UK terrorism kidnap plot
An alleged militant plot to kidnap and behead a British Muslim soldier would have had the appeal of massive media impact and shock value while requiring minimal resources, security analysts say.A defence source confirmed to Reuters that a major police operation in which nine men were arrested in central England on Wednesday involved a plot to kidnap a soldier.
Police refused to give details of their investigation but British media widely reported that the hostage would have been tortured, forced to plead for his life and eventually beheaded, with video of his death posted on the Internet.
Security analysts said such a plan — modelled on tactics previously used by al Qaeda in Iraq — would have been much easier to carry out than multiple bombings of the kind seen in Madrid in 2004 or suicide attacks staged by four British Muslims in London in 2005.
I am certainly pleased that this plot was disrupted, but I expect that other similar attempts will be made in the future. This is really a difficult type of thing to stop, especially if a community gets insuler enough that even those who don’t approve of such a thing are unwilling to go to the authorities about it. I would guess that the opposite happened here, and that is a good thing and a comfort for those of us who have viewed some of the trends within Britian’s muslim population with concern.
It is an interesting, and troubling, thing to think about what resources it would take to have an insurgency or civil war in America similar to what is going on in Iraq right now. Sadly, I think that the number required is a lot smaller then many people would think at first glace, but thankfully it seems that the number of Americans who are willing to engage is such behavior is hugely smaller then that.
The most pleasing aspect of this (the joy in the horror if you wish) is that the UK are treating the investigation, the process, as a criminal matter rather than “military”.
More power to them… and hopefully lessons for others?
I would hope that attempts at insurrection in the US, possibly leading to civil war, would arise from just cause rather than criminality. I have no doubt that if the cause were right then you would be out there “on the barricades” - as would I.