9 Held In Alleged U.K. Terror Plot

Media Say Plan Was To Torture, Behead British Muslim Soldier, Broadcast Killing Online

(CBS/AP)  Police unveiled a major kidnapping plot, the first of its kind in Britain, with the arrest of nine terror suspects Wednesday in a plan that reportedly involved torturing and beheading a British Muslim soldier and broadcasting the killing on the Internet.

The alleged plot, said by British media to mirror the brutal killings of foreign hostages in Iraq, was in its final stages and uncovered during a six-month surveillance operation by anti-terror officers, police said.

"The threat from terrorism remains very real," said Assistant Chief Constable David Shaw, who would not confirm reports from the British Broadcasting Corp. and other media that the intended victim was an army soldier to be killed in an "Iraqi-style" execution and broadcast on the Internet.

Britain has been at the heart of several thwarted terror plots. One involved a British Muslim who pleaded guilty to plotting to blow up landmarks including the New York Stock Exchange. Last August, police foiled an alleged plan by Muslim extremists to use liquid explosives to blow up as many as 10 flights between the United States and Britain.

Britain’s secret service says it has at least 30 active terrorist plots — and 1,600 suspects — currently under surveillance, reports CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer.

But many British Muslims believe that's an over-reaction.

"Every other day there is a raid," one Muslim man told CBS.

For this reason the operation was a risky one, reports CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips. Police have made high-profile arrests of Muslims suspected of ambitious terror plots before, only to have to let suspects go when the intelligence proved wrong. If they can't make this one stick, they risk further alienating an already suspicious community.

But the Birmingham kidnapping plot raised fears that a new type of terrorism had reached Britain — one that threatens to spread the type of terror seen in Iraq with kidnappings and publicized beheadings, and one that suggests Britain's young Muslims are becoming angrier over their country's continued involvement in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the U.S. detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Four suicide bombers — Muslims raised in England who expressed anger over Britain's role in the wars — killed 52 people on London's transit system during rush-hour attacks on July 7, 2005. The killings were western Europe's first suicide bombings.

In the past year, that anger has spilled over to Muslims who serve in the British armed forces.

The potential victim of the latest plot reportedly was a British Muslim soldier who was under police protection, British media reported.

Britain's first Muslim soldier to be killed in Afghanistan last year was from Birmingham, where his death prompted militant Islamist Web sites to denounce Cpl. Jabron Hashmi, 24, as a traitor. One site — that of extremist British sect al-Ghurabaa — posted an image of Hashmi surrounded by flames.

His brother Zeeshan Hashmi, who left the British Army in September 2005, was alerted to the arrests by concerned officials at the Ministry of Defense.

"When I woke up, there were missed calls and messages from them wanting to reassure me," he said. "I'm extremely proud of my role in the British army and my brother's sacrifice. My brother didn't just go as a soldier but as a human wanting to help other humans in a region where they were suffering. It had nothing to do with politics."

Despite his family living less than a mile from the raided properties in Birmingham, Zeeshan Hashmi — now studying Arabic at Cambridge University — does not believe he was the target of the plot.

"What's more worrying is the negative publicity this will generate about British Muslims," Zeeshan Hashmi said. "Nothing is proven, but the accused people only represent a small element of the Muslim community who are completely opposed to the core values of Islam which is a peaceful doctrine."

Last year, a London street vendor was sentenced to six years in prison for plotting to kill a decorated British soldier. Abu Baker Mansha was accused of targeting Cpl. Mark Byles, whose address and other materials were found in Mansha's apartment.

Byles was awarded a military cross for bravery following an attack in which several Iraqi insurgents were killed — exploits covered by British newspapers. One of the articles with Byles' name was circled and found in Mansha's apartment.

The Defense Ministry said 330 Muslims are serving in the British armed forces. It would not comment on reports that the intended victim was a soldier.

"This would be the first case of Islamic extremists using kidnapping as a tactic — but these are not the first terrorist kidnapping threats to Britain. The IRA provided those," said former U.S intelligence officer Bob Ayers, now a security analyst based in London.

[bluestardad]

Can we say boogie Man boogie man boogie man! Booogity Boooogity Boo!

you have more chance getting killed picking up a quart of milk at the store than being hurt by a terrorist!

[drinuk]

Sadly these people will claim to be British, I am so ashamed that once again this nation will be dragged through the dirt by such evil. Whilst drawing state benefits they plot to destroy us, their aim being to take over the country we love and cherish.
Well! I have news for them, the Romans, the Vikings and even Hitler got a kick up the backside. Backing us up against the wall will unleash retribution, be warned. "Political Corretness" will be history.

[antoniof123]

You know I am really getting tired of this garbage when will they learn. Killing only brings on more killing. I think we are going backwards in time. If the nuts do not stop they are going to cause a major problem. People will only continue being afraid once in a while after a while they become angry and do the same as those who instill fear.

[dallison7]

I want to see how long before Bush takes credit for this arrest.

[drinuk]

antoniof123. Absolutely correct, people will stand just so much of this nonsense whereupon the retribution is worse than the initial threat.
Unfortunately our politicians find out too late that the lack of immigration control, appeasement and disregard for the opinion of the indigenous population leads to serious problems and spawn's evil. Adolf Hitler is a prime example of appeasement.

[legendary240]

What they (muslims)don't get is the fact that we have not reached our boiling point yet. We are not even warm. If they keep this stuff up then eventually an Us vs. Them conflict will erupt from neighborhood to neighborhood. People will not continue to live peacefully alongside those whom they fear and can not trust. Everywhere they go they insist on being treated with special rights and privileges. Then they keep silent while these evil murderers plot and scheme inside their mosques. Obviously, they don't believe all the history of the British, Americans and the other fine nations of the world who love their freedom. They are gravely miscalculating.

[legendary240]

DRinUK - He's right, you don't draw British blood and live to tell about it. My Dad is a WWII-baby, British born and I am very proud about that. My Mom is Irish, so I have lots of affection for the Islands across the Atlantic. Muslims - read this and decide whether you really want to pay the price for your actions or if you'd rather just go back to Pakistan?

[puhalsky]

SUPER BOWL OPUS:

Bob Puhalsky
10150 Weedon Rd
Newburg, Md
20664

301-934-0509

[notblue]

Bluestardad is a poster boy for left wing DENIAL!

[legendary240]

bluestardad - your statistics are right, I agree. Here's the point - my children should not have to jump behind my back in fear when ever they see a pair of dark eyes peering through a burka at the mall. Frankly, it makes my hair stand up to. Why do WE have to live in fear and have to be so vigilant for the "next attack" we keep hearing about? It's not about the slim chance, it's about the fact that there is any chance at all. Did you have to wonder when you were going to be blown up by a suicide-bomber when you were a kid? We had to grow up worrying about the Russians, but we didn't live alongside them - they were an ocean away. This threat, though small, is deadly, and they may live right across the street from you. That's the point.

[consciousnes]

How long are we going to keep calling the extremist %u201CMuslim Extremist%u201D or %u201CIslamic Extremist%u201D? They are EXTREMIST. Whether you talk about the Catholic Extremist of Northern Ireland, or the Crusades, they are all extremists. No one group has a monopoly on extremism.
What we really need to understand is that they are a very small part of a group of people that love life and want to live in peace. Why do we continually fall for the media hype that tries to stir up emotions just to sell papers and air time for their commercials.
We the People must learn to view the exaggerated events of the world within the context that it is presented. Yes, there are people out there who would like to kill someone. But we all know that it is a very small portion of the worlds population of how many billion people that live on this earth.
Let us keep our heads, and exert our energy where it does the most good to contain the real extremists.

[notblue]

How can anyone believe the threat of radical Islam is small? It exists in many countries and demographics across the globe, it specifically targets innocent civilians for sensationalism, it televises barbarism unheardof in modern civilized society, beheadings etc. It seeks to irradicate people on grand scales with any weapon it can acquire. Unfortunately, the left in this country simply through there ongoing state of denial will require an attack on an uprecedented scale before American unity against this enemy is achieved.

[hillaryin08]

Did Bush trick Bill Clinton too?

Whereas in Public Law 105-235 (August 14, 1998), Congress concluded that
Iraq's continuing weapons of mass destruction programs threatened
vital United States interests and international peace and security,
declared Iraq to be in ``material and unacceptable breach of its
international obligations'' and urged the President ``to take
appropriate action, in accordance with the Constitution and relevant
laws of the United States, to bring Iraq into compliance with its
international obligations'';

Whereas the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-338) expressed
the sense of Congress that it should be the policy of the United
States to support efforts to remove from power the current Iraqi
regime and promote the emergence of a democratic government to
replace that regime;

[scouser691]

Notblue, can you personally guarantee us that if we agree to stop thinking, surrender our freedoms, and unite behind our president who has the uncanny ability to get things wrong, that we will not be subject to terrorist attacks. The answer is a resounding NO! Therefore your point is dubious at best.

[gunownerdan]

Since the UK has made it illegal for citizens to carry weapons for self defense, it is now a lot easier for criminals or terrorists to do whatever they want.
http://www.a-human-right.com

[notblue]

I'm not asking anyone to stop thinking, I'm asking everyone to recognize the threat that radical Islam is to our freedom. If this threat is not recognized then surrendering your freedoms in the name of protection would not be a voluntary option. I'm not asking you to rally behind the president, I'm asking that we unite against an enemy that would destroy us and our way of life. There some in this country that would rather blame America or accept wild conspiracy theories in order to rationalize away the threat of radical Islam.

[dogsoul]

Why call them Muslim Extremists? Because their entire motivation stems from their radical Islamic belief system - heck, just ask 'em... they'll tell you themselves - quite proudly I might add... You might be able to find non-Muslim groups here & there who also commit acts of terror - but come ON folks... this is clearly a problem whose source is dominated by radical Islam. And how can you discount or even minimize the dangers of radical Islamic terror? And why?

Oh well... I'm sure liberals are already clamoring to free the suspects - and blame the intended victim & his country for bringing this upon themselves...

[legendary240]

I know everyone wants to prove how tolerant they are and how progressive they are in their thinking. That's fine. We'll do the dirty work for you then. There is no such thing as a mulim-extremist. These terrorists are simply faithful to the teachings of their book. The muslims that don't kill every kaffir they meet are just muslim in appearance only. The Bible says to go tell everyone about Jesus and love them whether they believe or not. The koran says tell no one, force them to confess mohammed and enslave them. If they refuse, hack at their necks and kill them. That's just the reasonable service of a muslim. That's not extreme behavior at all to a muslim. For some reason we blindly believe their insistence that islam is a religion of peace. Read their book and it will prove them to be liars. Also, their book even says that lying to kaffirs (unbelievers)is not a sin and is even a good thing because they don't deserve the truth. Well fellow kaffirs, when are we going to stop believing everything we hear and start checking things out at the source to see if it's true? Deception of the enemy is the first step before in an attack.

[rsoxfan1123]

singinrick-you are correct about the radicals. they are also called the muslim "fundamentalists" because they take their entire holy book literally. they are actually following their doctrine (the "fundamentals")as prescribed by Muhhamed.

[drinuk]

Sorry! GunOwnerDan, you are totally and utterly wrong, the prospect of these deluded idiots being able to OPENLY buy firearms is frightening.
There would be open warfare within weeks and I would remind you that, for all your private weapons, you were helpless in preventing 9-11.

[dogsoul]

...ya know, I was reading up a bit on Obama's family background dealing with his Christian mother, Islamic father & brother etc... BTW - I am NOT trying to tie Obama to radical Islam... Anyway, they talked about how Obama's father viewed Christianity - and from what I recall his biggest issue w/ Christianity stemmed from its continual emphasis on mercy, forgiveness, tolerance, etc... This confused Obama's Muslim father - mercy for your enemies? Tolerance? In other words, at least according to him - those concepts ran totally contradictory to the teachings of Islam. Was he a terrorist? Of COURSE not... but for one reason or another - that's how he felt. Not making a major point per se, but I did find that interesting...

[bildooreilly]

Did you know shriners take a vow to allah? Go look it up... Better start investigating these shriners, I think they could be dangerous.

Who founded the Shriners? What does the red fez signify? ... Does the Shriner pledge loyalty and fealty to Allah and Mohammed? ...

[bildooreilly]

The Oath of a Shriner

Candidates for induction into the Shriners are greeted by a High Priest, who says:

%u201CBy the existence of Allah and the creed of Mohammed; by the legendary sanctity of our Tabernacle at Mecca, we greet you.%u201D

The inductees then swear on the Bible and the Koran, in the name of Mohammed, and invoke Masonry's usual gruesome penalties upon themselves:

%u201CI do hereby, upon this Bible, and on the mysterious legend of the Koran, and its dedication to the Mohammedan faith, promise and swear and vow %u2026 that I will never reveal any secret part or portion whatsoever of the ceremonies %u2026 and now upon this sacred book, by the sincerity of a Moslem's oath I here register this irrevocable vow %u2026 in willful violation whereof may I incur the fearful penalty of having my eyeballs pierced to the center with a three-edged blade, my feet flayed and I be forced to walk the hot sands upon the sterile shores of the Red Sea until the flaming sun shall strike me with livid plague, and may Allah, the god of Arab, Moslem and Mohammedan, the god of our fathers, support me to the entire fulfillment of the same. Amen. Amen. Amen."

With this oath, Christians swear on the Koran, and declare Allah to be %u201Cthe god of our fathers.%u201D From the perspective of Christianity and Islam alike, Shriners take the name of God in vain, and mock both faiths.


Excerpt from The Origins and Influence of Masonry
by Lee Penn, SCP Journal Vol. 25:2-25:3 2001

[rafterman1]

"for all your private weapons, you were helpless in preventing 9-11"

Are you kidding, I'm a liberal FOR guns. But I'm not worried about using guns on terrorists. With the antics of the Bush administration these last six years, if there was ever a time we needed weapons to defend our civil liberties from an unjust government, it's now.

[bildooreilly]

Encarta Encyclopedia identifies the red hat, called a "Fez" is "a Muslim symbol". The red represents the blood of Christian saints that were murdered in Fez, Morocco in the 8th century, when the Muslims invaded the city and forced the inhabitants to renounce Jesus Christ and confess "Allah as God and Muhammad as his prophet!" Interesting to note that a Mason who claims to be a Christian, and swears this oath to become a Shriner, willfully confesses Allah as God and Muhammad as his prophet while the saints who went before them were slain for rejecting this act of treason against the Lord Jesus Christ.

Alhambra, the name of this Shriner Temple, was the fortress of the Moorish Kings in 13-14th century. The Moors were Muslims from N. Africa who conquered the Iberian Peninsula in the 8th Century and were also the same inhabitants of Morocco who killed Christians described above. After the land was recaptured by Hispanic Christians, all professed Muslims were expelled. (Websters Encyclopedia)

[nyckate]

singinrick - oh hon - we understand only too well the theory of religious fundamentalism - we have the likes of Jimmy and Faye Baker and Pat Robertson here as not-so-shining examples of the madness of religious fundamentalism.

[bildooreilly]

Singinrick, you're givin your $ to muzzies when you give it to the shriners..

Where does the money from the Shriner Circuses really go?


Shriners are well known for their famous Circuses where they claim to raise money for their burn hospitals. It is a little known fact, that they are really "using" the burn hospitals to accumulate great wealth for themselves!


In June, 1986, a daily newspaper in Florida, the Orlando Sentinel published a report on the Shrine hospital program. 98% of the money the Shriners raise in these circuses wasn't going to the hospitals. It went to the Shriners for their parties. Ninety-eight percent went to their little cars and their little boats and their temples, their little hats and stuff. 2% went to the hospitals.


The Orlando Sentinel writes "Estimates from available records also show that Shrine hospitals in 1984 received just 1 percent, or $182,000, of an estimated $17.5 million in profits from about 175 Shrine circuses. Only one of the 76 temples for which IRS records were available reported contributing any circus money to the hospital system."

[bildooreilly]

While appealing to the compassion of the general public, using crippled children as the bait, these men have found a very profitable business through the covering of these hospitals. If you would like to know where your "Shriner" donations are going, look at their "Shrines" (Temples), Harley Davidsons, go carts, jewlery, and the cars they drive! Are they any different than the covetous TV prosperity preachers that use an honorable and charitable cause in order to fatten their own pocketbook?

[dogsoul]

...for radical muslims - and some not so radical ones... the ends ALWAYS justifies the means, particularly when the ends involves killing non-Muslims. In fact, it seems rather silly to note this as such seeing as it's more than apparent when you consider some of their tactics. Killing babies, beheading civilians, blowing up grade schools packed with children - heck, even bombing their own people or using them as human shields is perfectly acceptable because, after all - they're either killing infidels or granting martyrdom to fellow Muslims - all in the name of Allah. They further exonerate themselves from any wrongdoing by stating that it's ultimately all the "will of Allah" - i.e. if Allah wanted me to stop, He'd stop me. So however politically correct you consider yourself - you HAVE to recognize that there's definitely SOMEthing about Islam that lends itself to this particular brand of horror - be that cultural, socioeconomic or simply something fundamental to the religion itself.

[bildooreilly]

Well singin rick just remember this, all shriners are masons, and all masons are politicians, judges, and lawyers lol..

[bluestardad]

News Flash: These arrests in the United Kingdom were only made possible because of the close cooperation between the Bush Administration and the Coalition of the willing after using the Wireless Surveillance program listening in on phone conversations between a married Wal-Mart worker and his Married Pakistani Girl friend in Carbon Indiana planning a rendezvous when their respective spouses were gone. Once again this proves that a terrorist tragedy has been averted because of the outstanding policies put forth by the Bush Cheney Administration. A minor inconvenience of the surrendering of American Civil Liberties. Stay the Course!

[bildooreilly]

Singinrick, is George Bush a shriner yet? He's definitely a mason, I've seen pictures of his daddy wearin his fez hat.

[bildooreilly]

Singin rick, you ever stop to think that these politicians are just playing upon your religious beliefs in order to deceive you, because that's exactly what they're doing lol.

[gangesdak]

Many diplomats, as the atricle pointed out, admit in provate that Pakistan is "at the center" of terrorism. But our government (also UK) is in bed with them. No action is taken either against Pakistan or against Saudi Arabia. The newsmedia mentions this too, but only as a passing comment. Does it say something about the private relations between those in power in USA and those countries promoting terrorism? Ordinary people can only send their children to fight the war on terrorism to satisfy rhetoric mongering politicians. Let those politicians go away.

[bildooreilly]

They're not a threat to me singin rick, you should go get a FOID card and buy a gun. I have absolutely no fear of muslims ever invading my town and starting sharia law.... Me and most everyone else in my town would bury them out on some pig farm.

[dogsoul]

...I think most people have, at the very least, sensed a reluctance on the part of even seemingly moderate Muslims to condemn radical Islamic acts of terror. After 9/11, my honest impression of the Islamic world's reaction generally fell into one of three categories: outright celebration, restrained jubilation, or silent condonation. Sure, we did here a few faint murmurings to the contrary - but most of that gave off the distinct whiff of lip service. What Muslims HAVE been very vocal about, however, is that they should not be scrutinized, profiled or in any way hampered because of what terrorists do... very sensitive about anything perceived as anti-Islamic - cold as ice about anything anti-terror. So would an otherwise firm supporter of Bin Laden spend time defending Islam as a "religion of peace"? Sure... of course... it can only help - and simply lying to the infidels merely scratches the surface of what, in their minds, is permissible under the laws of Islam.

[bildooreilly]

How do you feel inside singin rick when you see those pictures of your hero George W. Bush smooching and going for walks holding hands with those Saudi Sheiks?

Well it's rumored that Bush forced a girl to have an abortion when he was younger, what about that? He sure didn't do anything to stop abortion while republicans had COMPLETE control of the government.

Bush has done more for homosexuals than any other president, he has employed several in the white house (can you say karl rove) he had a male prostitute spending the night at the white house over 200 times, he has appointed homosexuals to top levels at the pentagon and other high positions in the government.


I'm all for capital punishment as well as long as there's no doubt at all that the person is guilty of murdering someone else. Fact is though they fry many innocent people, how many innocent people did your hero W kill?



You ever hear your hero bush ever say which "God" he believes that is? I guarantee you it isn't the same "God" you're thinking of...

[bluestardad]

News Flash: These arrests in the United Kingdom were only made possible because of the close cooperation between the Bush Administration and the Coalition of the willing. After using the Wireless Surveillance program listening in on phone conversations between a married Wal-Mart worker and his Married Pakistani Girl friend in Carbon Indiana planning a rendezvous when their respective spouses were gone. Once again this proves that a terrorist tragedy has been averted because of the outstanding policies put forth by the Bush Cheney Administration. And a minor inconvenience of the surrendering of American Civil Liberties. Stay the Course!

[bluestardad]

don't go away there were at least one person out of the couple hundred that reads these blogs who givesashit about your totally off topic religious views

[djberson]

Dogsoul, WELL PUT. I don't lean right, but one thing I agree on is that the Islamic scourge is out-of-control.

[bluestardad]

singinrick; take up an offering

[bluestardad]

lets discuss absolutly anything but what is going on in the article!

[rafterman1]

Singinrick, let me ask you something as you are a religious person. Say Jesus were to come back down here to Earth and He had to pick a political party. One party was one that represented a very aggressive approach to world events, including use of pre-emptive war, to make themselves safer. They are more cynical of the world, but perhaps a bit more realistic in seeing the evil nature of man. Call them the Suits. The other party was represented by people who wanted a more diplomatic approach to world events and believed war was only a last option. They are more hopeful and forward looking, but perhaps a bit naive in "the ways of the world". Call them the "Hippies".

Which party would Jesus join?

Now, I'm not a Jesus expert, but from what I know, it seems His teachings would be more in line with the Hippies. I would think most people would agree with me. And if that's the case, how do you square the teachings of Jesus with your own political views and, specifically, your interpretation of Muslims and Islam?

Or are you saying the Bible is "pick and choose"? In which case, why are some people's selective Bible choices "sinful" (aka, abortion) while others, like supporting the Iraq war, are not? Aren't both considered killing and both inconsistent with the teachings of Jesus?

[j-whitman]

Bravo Zulu to our used to be allies Great Briton
Bush will try to claim credit,,,, Watch out.

[cathaleen]

The Muslims should fire whoever does their public relations. It is a disaster.

[j-whitman]

Bush's "Culture of Life" -- Is nothing more than a "Scorched Earth Policy"

[j-whitman]

MY PAPERBOY SHOULD REPLACE BUSH --- HE'S RELIABLE & DOESN'T BREAK WINDOWS

[rafterman1]

"I take the Bible literally as God intended for us to do (His Word is the Truth) and I don't pick and choose."

But you are, everytime you justify the Iraq war because of the "evilness" of Muslims. This is a sin, is it not? Do you not recognize it as such? And if you do, why do you knowingly repeat it?

"Jesus wouldn't pick a "political party""

But say he did.

"He will judge the sins of ALL in the end. George Bush has admitted he is a sinner. Can you say the same?"

Sure can. I've pulled some doozies too though I'm pretty sure I never killed someone. But I try and not repeat the same sins over and over again. Usually successful, sometimes not (I'm a great believer in learnng from past mistakes). But Bush (and by proxy, those that support his views) seem intent on repeating the same sins over and over.

If you do not pick and choose from the Bible, I do not see how you can justify your view of war in Iraq. And if you admit you are knowingly sinning (as you imply with the sins of ALL comment), then why keep doing it? Are you repentent of this particular belief regarding Iraq and Muslims and seek God's forgiveness for it? And if you do or plan on doing so, why not just stop the behavior?

I'm not trying to pick on you, but religion and war have a funny way of mixing sometimes.

[j-whitman]

Henry Kissinger now slams the damage this administration has done to the Middle East, & Near East regions.

[rafterman1]

"They had the same information that the President had. But now they're playing politics and blaming everything on him for their own political agendas, which is disgusting"

Well, no they didn't have the same information. For instance, the Dems did not have Bush's knowledge that the Iraq yellowcake story was false (even though Bush put it in his SOTU speech anyways). Apparently Bush had a politcal agenda too.