In its annual terrorism report the government has warned of the threat to this country emanating from Syria-related terrorism.
According to the document the threat to the UK from international terrorism remained at “SUBSTANTIAL” throughout 2013, meaning that an attack was assessed to be a strong possibility.
It said the most significant development during 2013 was the growing threat from terrorist groups in Syria, where several factions of al Qaeda are active. According to the report, terrorist groups fighting in Syria have been supported by rapidly increasing numbers of foreign fighters, including numbers in the low hundreds from this country (many more than travelled to Iraq) and thousands from elsewhere.
Home Secretary Theresa May said: “Every day we have continued to make difficult decisions about how to manage the risk posed by several thousand extremists in this country who plan or facilitate the majority of homegrown terrorist plots. And we witnessed an unprecedented concentration of the terrorist threat in and from Syria, even as we confronted threats emanating from other countries where it is equally difficult for our national security agencies and departments to operate.”
The report said the principal threat to the UK continues to be from “militant Islamist terrorists.” But it said dealing with terrorism in Syria is a very significant challenge due to the numbers of people fighting with the many Syria-based terrorist groups, their proximity to the UK, ease of travel across porous borders and the ready availability of weapons.
“We are concerned about the threat to the UK from Syria based groups and the threat from foreign fighters returning to this country,” the report added.
Anti-terror powers
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In the twelve months to September 2013, there were 257 terrorism-related arrests in Great Britain; 48 people were charged with terrorism offences and 73 with other offences. 28 of the people charged with terrorism-related offences have already been prosecuted; 25 have either pleaded or been found guilty.
Amongst the powers the government used to combat terror threats were:
– Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures (TPIMs), a form of house arrest of those who have not been prosecuted.
– The deportation of three foreign nationals suspected of involvement in terrorism, using diplomatic assurances to protect their human rights, including Abu Qatada.
– The exclusion of ten foreign nationals on national security grounds and 14 on grounds of “unacceptable behaviour,” including “extremist speech.”
– The deprivation of 22 dual nationals of British citizenship on national security grounds or where citizenship had been obtained fraudulently.
– The withdrawal of a British passport on public interest grounds in order to disrupt British nationals travelling to engage in terrorism and training overseas, notably in Syria. This power has been exercised fourteen times since April 2013.
– The Home Secretary also proscribed three terrorist organisations: Boko Haram in Nigeria; the UK-based Minbar Ansar Deen; and Imarat Kavkaz in Russia.
– The Al Nusrah Front in Syria was recognised as part of al Qaeda.
– EU Foreign Ministers agreed to designate Hezbollah’s Military Wing, resulting in an EU-wide asset-freeze.
Radicalisation
The document also says that “increasing volumes of terrorist and extremist propaganda are available online, often aimed at young or vulnerable people and very often inspired by militant Islamism. A dedicated police team have removed over 21,000 pieces of illegal online terrorist content since 2010 working very closely with community groups and the communications industry.
“Although online radicalisation is a significant threat the radicalisation process very often depends on contact between vulnerable people and extremist propagandists. We continue to exclude from the UK people who are engaged in extremist
activity. We also seek to disrupt extremist speakers in this country.”
The report said the government had also devoted resources to tackling radicalisation in universties and prisons.
The reports said: “We have recruited dedicated co-ordinators to work with universities and colleges and Universities UK (UUK) have launched a website to share best practice on managing external speakers in higher education institutions…
“As of 30 September 2013, there were 120 terrorist and extremist prisoners in Great Britain, including 10 people on remand
awaiting trial for terrorism-related offences. There is a significant threat that people in prisons for terrorist offences and some other prisoners will engage in radicalisation inside prison itself.”
Reaction
Muslim groups in the UK have consistently criticized British counter-terrorism policy. Their two main criticisms are that the role of British foreign policy in radicalizing Muslims has not been acknowledged; and secondly they say that counter-terrorism methods effectively demonise and alienate the community.
Advocacy group CAGE says that under the slogan “War on Terror,” there have been moves in the United Kingdom to prioritise national security measures over basic principles of justice and fairness. As a result, “since 2001, the UK government has adopted a series of policies and laws violating a centuries-old tradition of due process going back as far as the 1215 Magna Carta.
“Prejudice, ill-information and even fabricated accounts of terrorist acts produced through forced or coerced confessions have been the basis to justify a whole raft of anti-terror legislation and illegal/immoral actions in the United Kingdom. This has resulted in the alienation and criminalisation of the Muslim community but has also created a security state, dramatically affecting the life of the wider British society.”
