Al-Qaeda's white army of terror

[Carl Spackler]

I am sure this is a concern here in the US as well.


Posted January 14th, 2008 in Military News
Source: Richard Elias
HUNDREDS of British non-Muslims have been recruited by al-Qaeda to wage war against the West, senior security sources warned last night.

As many as 1,500 white Britons are believed to have converted to Islam for the purpose of funding, planning and carrying out surprise terror attacks inside the UK, according to one MI5 source.

Lord Carlile, the Government's independent reviewer of anti-terrorism legislation, said many of the converts had been targeted by radical Muslims while serving prison terms.

Security experts say the growing secret army of white terrorists poses a particularly serious threat as they are far less likely to be detected than members of the Asian community.

Since the 7/7 and 21/7 London bombings, police and intelligence services have had considerable success in identifying, disrupting and stopping extremist plots. As a result, groups such as al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen have been forced to change tack. Converting white non-Muslims has been one response.

The trend is well established in the United States. American-born Adam Gadahn is one of the FBI's top 10 most-wanted terrorists after converting to Islam and rising through al-Qaeda's ranks to become a prominent spokesman.

One British security source last night told Scotland on Sunday: "There could be anything up to 1,500 converts to the fundamentalist cause across Britain. They pose a real potential danger to our domestic security because, obviously, these people blend in and do not raise any flags.

"The exact figure of those who have converted to Islam and turned to terror is not precisely known. Not everyone who converts becomes radicalised and it may be that just two-fifths go down that path, but it remains a significant and dangerous problem."

Carlile said he was not aware of specific numbers, but confirmed to Scotland on Sunday that Whitehall was aware of the new threat and was actively tackling it. He said: "These people are an issue and are potentially very dangerous. There have been cases of non-Muslims converting before, and of these, Richard Reid, the so-called Shoebomber, is the most obvious example.

"They are more difficult to detect and the security services are right to place some focus on this issue."

Carlile said the majority of converts were targeted when they were in prison: "These (converts] are outside the standard type of profile which most police forces would have of a terrorist, which is male, young, and of Middle Eastern or Asian appearance. That is why they are so potentially dangerous."

Carlile added: "The Home Office has a lot of money, millions of pounds, which is being put forward for communities and fighting radicalisation. There is no question how tackling this issue is best achieved: it is achieved at a community level."

Security experts say radical Muslims in prison have become adept at identifying potential new recruits to their cause. Those in custody for the first time, the young and the lonely are particularly susceptible.

Initially, the approach is made to comfort, console and support, with very little reference, if any, to religion.

However, after several 'chats', the conversation will be turned towards the subject and, gradually, over a period of weeks or months, it is possible to complete the conversion.

Robert Leiken, director of the Immigration and National Security Programme and a specialist on European Muslims based at the Nixon Centre in Washington DC, said: "To me, the figure of 1,500 seems reasonable as many, perhaps less than a third, will actually go on to become radicals.

"New religious recruits always tend to be more zealous than those who have grown up with that specific religion."

Edwin Bakker, a Dutch-based security specialist, has studied at length the issue of radical conversions. He said: "The question is rele

vant and timely. Newcomers to Islam are extra-sensitive to perceived discrimination of Muslims and Islam-bashing.

"They feel they have to defend Islam – one of the essential concepts of Jihad – and they feel they have to prove themselves as newcomers."

But one of Scotland's leading Muslims disputed the claims of radicalisation, saying Islam's strict moral code made it unattractive to many westerners.

Bashir Maan added: "I do not know of any Islamist terror group in Scotland and, considering as a Muslim a person must pray five times daily, abstain from drinking (and] sex outside marriage, adhere to strict dietary and many other rules, it is impossible to convert to Islam a young person brought up in this very liberal society.

"I agree that the security services must be vigilant and keep their eye on everybody, but I think in this case they seem to be over-reacting."

The full article contains 788 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.

Last Updated: 12 January 2008 9:54 PM

http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/AlQaeda39s-white-army-of-terror.3667...

[Jedburgh]

....As many as 1,500 white Britons are believed to have converted to Islam for the purpose of funding, planning and carrying out surprise terror attacks inside the UK, according to one MI5 source......
"Secret army of white terrorists"? :rolleyes:

The way the article is written, you'd think the IRA had never existed and the Brits were completely unprepared to deal with a threat that couldn't be instantly ID'd visually. What a load of alarmist crap.

Prison radicalization is certainly an issue - as much here as there. But hell, the recidivism rates with felons ain't too good, no matter how you shake it. Personally, I feel the gang issue linking the street to prisons is growing to be a far more serious long-term threat than Muslim radicialization in prison. The transnational Hispanic Gangs such as MS-13, 18th Street, and Norteno/Sureno knock-offs etc. are steadily expanding their nationwide presence and are tied in to both their peers down south and senior mentors in prison gangs.

In any case, there is no shortage of radical Muslims who can easily blend in to Brit or American society with the right preparation. Many Muslims from the Middle East can pass as "white" without a problem - especially those from the Levant region. And anyone who's served in Afghanistan can tell you the range of complexions hair and eye color that are to be found in the cities and villages. Then there's the blond-haired, blue-eyed radicals to be found in the Caucasus. Then, of course, we have the Asians from the Al-Qa'ida-linked Jama'at Islamiyya in SE Asia, or the IMU in Central Asia, and other groups who are not "white", but who also do not come close in appearance to the popular perception of the Arabic suicide bomber (or the Pakis in the UK).

Here in the US regarding domestic discussion regarding an influx of "white" terrorists, it tends to be fetid mix of political posturing regarding border issues with outright manipulation of reporting - much of it in a drive to get a bigger chunck of homeland security grant funding. And the reporting itself is often so full of assumption and conjecture that it lacks any real substance; recall the huge proportion of terror "suspects" that have had to be released later on lack of even the most tenuous evidence that they were truly linked to any terror organization.

There is a threat and it is serious - but by overblowing aspects of it, and continually harping on ridiculous alarmist POVs, operational legitimacy is slowly undercut and popular support begins to wither. We need to maintain steady pressure, and nonsense such as the above report doesn't help the Brits and it doesn't help us.

[Spinner]

Also, as Jedburgh pointed out, why just white? Asian, of course, and other ethnic groups who can certainly pass for your average suburban homeowner. Really, any of the homegrown groups, regardless of their ethnicity, could be considered a long term threat.

We had a gang here in Chicago, the El Rukns (originally the Black P. Stone Nation), who were the scourge of Chicago back in the 70s and 80s. Your basic street gang that discovered how to create a facade of legitimacy by applying for federal grant money and projecting themselves as an organization that was there to help their community.

Jeff Fort, who led the gang and was convicted of conspiring with the Libyans to commit terrorist acts on US soil, is currently serving a long sentence at the prison in Florence, CO. That guy was as bad as they come. And smart, too.