and searches would produce evidence of bomb-making activity or components.

At one point a block of flats in Liverpool was evacuated but no explosive material was found. Attention later turned to the forensic examination of the suspects’ computers, but sources say that nothing has been found which can incriminate the men.

The Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, Peter Fahy, said this morning:

“I do not feel embarrassed or humiliated by what we have done because we have carried out our duty. There’s been no disagreement between us and the security services.

“This has been an extremely complex investigation that has involved officers working closely with other agencies to gather and examine large amounts of evidence.

“We had a duty to act on 9 April to protect the public and a subsequent duty to investigate what lay before us."

Daily Mail : Government attempts to deport Pakistani students held in terror raid fiasco then released without charge

Government attempts to deport Pakistani students held in terror raid fiasco then released without charge

By Stephen Wright | April 22, 2009

The fiasco over the botched north west terror raids threatened to spiral out of control today after all 12 men arrested over an alleged bomb plot in the north west were released without charge.

Instead 11 of the suspects - originally detained over the alleged plot to blow up a nightclub or shopping centre - were released into the custody of the UK Borders Agency, in a humiliating set back for police.

The Pakistani men, most of them on British student visas, are now set to be thrown out for breaching the terms of their entry.

However, the lawyer acting for three of nine men said this would only add "insult to injury" and vowed to fight their deportation.

Mohammed Ayub said: 'Our clients have no criminal history, they were here lawfully on student visas and all were pursuing their studies and working part-time. Our clients are neither extremists nor terrorists.

'Their arrest and detention has been a very serious breach of their human rights.'

It is understood that the UK has already begun seeking assurances that that will not face torture when returned to their home land.

The development is a huge embarrassment to counter terrorism detectives and the security services who were convinced the men were plotting a major terrorist attack.

The arrests a fortnight ago were brought forward by several hours after Britain's most senior anti-terror officer, Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick, clumsily revealed confidential details of the impending operation to a press photographer as he arrived at Downing Street for a briefing.

Mr Quick was forced to quit his £180,000 a year job less than 24 hours after his mistake.

Following the arrests, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: 'We are dealing with a very big terrorist plot. We have been following it for some time. There were a number of people who are suspected of it who have been arrested. That police operation was successful. We know that there are links between terrorists in Britain and terrorists in Pakistan.'

Senior security sources last night insisted that it had been right to arrest the men on terrorism allegations, adding that the priority had been to protect UK citizens from a possible terrorist attack.

However, detectives and the security services had encountered problems trying to convert intelligence into evidence.

This stance is unlikely to appease some community leaders who will almost certainly try to turn the suspects' release into a political issue.

A Home Office spokesman said: 'We are seeking to remove these individuals on the grounds of national security.

'The Government's highest priority is to protect public safety. Where a foreign national faces a threat to this country we will seek to exclude or deport, where this is appropriate.'

Extensive searches of properties linked to the men did not result in the discovery of any bomb making equipment or materials.

In the aftermath of the arrests, security sources said that the raids were brought forward after intelligence suggested that the group could strike as early as the Easter holiday.

According to some media reports, surveillance officers reported seeing some of the men filming buildings including the Trafford Centre, the Arndale Centre and the Birdcage nightclub in Manchester.

Last night a Greater Manchester police spokeswoman said searches were continuing at a property in Galsworthy Avenue, Cheetham Hill, Manchester.

She added: 'Protecting the public is the main focus of the police. These arrests were carried out after a number of UK agencies gathered information that indicated a potential risk to public safety.

Officers are continuing to review a large amount of information gathered as part of this investigation.

'Investigations of this nature are extremely complex. We remain grateful to the support and cooperation of the communities affected.'

The Muslim Council of Britain accused the Government of 'dishonourable' behaviour.

Spokesman Inayat Bunglawala told BBC Radio 4's Today: 'When these arrests took place, in very dramatic circumstances with students being pulled from universities and thrown to the floor, we were told by the Prime Minister no less that this was part of a very big terrorist plot. Clearly there just has not been the evidence produced to substantiate such a plot.

'We would hope that senior ministers and the Prime Minister will understand that it is completely unfair to make prejudicial and premature remarks in cases like this.

'It is perfectly understandable that not every arrest the police make will result in charges being brought...that is the nature of this sort of police work.

'What is unacceptable though is for the Government to make prejudicial remarks right at the outset.

'And now, now that we learn that actual evidence cannot be gathered to substantiate any terror plot, instead of releasing them with good grace and making clear a mistake has been made, the Government is seeking to deport them citing a very vague national security threat. That is a very dishonourable way of proceeding.'

Greater Manchester Police : CTU Arrests Update

CTU Arrests Update [homepage]

April 22, 2009

All of the suspects arrested by the North West Counter Terrorism Unit during the recent operation have now been released. Ten of the 11 men have been transferred into the custody of the UK Borders Agency.

On Wednesday 8 April 2009, in an intelligence-led operation that required intervention to disrupt activity, 12 men were arrested under the Terrorism Act. One was subsequently released into the custody of the UK Borders agency.

The remaining 11 men were questioned and the evidence gathered presented to the CPS who advised there was insufficient evidence gathered within the permitted timescales which would have allowed a warrant of further detention to be gathered or charges to be pursued.

It is not possible to bail people under terrorism legislation so the men were released.

“When it comes to the safety of the public we can’t take any chances, we must act on information we receive. We don’t take these decisions lightly and only carry out this kind of action if it was wholly justified.

Public safety is always the police’s top priority and all information is fully considered and acted upon appropriately to minimise risk to the public.

If anyone has any concerns about suspicious activity or behaviour they should call the confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789321.

Peter FahyGMP Chief Constable Peter Fahy said: “As there are ongoing issues of matters of national security around this investigation, it does limit what we are able to say.

“This has been an extremely complex investigation that has involved officers working closely with other agencies to gather and examine large amounts of evidence.

“We had a duty to act on 9 April to protect the public and a subsequent duty to investigate what lay before us.

“When it comes to the safety of the public we can’t take any chances, we must act on information we receive. We don’t take these decisions lightly and only carry out this kind of action if it was wholly justified.

“I would like to extend my thanks to the communities who have been affected by the work we have been doing over the past few weeks. People have been extremely supportive and worked with us to ensure we’ve been able to work effectively.

“Over the coming weeks we will continue to work with communities and address any concerns they may have. This North West Counter Terrorism Unit will continue to work to protect people living in the North West and across the UK.”

Home Office : Commons statement by the Home Secretary on Operation Pathway

Commons statement by the Home Secretary on Operation Pathway

Source: Home Office | April 22, 2009

Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, makes Commons statement on the recent arrest of 12 men in the north-west of England under the Terrorism Act 2000.

With permission, Mr. Speaker, I should like to make a statement on the 12 arrests which took place in the north-west of England on 8 April under the Terrorism Act 2000.

Those arrests are part of an ongoing and fast-moving police investigation. I am sure that hon. Members will understand, therefore, why I cannot go into detail on the investigation or the individuals involved.

On Wednesday 8 April, the north-west counter-terrorism unit, working with Merseyside police, Greater Manchester police and Lancashire constabulary, arrested 12 men under the Terrorism Act. Of those 12 individuals, 11 remain in custody and have had their detention extended to 22 April. Ten of the individuals are Pakistani nationals and one is a British citizen. The 12th individual, who is believed to be an Afghan, has been transferred to immigration detention. In addition to the arrests, a number of premises have been searched.

The arrests were pre-planned as the result of an ongoing joint police and Security Service investigation. The decision to take action was an operational matter for the police and the Security Service, but the Prime Minister and I were kept fully informed of developments. The priority at all times has been to act to maintain public safety.

The House will also be aware that during the course of Wednesday 8 April, photographs were taken of Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick as he was going to a meeting in Downing street. Mr. Quick was carrying papers that contained sensitive operational detail about the investigation and some of that detail was visible in the photographs. As a result, a decision was made by the police to bring forward the arrests to a few hours earlier than had been originally planned. The fact that these papers were inadvertently made public did not make any difference to the decision to carry out arrests—it simply changed the timing by a matter of hours. Assistant Commissioner Quick offered his resignation to the Metropolitan Police Authority on the following day and it was accepted. I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to him for his work on counter-terrorism and for his many years of service. He has made an enormous personal contribution to making our country a safer place.

I am sure the House will want to join me in thanking all the police forces involved in this operation. They are to be commended for the professional manner in which they carried out the arrests. I would also like to express my thanks to members of the public in the communities most immediately affected by these arrests, including those at educational institutions, for their patience and measured response to events. The police, with support from local authorities and elected representatives, are working closely with local communities to discuss issues or concerns linked to the operation.

Last month, the Government published our revised strategy to counter the threat to this country and to our interests overseas from international terrorism. A key theme in that strategy, Contest, is the need to co-ordinate our work with our international partners. The Prime Minister has already made it very clear that we need to continue to enhance co-operation on counter-terrorism with Pakistan. He has spoken to President Zardari and they have agreed that our two countries must continue to work together as closely as possible to counter this threat.

We are working with the Government of Pakistan to bolster their efforts to build civic society, tackle violent extremism and help build resilience in Pakistani society against radicalisation—just as we seek to do here in the UK. That work includes support for the modernisation of Pakistan’s security apparatus, support for governance and the rule of law, and work to undermine extremist ideology. Our counter-terrorism programme with Pakistan is worth approximately £10 million a year and is our largest such programme. In addition, to help the Government of Pakistan reduce poverty, the UK has doubled its aid programme to £480 million during 2008-11.

The House will understand that I do not wish to compromise an ongoing investigation by discussing the specifics of the case. However, there has been some speculation that the investigation raises wider questions about the criteria for obtaining student visas and about the issuing of licences by the Security Industry Authority. I would like to clarify the position on both those points.

We are currently delivering the biggest reform of border security and the immigration system for a generation. Last year, we completed the roll-out of biometric visas across the world. Fingerprints are checked against counter-terrorism and crime databases, as well as UK Border Agency records. In posts that we have classified as high risk, such as Pakistan, we have a risk-management network that helps to ensure that the right visa decisions are made, for example by working with local authorities to ensure that the qualifications of prospective students are independently verified.

The impact of those changes is demonstrated in the increased refusal rate for visa applications from Pakistan nationals. Under tier 4 of the points-based system, educational institutions that wish to bring in international students for more than six months must now be accredited by an independent body and licensed by the UK Border Agency. There will for some time be a number of students who have continuing leave under the old system. Many of them will be studying at colleges now on the PBS register, but some will not. Over half these students with existing leave will see their leave expire within 12 months; the vast majority within two years; and almost all within three years. Any student who does not bring themselves within the new PBS regime or leave the country when their leave expires will be subject to appropriate enforcement action.

Before the PBS was in place, about 4,000 institutions brought in international students. Now, under the PBS, there are about 1,500 institutions registered to do so. I have asked UKBA to prioritise enforcement activity on institutions: first, on those which applied but have not made it on to the PBS register; and subsequently on the remaining colleges that have brought in international students in the past, but have not applied for a PBS licence. Where there is evidence of criminal activity, we will prosecute. Where colleges have decided that the requirements of our new, tougher regime are too onerous, we will not allow them to bring in international students.

On the issue of Security Industry Authority licences, applicants have to satisfy a number of criteria before a licence can be issued. In particular, nobody is awarded a licence without a criminal record check and without having their right to work in the UK confirmed. I have asked the SIA to conduct an urgent review to look at whether the existing processes need to be strengthened, at the extent to which students, particularly foreign students, apply for SIA licences and, importantly, at whether that has implications for the security checks conducted by the SIA and the advice provided to employers.

The threat level to the United Kingdom from international terrorism is still assessed as “severe”. A terrorist attack is considered highly likely, so I would like to repeat my thanks to the police and the security agencies for their work in relation to this investigation, and for everything that they do to protect this country and the people who live in it from the threat of terrorist attacks. I commend this statement to the House.

Guardian : Gordon wades in with 'terror plot'

Gordon wades in with 'terror plot'

When 12 men were arrested in police raids, the prime minister called it a successful operation – has he heard of prejudice?

Ewan Crawford | April 22, 2009

I know he has other things on this mind, and in these circumstances we can excuse forgetfulness, but the prime minister seems to have misplaced something important over the past two weeks.

While he was thinking about MPs' expenses and the budget details, that pesky idea of separating the executive from the judiciary seems to have escaped him.

When 12 men were arrested a fortnight ago by anti-terrorist police, Gordon Brown decided he could dispense with the court system as he announced to the nation's media: "We're dealing with a very big terrorist plot."

Because I am old-fashioned, I had assumed that when asked to comment on the arrest of the suspects, Brown might have come out with something such as: "These are very serious allegations and the police and courts must be left to get on with their job." But in fact just to remove any doubt, the prime minister went on to tell us that the police operation had been "successful".

Now that 10 suspects have been released and their lawyer is claiming that none of the men were terrorists or extremists – even though, as Inayat Bunglawala writes, they face deportation nonetheless – it is hard to judge whether the raids were successful or not.

And this is surely the point – the guilt or innocence of these men should not be determined by lawyer's statements or prime ministerial announcements, but by a jury carefully sifting through the evidence. If it is deemed that there is insufficient evidence for a court case to take place – as was clearly the case at the time the Brown made his statement – then comments about guilt or innocence are totally inappropriate.

This case shows, as previous "terrorist" arrests have done, that the 1981 Contempt of Court Act – the one designed to prevent prejudicial pre-trial publicity – can sometimes be redundant.

One of the big arguments in favour of professional journalism – as opposed to amateur blogging – is that there are agreed standards of fact-checking and an understanding of legal and other constraints placed on reporters.

The Contempt of Court Act says that journalists – and others – must not publish anything that would create a substantial risk of serious prejudice once legal proceedings are active – something that can start at the point of arrest.

In the past this act has been interpreted far too strictly – placing unreasonable restrictions on proper reporting. In recent years the authorities have taken a much more liberal line in deciding what actually constitutes a substantial risk of serious prejudice. Juries have been trusted much more to try solely on the basis of the evidence presented to them in court, rather than what they may have read in the papers or seen on television. But the intensity of the reporting of this story, at a time when the case was legally active, is still a cause for concern.

The detail of the case – the alleged activities undertaken by the suspects, their backgrounds, where they were supposed to have received their "training" and their characters have all been freely discussed by newspapers and broadcasters. This may not matter in a strict legal sense if we are now treating jurors as adults who can distinguish between press reports and court evidence. But there are other obligations on both senior politicians and the media.

We know from previous incidents that initial police statements, either on or off the record, do not always stand up to scrutiny once the full facts are known. The big fear among journalists seems to be missing out on information that will be published or broadcast elsewhere – but is that reasonable editorial decision-making?

The BBC's security correspondent, Gordon Corera, said today that in relation to the police, lessons needed to be learned in terms of "public presentation". Surely large sections of the media should also be questioning their role in this presentation.

From senior politicians in this government – of all governments – we should expect much greater circumspection when drawing conclusions from intelligence about alleged terrorist activities. We all know the UK went to war in Iraq on the basis of flawed intelligence but once again a British prime minister has been stating as fact the existence of a plot, which we were told was based only on intelligence gathering.

Guardian : Deporting these students shames us

Deporting these students shames us

No terrorism charges were brought, but still nine men are to be sent to Pakistan by a government trying to save face.

Inayat Bunglawala | April 22, 2009

The Home Office announced last night that nine of the 12 men – mainly Pakistani students – arrested in dramatic circumstances two weeks ago following terror raids in Greater Manchester, Liverpool and Lancashire are now to be handed over to the UK Border Agency with a view to being deported. Another one of the 12 was handed over to immigration officials earlier this month.

You will recall that at the time of the arrests our prime minister, Gordon Brown, informed us that the raids were necessary because of "a very big terrorist plot". Note the bold presumption of guilt which then unsurprisingly was quickly taken up by sections of our media.

"Shops and nightclub were terror targets," read a Daily Express headline on 9 April.

"Al-Qaida terror plot to bomb Easter shoppers," claimed the supposedly upmarket Daily Telegraph on 10 April.

Even the BBC website had its correspondent Nick Ravenscroft telling us that he had been told by police "sources" that an attack could have taken place "within days or weeks".

Well, the media reporting a story in an overly sensational, alarmist and irresponsible manner is hardly novel, I admit. It is the government's behaviour in this matter that is most reprehensible though.

Not content with prematurely accusing the arrested men as being part of a very big terrorist plot, now that no actual terror-related charges have been brought against at least 10 of the 12 originally arrested, instead of offering an apology to them for what they and their families have been put through and releasing them with good grace, they are seeking to deport them while disgracefully attempting to attach yet another appalling smear to them.

"We are seeking to remove these individuals on grounds of national security. The government's highest priority is to protect public safety. Where a foreign national poses a threat to this country we will seek to exclude or to deport, where this is appropriate," said the Home Office in its statement.

What utter tripe. If the students are indeed a national security threat then surely the correct course of action is to properly charge them and bring the evidence before a court of law? Instead the government – in what can only be viewed as a dishonourable attempt to save face – compounds the hurt done to the students by seeking to deport them and placing them under a cloud of doubt. The government's behaviour in this matter shames our country.

It is understandable that the police may well from time to time mistakenly arrest someone and then release them if no evidence against them can be found. After all, not every intelligence lead or tip-off will prove to be accurate. That is the nature of police work.

What is not acceptable, however, and should never be acceptable is the underhand and cowardly manner by which the government is now attempting to ruin the education and careers of these Pakistani students in a desperate attempt to avoid looking incompetent.

AP : Britain frees 12 terror suspects detained in raids

Britain frees 12 terror suspects detained in raids

By RAPHAEL G. SATTER | April 22, 2009

LONDON (AP) — British police released the last of 12 suspects rounded up in a series of dramatic anti-terror raids earlier this month, failing to charge any of the men, authorities said Wednesday.

The news was an embarrassment for British authorities, including Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who claimed at the time of their arrests that police had disrupted "a very big terrorist plot" that had been monitored "for some time."

The arrests were rushed in part because a police commissioner inadvertently exposed details of the operation to photographers outside the prime minister's office.

Police had to scramble to catch the suspects before they learned of the raid, forgoing their usual dawn raids for a dramatic series of daytime operations across northern England on April 8.

Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick, one of the country's top counterterrorism officers, resigned after he inadvertently exposed details of the operation.

One suspect was forced to the ground by gun-toting officers in front of students at the library of Liverpool John Moores University. Most of the men taken into custody were Pakistanis in Britain on student visas.

British officials have said they want to deport all but one of the men on national security grounds, but that may be difficult: A lawyer for three of the men said his clients would fight to continue their education in the U.K., while Islamabad opposes deportation.

"We think they should not be deported if there is no evidence against them and they can't be tried in Britain and if they're innocent," Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said Wednesday. "Our position is that they should be allowed to continue their studies and live a normal life."

Disquiet within the Muslim community has grown in the two weeks since as media reports suggested that officers were failing to turn up significant evidence of a plot. One suspect was released April 11. Nine more were released Tuesday. The final two were released Wednesday.

Attorney Mohammed Ayub said his clients were in Britain lawfully and that their detention had been "a very serious breach of their human rights." The government was acting in bad faith by seeking to kick the students out of the country, said Inayat Bunglawala, the spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain.

"Instead of releasing them with good grace and making clear a mistake has been made, the government is seeking to deport them citing a very vague national security threat," Bunglawala told BBC radio. "That is a very dishonorable way of proceeding."

Greater Manchester Police, which spearheaded the operation, said it had been extremely complex.

"When it comes to the safety of the public we can't take any chances, we must act on information we receive," Chief Constable Peter Fahy said in a statement.

Associated Press Writer Nahal Toosi in Islamabad, Pakistan, contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

WSJ : Police Fail to Charge U.K. Terror Suspects

Police Fail to Charge U.K. Terror Suspects

By ALISTAIR MACDONALD and CARRICK MOLLENKAMP | April 22, 2009

LONDON -- British authorities will seek to deport 11 of the 12 men arrested in a recent counterterrorism raid after failing to find enough evidence to charge them, police said Wednesday.

Nine of the 12 were released from police custody Tuesday, and two others were released on Wednesday. One man was released shortly after the raid. In all, 11 of the 12 have been handed to the U.K. Borders Agency, which handles immigration.

The move is a significant disappointment in a case that U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said reflected a major terrorist threat. The men were arrested earlier this month in a sweeping action across northwest England that rounded up a dozen men -- 11 of them Pakistani nationals, the other a U.K. national of Pakistani descent. Britain's domestic intelligence agency, MI5, worked with local police in executing the raid.

The April 8 raid attracted attention because it was hurriedly carried out after Bob Quick, the top counterterrorism official at the Metropolitan Police Service, inadvertently revealed details of the operation. Mr. Quick was photographed entering No. 10 Downing Street carrying documents that clearly identified key aspects of the operation.

Mr. Quick resigned the next day. Earlier this week, U.K. Home Office Minister Jacqui Smith said that the raid had been brought forward only by a matter of hours by Mr. Quick's mistake.

The decision to now seek deportation of the men could set up a lengthy legal battle if they seek to fight removal to Pakistan.

"This has been an extremely complex investigation that has involved officers working closely with other agencies to gather and examine large amounts of evidence," Chief Constable Peter Fahy, of the Greater Manchester Police said in a statement.

Police said late Tuesday that they are still sorting through aspects of the case. "Officers are continuing to review a large amount of information gathered as part of this investigation. Investigations of this nature are extremely complex," a police spokesman said.

The Home Office said Tuesday that, while the police weren't charging the men, they are seen as a threat to the U.K.

"We are seeking to remove these individuals on grounds of national security," a spokeswoman said. "Where a foreign national poses a threat to this country we will seek to exclude or to deport," the spokeswoman said, adding that the U.K. was working with Pakistani authorities on the deportation.

Write to Alistair MacDonald at alistair.macdonald@wsj.com and Carrick Mollenkamp at carrick.mollenkamp@wsj.com

AFP : Police defend 'terror raids' after suspects freed

Police defend 'terror raids' after suspects freed

April 22, 2009

LONDON (AFP) — Police on Wednesday defended a series of anti-terror raids which saw the arrest of 12 men, most of them Pakistani students, who have all been released without charge.

The pre-dawn swoops across the northwest on April 8 had been described by Prime Minister Gordon Brown as part of a probe into a "major terrorist plot".

One of the suspects was released on April 11, followed by another nine on Tuesday and the remaining two on Wednesday morning.

"All of the suspects arrested by the northwest Counter Terrorism Unit during the recent operation have now been released," Greater Manchester Police said in a statement.

The statement said prosecutors had advised that there was "insufficient evidence gathered within the permitted timescales which would have allowed a warrant of further detention to be gathered or charges to be pursued".

Eleven of the 12 men arrested were Pakistani nationals, most of whom were staying in Britain on student visas. The last suspect was a British national.

All the Pakistani nationals were handed over to immigration officials, who said they will be deported to Pakistan.

Brown's spokesman told reporters on Wednesday that the government was "seeking to remove these individuals on grounds of national security.

"The government's highest priority is to protect public safety. Where a foreign national poses a threat to the country, we will seek to exclude or deport them where appropriate."

The raids had to be hastily brought forward after the country's top counter-terrorism policeman Bob Quick was photographed holding clearly legible briefing notes on the operation. He resigned over the gaffe.

The notes he was carrying into a meeting at Brown's Downing Street offices stated police were investigating a plot that was "AQ-driven", meaning Al-Qaeda.

But a senior police officer defended the arrests, insisting that no mistakes had been made in the operation.

"I don't feel embarrassed or humiliated about what we have done because we have carried out our duty," Peter Fahy, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester police told reporters.

"I don't think a mistake has been made, no. I do not believe a mistake has been made."

The revelation that 10 of the men were in Britain on student visas has put Brown's government under pressure to tighten its visa rules.

Relatives of the men in Pakistan had pleaded their innocence, and a lawyer for three of the men said he would challenge any attempt to deport them.

"Our clients have no criminal history, they were here lawfully on student visas and all were pursuing their studies and working part-time," said Mohammed Ayub, who is based in Bradford.

"Our clients are neither extremists nor terrorists. Their arrest and detention has been a very serious breach of their human rights."

Shami Chakrabarti, director of the human rights group Liberty, described deportation on the grounds of national security as "an extremely shadowy process" and called for assurances from the government that the powers would not be abused.

Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved.

Scotsman: Deportation for nine arrested in anti-terror raid

Deportation for nine arrested in anti-terror raid

By LUCY COLLINS | April 22, 2009

THE government last night said it wanted to deport nine men arrested after an anti-terrorism investigation into a suspected bomb plot.

The men have not been charged with any offences nearly two weeks after being arrested in raids across Greater Manchester, Liverpool and Lancashire on 8 April.

Bob Quick, then assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, was photographed carrying into Downing Street documents clearly marked "secret" with details of an ongoing police investigation.

His gaffe meant the raids were brought forward, and he resigned the next day.

The nine men, aged between 22 and 38, were last night released by Greater Manchester Police into the custody of the UK Border Agency.

A Home Office spokesman said: "We are seeking to remove these individuals on grounds of national security."

Clitheroe Advertiser : Two arrested in Clitheroe are among nine terrorism suspects now released

Two arrested in Clitheroe are among nine terrorism suspects now released

Ten Pakistani nationals face deportation

April 22, 2009

NINE of the 12 men arrested in counter-terrorism raids across the North West on April 8th have been released without charge, but are likely to be deported.

It is understood that the two men arrested in Clitheroe are among those nine Pakistani nationals.

All 12 men were arrested in synchronised raids at addresses in Liverpool, Manchester and at Clitheroe's new Homebase store, where the two men had been temporarily employed as security guards, supplied by an outside firm. They had been staying at a guest house in Pimlico Road, which was also searched by police forensic teams.

Of the 12 arrested, 11 were Pakistani nationals, 10 were in the UK on student visas and one was from Britain. One of them, an 18-year-old, was previously handed over to the UK Border Agency for possible deportation and two are still being questioned by police – the Briton and one of the Pakistani nationals.

It is understood the two men arrested in Clitheroe were in the UK on student visas, despite working for the security firm. Police have stressed that they had no connection with Clitheroe other than that they were staying in the town for the duration of their work in the run-up to the opening of the new Homebase store, which took place as planned the morning after the arrests.

Commenting on the release of the nine men, a Home Office spokesman said: "We are seeking to remove these individuals on grounds of national security. The government's highest priority is to protect public safety. Where a foreign national poses a threat to this country we will seek to exclude or to deport, where this is appropriate."

However, a lawyer for three of the men has said thety should be allowed to remain in the UK to complete their studies. In a statement, the lawyer, Mohammed Ayub, said: "After 13 days in custody, during which no evidence of any wrongdoing was disclosed, they have now been released without charge.

"Our clients have no criminal history, they were here lawfully on student visas and all were pursuing their studies and working part-time. Our clients are neither extremists nor terrorists."

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police, which led the joint counter-terrorism operation involving three forces, said searches were continuing at a property in Cheetham Hill, Manchester.

The spokesman added: "These arrests were carried out after a number of UK agencies gathered information that indicated a potential risk to public safety. Officers are continuing to review a large amount of information gathered as part of this investigation.

"Investigations of this nature are extremely complex. We remain grateful to the support and co-operation of the communities affected."

The raids had been planned for the early hours of Thursday April 9th, but had to be brought forward and carried out in broad daylight after details of the operation were revealed in a blunder by the UK's top anti-terrorism police officer, Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick. He was photographed visiting Downing Street with details of the operation clearly visible on a document carried under his arm.

He has since resigned, but Home Secretary Jacqui Smith told MPs this week that the blunder had not damaged the effectiveness of the operation, despite it being hastily brought forward by several hours.

Lancashire Telegraph : All 12 North West terror suspects released

All 12 North West terror suspects released

April 22, 2009

ALL 12 suspects arrested in Clitheroe, Manchester and Liverpool over an alleged bomb plot have been released without charge, police have said.

Eleven of the men - all Pakistani nationals - face being deported after they were transferred into the custody of the UK Borders Agency.

Police swooped on a Clitheroe DIY store on April 8 and arrested two security guards.

They arrested another 10 men following raids in Manchester and Liverpool.

The men’s release without charge is a major embarrassment for the Government.

In the aftermath of the raids, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the authorities were investigating a “major terrorist plot”.

It is understood that the decision to arrest the suspects was taken by the police on public safety grounds amid fears that an attack could be imminent.

Reports today alleged “furious disagreements” between Scotland Yard, Greater Manchester Police and MI5 over the timing of the arrests.

Sources played down these reports, but it is clear that MI5 had been unable to build up a full intelligence picture of what was going on when police moved in.

At the time of the arrests Whitehall sources emphasised that they were keeping an “open mind” about what was involved.

It appeared that detectives were hoping that searches carried out following the raids would give them a clearer picture of what was going on.

Clitheroe Advertiser : Wild 'terror plot' rumours are entirely unfounded

Two arrested in Clitheroe are among nine terrorism suspects now released

Ten Pakistani nationals face deportation

April 22, 2009

NINE of the 12 men arrested in counter-terrorism raids across the North West on April 8th have been released without charge, but are likely to be deported.

It is understood that the two men arrested in Clitheroe are among those nine Pakistani nationals.

All 12 men were arrested in synchronised raids at addresses in Liverpool, Manchester and at Clitheroe's new Homebase store, where the two men had been temporarily employed as security guards, supplied by an outside firm. They had been staying at a guest house in Pimlico Road, which was also searched by police forensic teams.

Of the 12 arrested, 11 were Pakistani nationals, 10 were in the UK on student visas and one was from Britain. One of them, an 18-year-old, was previously handed over to the UK Border Agency for possible deportation and two are still being questioned by police – the Briton and one of the Pakistani nationals.

It is understood the two men arrested in Clitheroe were in the UK on student visas, despite working for the security firm. Police have stressed that they had no connection with Clitheroe other than that they were staying in the town for the duration of their work in the run-up to the opening of the new Homebase store, which took place as planned the morning after the arrests.

Commenting on the release of the nine men, a Home Office spokesman said: "We are seeking to remove these individuals on grounds of national security. The government's highest priority is to protect public safety. Where a foreign national poses a threat to this country we will seek to exclude or to deport, where this is appropriate."

However, a lawyer for three of the men has said thety should be allowed to remain in the UK to complete their studies. In a statement, the lawyer, Mohammed Ayub, said: "After 13 days in custody, during which no evidence of any wrongdoing was disclosed, they have now been released without charge.

"Our clients have no criminal history, they were here lawfully on student visas and all were pursuing their studies and working part-time. Our clients are neither extremists nor terrorists."

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police, which led the joint counter-terrorism operation involving three forces, said searches were continuing at a property in Cheetham Hill, Manchester.

The spokesman added: "These arrests were carried out after a number of UK agencies gathered information that indicated a potential risk to public safety. Officers are continuing to review a large amount of information gathered as part of this investigation.

"Investigations of this nature are extremely complex. We remain grateful to the support and co-operation of the communities affected."

The raids had been planned for the early hours of Thursday April 9th, but had to be brought forward and carried out in broad daylight after details of the operation were revealed in a blunder by the UK's top anti-terrorism police officer, Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick. He was photographed visiting Downing Street with details of the operation clearly visible on a document carried under his arm.

He has since resigned, but Home Secretary Jacqui Smith told MPs this week that the blunder had not damaged the effectiveness of the operation, despite it being hastily brought forward by several hours.

Reuters : Police defend terrorism raids as suspects freed

Police defend terrorism raids as suspects freed

By Michael Holden | April 22, 2009

LONDON (Reuters) - Police on Wednesday denied making an embarrassing mistake after releasing all 12 men seized in raids to foil a suspected al Qaeda plot that were brought forward due to a security breach.

The 11 Pakistanis and one Briton were arrested around northwest England on April 8 as part of an operation against what Prime Minister Gordon Brown called at the time a "very big terrorist plot."

Police said all the suspects had been released although 11 had been handed over to immigration officials and face deportation on national security grounds.

Prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence to justify holding them any longer or bringing charges, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.

"This is not a mistake. I do not feel embarrassed or humiliated by what we have done because we have carried out our duty," GMP Chief Constable Peter Fahy told reporters.

"We do not carry out this sort of operation or make these sorts of arrests on a wing or a prayer or a whim. We can only operate to one standard, and that standard is that people are innocent until they are proved guilty."

The raids were mounted several hours ahead of schedule after a blunder by Britain's top counter-terrorism officer Bob Quick.

A document on the operation was photographed by journalists as Quick carried it to a briefing for Brown. Quick resigned a day later but Fahy said the mistake had not compromised the operation.

Police have been on high alert since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States and especially after four young British Islamists carried out suicide bombings on London's transport network in July 2005, killing 52 people.

Dozens have been convicted of plotting bombings since 2001 and currently 68 people are on trial or awaiting trial for terrorism offences, said Fahy.

However, it is not the first time that suspects have been freed after claims that a major terrorism plot had been foiled.

In 2004, GMP arrested 10 people in raids involving some 400 officers amid media speculation of a plot to blow up Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium during a high-profile game.

They were all freed without charge.

The most notorious case occurred in 2006 when officers, some wearing chemical, biological and radiological protection suits stormed a house in east London looking for a suspected bomb, and shot one of the occupants.

No bomb was found and police later admitted their intelligence had been faulty.

"When we look at the record of the anti-terrorist police across the whole country but especially Scotland Yard, their record is actually very, very good," said security consultant Peter Ryan, a former national director of UK police training.

The Muslim Council of Britain said arrests were understandable but criticised Brown, who had also angered Pakistani officials by calling on Pakistan to do more to "root out the terrorist elements in its country."

"We would hope that senior ministers and the Prime Minister will understand that it is completely unfair to make prejudicial and premature remarks in cases like this," said spokesman Inayat Bunglawala.

He added the decision to deport the men following their release was "very dishonourable."

Mohammed Ayub, a defence lawyer for some of the suspects, said: "This seriously damaged police credibility. The arrests happened in a blaze of publicity but finally amount to nothing."

(Additional reporting by William Maclean; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved.

CBC Britain won't charge 12 arrested in anti-terror sweep

Britain won't charge 12 arrested in anti-terror sweep

11 Pakistani nationals face deportation

April 22, 2009

Twelve men arrested in a series of anti-terrorist raids involving hundreds of officers across northwest England earlier this month will not face charges due to insufficient evidence, British prosecutors said Wednesday.

Eleven of the arrested men, all of them Pakistani nationals, face deportation and have been transferred into the custody of British immigration authorities.

The men were arrested in a series of raids on April 8 in Manchester, Liverpool and the surrounding area, 320 kilometres northwest of London.

While British officials haven't provided any details about what the men were suspected of doing, Prime Minister Gordon Brown has previously said authorities were on to "a very big terrorist plot."

But British Muslim groups immediately called on the government to admit it had made a mistake with the arrests, and further complicated the case by making prejudicial and "premature" remarks to the media.

Bnayat Bunglawala, of the Muslim Council of Britain, told the BBC the government had been "dishonourable" over the way it had dealt with the men.

"Politics should not be interfering with what is primarily a legal process," he said.

The arrests have strained relations between Pakistan and Britain, and raised questions over Britain's student visa system. Ten out of the 12 arrested were in the country on student visas.

The operation also led to the resignation of Britain's top counterterrorism officer, Bob Quick, after he inadvertently revealed information on the case a day ahead of the raids by being photographed carrying confidential documents to a meeting with the prime minister.

Miami Herald : Britain frees 12 terror suspects detained in raids

Britain frees 12 terror suspects detained in raids

By RAPHAEL G. SATTER | Associated Press Writer | April 21, 2009

LONDON -- British police released the last of 12 suspects rounded up in a series of dramatic anti-terror raids earlier this month, failing to charge any of the men, authorities said Wednesday.

The news was an embarrassment for British authorities, including Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who claimed at the time of their arrests that police had disrupted "a very big terrorist plot" that had been monitored "for some time."

The arrests were rushed in part because a police commissioner inadvertently exposed details of the operation to a photographer outside the prime minister's office.

Police had to scramble to catch the suspects before they learned of the leak, forgoing their usual dawn raids for a dramatic series of daytime operations across northern England on April 8.

Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick, one of the country's top counterterrorism officers, resigned after he inadvertently exposed details of the operation.

One suspect was forced to the ground by gun-toting officers in front of students at Liverpool John Moores University's library. Most of the men taken into custody were Pakistanis in Britain on student visas.

British officials have said they want to deport all but one of the men on national security grounds, but that may be difficult. A lawyer for three of the men said his clients would fight to continue their education in the U.K., while Islamabad opposes deportation.

"We think they should not be deported if there is no evidence against them and they can't be tried in Britain and if they're innocent," Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said Wednesday. "Our position is that they should be allowed to continue their studies and live a normal life."

Disquiet within the British Muslim community has grown in the two weeks since as media reports suggested that officers were failing to turn up significant evidence of a plot. One suspect was released April 11. Nine more were released Tuesday. The final two were released Wednesday.

Attorney Mohammed Ayub said his clients were in Britain lawfully and that their detention had been "a very serious breach of their human rights." The Muslim Council of Britain, an umbrella group for U.K. Muslim organizations, said the government was acting in bad faith by seeking to expel the students.

"Instead of releasing them with good grace and making clear a mistake has been made, the government is seeking to deport them citing a very vague national security threat," council spokesman Inayat Bunglawala told BBC radio. "That is a very dishonorable way of proceeding."

In Pakistan, the father of one of the suspects pleaded with British authorities to let his son stay in the country for another three months so he could receive his MBA.

"If they could not find any wrongdoing on their part then why should they be deported?" Haji Hazrat Ali, the father of Mohammed Ramzan, told The Associated Press.

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Associated Press Writer Nahal Toosi in Islamabad, Pakistan and Ishtiaq Mahsud in Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan contributed to this report.

Sky News : Police Release Last Two Terror Suspects

Police Release Last Two Terror Suspects

April 22, 2009

The final two suspects held during anti-terror raids in north west England have been released without charge, Greater Manchester Police have said.

Earlier the lawyer for some of the 10 men already freed told Sky News he wants an independent inquiry into the raids.

A total of 12 men - all Pakistani nationals - were detained in swoops across Greater Manchester, Liverpool and Lancashire two weeks ago.

They were suspected of being involved in a bomb plot and are now facing deportation.

In a statement, Greater Manchester Police said the men were released after the Crown Prosecution Service advised there was not enough evidence to charge them.

The raids were brought forward after Britain's top anti-terror officer inadvertently showed details of the operation to the media.

Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick was photographed in Downing Street carrying documents, clearly marked "secret", about an ongoing police investigation.

All the suspects, aged 18 to 38, have been released into the custody of the UK Borders Agency (UKBA).

The Government has said it wants to deport them, even though they have not been charged with any offences.

A Home Office spokesman said: "We are seeking to remove these individuals on grounds of national security."

But lawyer Mohammed Ayub, who acts for three of the men, has described their arrests and detention as a "very serious breach of their human rights".

He told Sky News:"What I would like to see happen is an independent inquiry into this operation and I don't say this lightly.

"Our clients have no criminal history, they were here lawfully on student visas and all were pursuing their studies and working part-time. Our clients are neither extremists nor terrorists."

Mr Ayub, of Chambers Solicitors, Bradford, insisted his clients should be allowed to "complete the studies they came here for" and said he intended to challenge the deportation orders.

He added: "As a minimum, our clients are entitled to an unreserved apology and no further action should be taken against them."

Manchester Evening News : 'Terror' probe: all 12 released

'Terror' probe: all 12 released

April 22, 2009

ALL 12 men arrested in connection with an alleged bomb plot in Manchester have now been released without charge from police custody.

The last remaining two suspects were released this morning after the Crown Prosecution Service decided there was insufficient evidence to press charges.

Police had earlier transferred ten of the men into the custody of the UK Borders Agency and the Government wants to deport them to their home country of Pakistan.

All the men were arrested earlier this month after raids in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, and also in Liverpool and Lancashire. None of them have been charged with any offences.

A lawyer acting for three of the men described their arrests and detention as a "very serious breach of their human rights".

Mohammed Ayub of Chambers Solicitors, Bradford, said the attempts to deport his clients would only add "insult to injury" and vowed to fight the move.

In a statement, he said: "Our clients have no criminal history, they were here lawfully on student visas and all were pursuing their studies and working part-time. Our clients are neither extremists nor terrorists.

"Their arrest and detention has been a very serious breach of their human rights."

The operation on April 8 was brought forward after an embarrassing security breach by a senior officer.

Then Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick was photographed carrying documents clearly marked "secret" with details of an ongoing police investigation into Downing Street.

His gaffe meant the raids were staged earlier than planned, and he resigned the next day.

One man, aged 18, was released into the custody of the UK Borders Agency on April 11. Nine men, aged between 22 and 38, were released last night by Greater Manchester Police into the custody of the agency.

A Home Office spokesman said: "We are seeking to remove these individuals on grounds of national security.

"The Government's highest priority is to protect public safety. Where a foreign national poses a threat to this country we will seek to exclude or to deport, where this is appropriate."

But Mr Ayub insisted his clients should be allowed to "complete the studies they came here for" and said he intended to challenge the deportation orders.

He added: "As a minimum our clients are entitled to an unreserved apology and no further action should be taken against them."

The arrested men included 11 Pakistani nationals and one Briton. Ten of the suspects held student visas.

GMP Chief Constable Peter Fahy said: “As there are ongoing issues of matters of national security around this investigation, it does limit what we are able to say.

“This has been an extremely complex investigation that has involved officers working closely with other agencies to gather and examine large amounts of evidence.

“We had a duty to act on 9 April to protect the public and a subsequent duty to investigate what lay before us.

“When it comes to the safety of the public we can’t take any chances, we must act on information we receive. We don’t take these decisions lightly and only carry out this kind of action if it was wholly justified.

“I would like to extend my thanks to the communities who have been affected by the work we have been doing over the fast few weeks. People have been extremely supportive and worked with us to ensure we’ve been able to work effectively.

“Over the coming weeks we will continue to work with communities and address any concerns they may have. This North West Counter Terrorism Unit will continue to work to protect people living in the North West and across the UK.”

The men facing deportation have the right to contest the move through the Special Immigration Appeals Commission.

It can overturn decisions by the Secretary of State to deport people from the UK on national security grounds.

The panel granted bail to Dr Mohammed Asha, who was cleared of involvement in a car bomb plot in London and Glasgow, in January this year, despite Government claims that he was a risk.

The Jordanian was allowed to return to work and will go to a full deportation hearing later in the year.

The raids in the north-west raised questions over security checks on foreign students, which shadow home secretary Chris Grayling declared were a "major loophole" in immigration rules.

He said: "The Government admits that student visas are a major loophole in our border controls.

"Given these latest revelations we need to urgently step up monitoring of applications from parts of the world where we face terror issues."

Government figures showed 42,292 student visas were issued to Pakistani students between April 2004 and April 2008.

Belfast Telegraph : British police release 12 held in anti-terror raids

British police release 12 held in anti-terror raids

April 22, 2009

British police have released 12 men arrested earlier this month during a high-profile anti-terrorism operation.

The arrests were made slightly earlier than anticipated after a senior British police officer was photographed carrying a memo containing plans for the operation.

Eleven of the detainees were Pakistani nationals, who now face being deported after being transferred to the custody of the UK Borders Agency.

The 12th detainee is a British citizen.

The police are insisting that they have not made any mistakes in relation to the arrests, despite the fact that no charges are being brought.

However, the Muslim Council of Britain has condemned the treatment of the men and attempts by the authorities to give the impression that they posed a serious threat to security.

Sun : Cop Gaffe Terror Suspects Set Free

Cop Gaffe Terror Suspects Set Free

By ANTHONY FRANCE, Crime Reporter and SIMON HUGHES | April 22, 2009

ALL of the 12 terror suspects hurriedly arrested after the bungle by top cop Bob Quick have now been let out of a nick — WITHOUT charge.

Eleven of the men - all Pakistani nationals - face being deported after they were transferred into the custody of the UK Borders Agency.

The suspects — who were accused of sneaking into the country on student visas — were held after Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick swanned into No10 accidentally flashing a top secret file about a police probe into an alleged bomb threat.

He quit next day — as anti-terror cops were forced into action early.

Tory MP Patrick Mercer — chairman of the Commons Counter-terrorism sub-committee — stormed last night: “If any compromise to this intelligence operation has occurred because of the actions of Bob Quick then that is totally unacceptable.”

The men aged 22 to 30 were seized in Manchester, Liverpool and Lancashire over a suspected Easter plot to bomb shopping centres.

In a statement, Greater Manchester Police said today: “All of the suspects arrested by the North West Counter Terrorism Unit during the recent operation have now been released.

“On Wednesday April 8, in an intelligence-led operation that required intervention to disrupt activity, 12 men were arrested under the Terrorism Act.

"One was subsequently released into the custody of the UK Borders Agency.

“The remaining 11 men were questioned and the evidence gathered presented to the CPS who advised there was insufficient evidence gathered within the permitted timescales which would have allowed a warrant of further detention to be gathered or charges to be pursued.

“It is not possible to bail people under terrorism legislation so the men were released.

“Public safety is always the police’s top priority and all information is fully considered and acted upon appropriately to minimise risk to the public.”

A police source said: “There isn’t the evidence to charge them. Time will tell how much Bob Quick is to blame for that."

Frontier India : Disruption vs. Prosecution and the Manchester Plot

Disruption vs. Prosecution and the Manchester Plot

By Fred Burton and Scott Stewart, STRATFOR | April 22, 2009

On April 8, British authorities mounted a series of raids in Merseyside, Manchester and Lancashire that resulted in the arrest of 12 men suspected of being involved in a plot to conduct attacks over the Easter holiday weekend. In a press conference the following day, Prime Minister Gordon Brown noted that the men arrested were allegedly involved in “a very big terrorist plot.” British authorities have alleged that those arrested sought to conduct suicide bombing attacks against a list of soft targets that included shopping centers, a train station and a nightclub.

The searches and arrests targeting the suspects purportedly involved in the plot, which was dubbed Operation Pathway, had to be accelerated after Bob Quick, the assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police in charge of terrorism investigations, inadvertently allowed reporters to see a classified document pertaining to the operation as he was entering 10 Downing Street to brief Brown and Home Secretary Jacqui Smith on April 8. An embarrassed Quick resigned April 9 over the gaffe.

In spite of the leak, the British authorities were successful in detaining all of the targeted suspects, though the authorities have reportedly not been able to recover explosive material or other bomb-making evidence they were seeking. British authorities arrested 12 suspects, 11 of whom were Pakistani citizens. Smith told British Parliament on April 20 that all 11 of the Pakistani nationals entered the United Kingdom on student visas. The youngest of the Pakistani suspects, who is reportedly still a teenager, was remanded to the custody of British immigration authorities to face deportation proceedings April 9. The rest of the 11 suspects were released by British authorities April 21, though ten reportedly were placed in the custody of immigration officials.

Many of the specific details of the plot have not yet come out, and due to the sensitive nature of the intelligence sources and methods involved in these types of investigations, more details may never be fully divulged now that there will be no criminal trial. However, when viewed in the historical and tactical context of other terror plots and attacks (in the United Kingdom and elsewhere), there are some very interesting conclusions that can be drawn from this series of events and the few facts that have been released to the public so far.

This case also highlights the tension that exists within the counterterrorism community between advocates of strategies to disrupt terrorist attacks and those who want to ensure that terror suspects can be convicted in a court of law.

Targets

Among of the most significant things that have come to light so far regarding the thwarted plot are the alleged targets. According to press reports, the British MI5 surveillance teams assigned to monitor the activities of the purported plotters observed some of them videotaping themselves outside of the Arndale and Trafford shopping centers in Manchester, as well as at St. Ann’s Square, which lies in the center of Manchester’s main shopping district. Other reports suggest that the plotters had also conducted surveillance of Manchester’s Piccadilly train station, an intercity train station that is one of the busiest in the United Kingdom outside London, and Manchester’s Birdcage nightclub.

These targets are significant for several reasons. First, they are all soft targets — that is, targets with very little security. As STRATFOR has pointed out for several years now, since counterterrorism efforts have been stepped up in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, and as the tactical capability of groups like al Qaeda has been degraded, jihadist operatives have had less success targeting hardened targets and have turned instead to striking soft targets.

While authorities have moved to protect high-value targets, there simply are far too many potential targets to protect them all. Governments are stretched thin just trying to protect important government buildings, bridges, dams, nuclear power plants, airports and mass-transit systems in their jurisdiction. The reality on the ground is that there are not nearly enough resources to protect them all, much less every potential location where people concentrate in large groups — like shopping centers and nightclubs. This means that some targets are unprotected and are therefore, by definition, soft.

The selection of soft targets in this case indicates that the alleged Manchester plotters did not possess the operational capability to strike more strategic, high-value targets. While attacks against soft targets can be tragic and quite bloody, they will not have the same effect as a successful attack on high-value targets such as Parliament, the London Stock Exchange or a nuclear power station.

It is also very interesting that the plotters were purportedly looking to hit soft targets in Manchester and not soft targets in London. London, as the capital and a city that has been the center of several plots and attacks, is generally on a higher alert than the rest of the country and therefore would likely be seen as more difficult to target. Additionally, many of the suspects lived in the Manchester area, and as we have previously discussed, grassroots operatives, who are not as well-trained as their transnational brethren, tend to “think globally and act locally,” meaning that they tend to plan their attacks in familiar places where they are comfortable operating, rather than in strange and potentially more hostile environment.

In addition to targeting locations like shopping centers and the train station, where there were expected to be large crowds over the holiday weekend, the alleged plotters also apparently looked at the Birdcage nightclub, an establishment that is famous for its “flamboyant and spectacular” shows featuring female impersonators. This is a location the alleged plotters likely considered a symbol of Western decadence (like establishments that serve alcohol in Muslim countries).

Flawed Tradecraft

As noted above, the alleged plotters had been under surveillance by MI5. This indicates that their operational security had been compromised, either via human or technical means. Furthermore, the suspects did not appear to possess any surveillance detection capability — or even much situational awareness — as they went out into Manchester to conduct pre-operational surveillance of potential targets while under government surveillance themselves. Furthermore, the suspects’ surveillance techniques appear to have been very rudimentary in that they lacked both cover for action and cover for status while conducting their surveillance operations.

This aspect of the investigation reinforces two very important points that STRATFOR has been making for some time now. First, most militant groups do not provide very good surveillance training and as a result, poor surveillance tradecraft has long proven to be an Achilles’ heel for militants. Second, because of this weakness, countersurveillance operations can be very effective at catching militant operatives when they are most vulnerable — during the surveillance phase of the terrorist attack cycle.

Media reports indicated that during Operation Pathway, British authorities intercepted a series of Internet exchanges between the suspects suggested a terror strike was imminent. Furthermore, among the locations raided April 8 was the Cyber Net Cafe in Cheetham Hill, an establishment where British authorities observed the suspects using computers to communicate. Not only is this electronic surveillance significant in that it allowed the authorities to surmise the approximate timing of the attack, but perhaps just as important, this ability to monitor the suspects’ communications will allow the authorities to identify other militants in the United Kingdom and beyond.

Indeed, in several previous cases related to the United Kingdom, such as the investigations involving the U.S. arrest of Mohammed Junaid Babar and the U.K. arrest of Younis Tsouli, authorities were able to use communications from militant suspects to identify and roll up militant cells in other countries. Therefore, we will not be at all surprised to hear at some point in the future that British authorities were be able use the communications of the recently arrested suspects to tip off authorities in the United States, Canada, other European countries or elsewhere about the militant activities of people the suspects were in contact with.

Links to Pakistan

And speaking of elsewhere, as noted above, 11 of the arrested suspects were Pakistani nationals who entered the U.K. on student visas. At this point it is not exactly clear if the British believe the 11 suspects were radical militants specifically sent to the United Kingdom to conduct attacks or if they arrived without malicious intent and were then radicalized in the Petri dish of Islamist extremism that so rapidly replicates inside the British Muslim community — what we have come to refer to as Londonistan.

Many British lawmakers and media reports have made a huge issue out of the fact that 11 of the alleged plotters entered the United Kingdom on student visas, but even if the suspects were radicals who used student visas as a way to enter the United Kingdom, this is by no means a new tactic as some are reporting. STRATFOR has long discussed the use of student visas, bogus political asylum claims and other forms of immigration fraud that have commonly been used by militants. In fact, there have been numerous prior examples of jihadist operatives using student visas, such as the following:

* While Sept. 11 hijackers Mohamed Atta and Marwan al-Shehhi initially entered the United States on tourist visas, they were approved for M-1 student visas shortly before carrying out their attacks.

* Youssef Samir Megahed, who was arrested in possession of an improvised explosive device (IED) in August 2007 and later sentenced to a 15-year prison sentence, was a Kuwaiti engineering student who entered the United States on a student visa.

* Mohammed Aatique, a convicted member of the “Virginia Jihad Network” who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for conspiracy and weapons violations, also entered the United States from Pakistan as an engineering student.

In some ways, connections between the alleged plotters and militant groups in Pakistan such as al Qaeda or the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) would be more analytically significant than if they turn out to be grassroots operatives. The operational security, skills and terrorist tradecraft exhibited by the plotters are about what one would expect to see in a grassroots militant organization. This level of sophistication is, however, far less than one would expect from a transnational organization. Therefore, if this was an al Qaeda operation, it shows how far the group has fallen in the past eight years. If it was the TTP, it means that our previous estimate of their operational ability outside of Pakistan was fairly accurate.

Lack of Evidence

To date, the British authorities have not been able to find the explosive material and IED components they were expecting to find. This might mean that the materials may still be hidden somewhere and could be used in a future attack. It is also quite possible, and perhaps more likely, that this lack of evidence is an indication that the plot was not quite as far along as the British authorities believed. Perhaps the references the suspects allegedly made to launching the attack on a bank holiday pertained to a holiday later in the year.

While the plot as described by the British authorities would not have been a significant, strategic threat to the United Kingdom, it could have been quite deadly and could very well have surpassed the July 7, 2005, attacks in terms of final body count. Because of this potential destruction, it is quite possible that the British government decided to err on the side of disruption rather than on the side of prosecution. This is something we have seen in the investigation of several other plots in recent years in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, perhaps most notably in the August 2006 Heathrow plot, in which a cell of operatives was preparing to bomb a series of trans-Atlantic airline flights using liquid explosives.

It is much more difficult to obtain a conviction for a conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism than it is to obtain a conviction for an attack that was successfully conducted. Once the attack is executed, there is no longer much room to wrangle in court over things such as intent or capability. Governments also frequently know things via intelligence they cannot prove to the standards required for a conviction in a court of law.

This was seen in the Heathrow case, where only three of the eight suspects were convicted of the main charges during that trial, which ended in September 2008. (The other five suspects had pled guilty to lesser charges.) During that case there was reportedly some tension between the U.S. and British authorities over when to wrap up the Heathrow plotters — some of the British apparently wanted to wait a while longer to secure more damning evidence, while the Americans were reportedly more interested in ensuring that the plot was disrupted than they were in obtaining convictions. It is likely the same dynamic was at play during the investigation of the Manchester case.

Although Quick’s disclosure did hasten the launch of Operation Pathway by a few hours, it did not significantly alter the timing of the investigation — the British authorities were preparing to execute an array of searches and arrests. From an ethical standpoint (and, not insignificantly in this day and age, a political aspect) it is deemed better by many to disrupt a plot early and risk the terror suspects being acquitted than it is to accidentally allow them to conduct an attack while waiting to gather the evidence required for an ironclad court case. Disruption can have an impact on the success of prosecutions, but in the eyes of a growing number of policymakers, that impact is offset by the lives it saves.