January 19, 2003

'Bin Laden tapping into terror groups'

Terrorists linked to al-Qaida remain at large in Britain and are using established terror groups, warns the UK's most senior policeman.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens says a large number of people are being watched and "a number" are still to be arrested.

He believes Osama bin Laden and his network are acting "very cleverly" in tapping in to existing organisations.
[...]
Asked if the people were linked to al Qaida, he added: "I think there's no doubt they are and we know that there's certain links with al Qaida and, of course, the link in with North Africa [I think he means primarily Algeria here--J.T.] is proven with other groups as well."

Sir John stresses the police and security services have a better idea of what the network of terrorists was than before.

Asked if bin Laden and others were out there directing operations to disrupt the UK, Sir John said: "I think there's some of that in terms of what is happening worldwide.

"But I think very cleverly what bin Laden and others have done is actually lock into established terrorist groups to see if they can actually use their potential to cause the problems that they are."

Give this man a fine cigar!
By Jove, I think he's got it!
I hope that right-thinking people in the West, even our own American Lib Dims, hear this because they keep acting as if the only "official" Al Queda are in Afghanistan and that members of other Islamist terrorist groups somehow are "different and separate" from Bin Laden's little group and are therefore not targets of the War on Islamist Terror.
Britain, pay attention--your man just bought you a HUGE clue!