In the past terror attacks in the West were from overseas. The London attack brings a new threat of homegrown radicals to the forefront
Prerna Lau Sian from London
On March 22, 2017, exactly one year after the Brussels terror attack, London faced a terrorist attack of its own. In an attack similar to the one witnessed in Nice, a terrorist drove his car into people on Westminster Bridge murdering three pedestrians and injuring 50 others. He then went on to crash his car into the railings near the Houses of Parliament where he was stopped by a brave unarmed policeman, PC Keith Palmer, whom he stabbed and murdered. Armed police then shot the terrorist killing him. The Scotland Yard Police have revealed that the whole attack lasted 82 seconds.
The following day, UK Prime Minister Theresa May made strong statements condemning the terrible attacks and reminding the world that “We will never waver in the face of terrorism”. Roger Evans, former Deputy Mayor of London told the Organiser, “We expected an attack for several years but it was still a shock when it happened. In London, our thoughts are with the four innocent people who died at Westminster when a homegrown terrorist drove his car into pedestrians and stabbed a brave police officer. The United Kingdom security forces have done well, preventing planned attacks with bombs and guns but it is much more difficult to stop a madman using a vehicle to kill people. In the wake of the attack, London recovered quickly. This is the city that withstood bombing during the War and the seventies terror campaign of Militant Irish Republicans so we are strong and resilient. We mourn the victims whilst knowing that the best way to honour them is to carry on with our lives without fear. Despite the murderous actions of one man, our vibrant world city remains open to business and to visitors from around the world.”
Prime Minister Theresa May confirmed that the attacker was British born Muslim covert, Khalid Masood, and that he had previously been investigated by MI5 in relation to concerns over violent extremism. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack, hailing Masood as a “soldier of the Islamic State”, however, the authorities are still investigating the extent of their involvement. Whilst there are still debates as to whether Masood acted alone, following the attack, the police arrested 12 people from Birmingham and London, with 3 still in custody. The police also disclosed that Masood used WhatsApp just two minutes before the attack. However, due to the nature of the encrypted messaging system, authorities are still trying to uncover access.
Khalid Masood was born as Adrian Russell Ajao to a single teenage mother in Kent. Whilst Masood didn’t have any previous convictions related to terrorism, he was known to the police for a range of offences including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offences. It is believed that Masood converted to Islam during his time in prison. The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in London issued a statement saying that Khalid Masood taught English in Saudi Arabia from November 2005 to November 2006 and again from April 2008 to April 2009. The Embassy also confirmed he had returned to the Kingdom for six days in March 2015, however, he wasn’t tracked by Saudi security services and didn’t have a criminal record there.
Prisons are now serving as a breeding hub for terrorist ideologies and activities. The UK Government previously announced that new units would be built inside some of the UK’s highest security jails. These units will only hold inmates with extremist views who promote terror and violence. This announcement was prompted after fears that imprisoned hate preacher, Anjem Choudary, would radicalise other inmates in prison. Despite these new units being sealed off from the main prison, extremists will not always be isolated from each other. In light of the new terror attack in London, it is clear that the UK Government should be doing more to prevent radicalisation in prisons. The issue with radicalisation in prisons is not restricted to the UK, as it is thought that several of the terrorists involved in the Paris and Brussels attacks, were radicalised when they had previously served prison sentences.
Whilst terror attacks in the past were from overseas threats, the West is now facing a new threat of homegrown radicals. Seven of the nine who carried out the Paris attack were European nationals where the majority of the perpetrators and the ringleader, were born in Belgium. The four terrorists who conducted the 7/7 bombings in London were British born. Additionally, in America, Omar Mateen who murdered 49 people in a gay nightclub in Florida nightclub and pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State, was born in the USA. The difficulty in curbing home grown radicalisation is now also compounded by the ease of carrying out these now less sophisticated attacks. As witnessed in Nice when Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel drove a lorry into a crowd on the Promenade des Anglais on Bastille Day, killing 84 innocent people, all terrorists simply need is a vehicle and as was the case with Masood, a knife.
Speaking exclusively to the Organiser, Sheikh Doctor Muhammad Al-Hussaini, Senior Fellow in Islamic Studies at the Westminster Institute said, “Every time there is a terrorist outrage by an Islamist group or individuals, there is a routine of Muslim leaders making public statements that ‘we follow a peaceful religion and Muslims are peaceful people’. Then the next attack happens and the same rehearsed statements are repeated. It is not surprising therefore that the British people and many others around the world have stopped trusting such bland statements. What the pattern of religious extremism demands is the academic freedom for us to speak honestly and truthfully about some of the theological underpinnings to radical Islamist violent persecution of religious minorities and other outrages. At this particular point in history, the world demands that Muslims leaders and others speak truthfully about the serious problem within the Muslim world today.”
In September 2015, MI5 claimed that it was monitoring more than 3,000 British-born Muslim extremists. Whilst the government can introduce measures in prisons, monitor suspects and increase security, community leaders also have a responsibility to ensure that members of their community are safe from radicalisation. It is only when we solve the issue at its root, people will refrain from committing such atrocities and pledging alliance to despicable organisations such as ISIS.
(The writer is a London-based Barrister (NP), writer, broadcaster on Nusound Radio 92FM. Twitter: @PrernaSian)
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