Terror Suspects Plead Guilty as Part of 2010 UK Bomb Plot
Posted by Kaitlin Kindbergh on Thu, Feb 02, 2012 @ 09:49 AM
Overview
In December of 2010, nine British nationals were arrested and held in prison on charges related to terrorism. On February 1st, 2012, Mohammed Chowdhury, Shah Rahman, Gurukanth Desai and Abdul Miah all plead guilty to “engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism.” Additionally, the five other suspects plead guilty to similar charges including preparing for acts of terrorism, assisting others to prepare acts of terrorism and the lesser charge of engaging in conduct for the preparation of terrorism. As previously reported in MSA Security Brief No. 9 of 2010, dated December 28th, 2010, these men had the intention of mailing several explosive devices to several high profile venues in the United Kingdom. Unspecified details provided after the initial investigation also uncovered a potential plot to conduct a violent, “Mumbai style” attack; suggesting the men were going to conduct a chaotic, inner-city assault on a major metropolitan area in the United Kingdom. Potential targets included the U.S. Embassy, London Stock Exchange and the London Mayor’s Office.
Additional details regarding the potential attack:
- The British nationals were inspired by the sermons of American born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.
- The men conducted pre-operational surveillance. At least one man was in possession of a written “target list” and others captured video footage of several locations. The men also conducted extensive online research, exchanging ideas and potential attack plans via email, online forums and the use of Inspire Magazine, an al Qaeda linked online publication.
- Police did not uncover any weapons or explosives while conducting their investigation, but made the arrests citing a “priority to protect the public.”
Implications
Without a specific date or established timeline for the failed attack, it was difficult for authorities to assess at what point the men would have become operationally capable to conduct the attack. The suspects reviewed literature from what we consider the most operationally capable arm of al Qaeda, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Their radicalization led to the surveillance of perceived soft targets, at which point law enforcement intervened. As part of the terrorist attack cycle, terrorists conduct surveillance of their targets. If a facility’s security is perceived as weak, it is more likely to become a target. A facility’s security program must be engaged at all times to maintain a constant, hardened security posture. The security force must be knowledgeable in the subtleties of suspicious behavior in order to detect potential surveillance being conducted at the site. Additionally, the intention of mailing explosives to high profile targets reminds us to remain vigilant when screening mail and to regularly review internal screening practices.
