London Events...

Aside from the obvious, the threat from these terrorists, what else do we need to come away with from these arrests and the plot. Here are a few things to consider. The first is that aircrafts are still at risk and integral to plots to kill Americans and their allies in the war against terrorism. The second is that Al Qaida continues to use plans that have been used before, in this case the hijackings in the Philippines in 1995 and in the U.S. in 2001. This may be because they have had successes with these plans OR that the mastermind commanders such as Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, are no longer around to come up with new plans so old plans are being reused. It is also a good bet that such targets like the World Trade Centers, Pentagon, and the Capitol are still at risk. Third, is that the intelligence that liquids were going to used as explosives aboard planes circulated a few years ago is proving to be correct. Remember the thermos alert? Fourth and MOST IMPORTANT, the terrorists said to be involved were British citizens as were those involved in the second set of London subway bombings and Richard Reid. It is a trend and it points to an internal risk both in England and here, from citizens who are Islamic fundamentalists.

How were law enforcement officials able to prevent this horrific plot? There were many factors, but one that should not be discounted is that because the terrorists were British citizens, the group was easier to infiltrate. This great example of cooperative international law enforcement is a win for the good guys.


BT