Eight Nine arrested in alleged UK plot to kidnap, behead British Muslim soldier; Update: “Days away”
posted at 9:10 am on January 31, 2007 by Allahpundit
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Sky News has more than a dozen video clips online about the plot and arrests. Drudge links to their top story, but it’s the Sun that has the most sensational (but unsurprising) detail:
EVIL Muslim terrorists were to kidnap a British soldier on UK streets and force him to plead with Tony Blair for his life in return for a pull-out of troops from Iraq, The Sun can reveal.
The soldier would have been filmed begging the PM to withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan in a sick propaganda stunt.
Army sources said the target was a British Muslim soldier in his 20s.
He would eventually be beheaded on film in a sick mirror of the torture and savage killing of British hostage Ken Bigley if Mr Blair refused.
Senior security sources say the plot would have put the most unbearable blackmail pressure on the Premier to act…
The fact that the arrests were made in Birmingham could suggest that soldiers recovering from wounds in military hospitals there might have been targeted.
But sources say they cannot be sure of this - and are also investigating leads that a serviceman could have been picked up by the kidnappers anywhere on the mainland.
Londonistan gets all the headlines, but Birmingham — and the military hospitals in Birmingham — have been mentioned around here before. Remember?
Sky says the suspects had been under surveillance for six months; according to ITN, they were in the “later stages of planning.” It’s not just the suspects’ homes that were raided, either. The Maktabah bookstore, which trades in titles like “Heroes Of Islam, Muslim Heroes Of The World and A Day With The Prophet,” was also targeted.
There’s a police presser at 10 a.m. ET. You can watch it on Sky News’s live feed; we’ll try to get our UK contact kasper to clip the best part. In the meantime, your quote of the day:
Shabir Hussain, chairman of the nearby Ludlow Road Mosque, said such raids were causing anxiety within the community.
He said: “People don’t trust their own children any more. It’s causing difficulties inside families.
“You feel like you should challenge your son or daughter: ‘Where are you going at night? What are you watching on TV? What are you doing on the internet?’
Standby.
Update: Hmmm. This video clip at Sky says the victim wasn’t going to be asked to make any pleas or statements before the beheading.
Update: Was this a freelance operation? Maybe not.
A plot to kidnap and behead a British soldier on videotape was only “days away” and led to the arrests today of eight men in Birmingham, England, a Scotland Yard source tells ABC News…
A British intelligence source tells ABC News that a British soldier had already been selected as the victim, based on instructions the men allegedly received by e-mail from “outside the country.”
Update: The press conference is on now. They’ve arrested a ninth suspect.
Update: Wouldn’t you know it? Turns out that bookstore is notorious for selling jihadi literature.
An Islamic bookstore in Birmingham, which was today cordoned off by police in a massive anti-terrorism raid, was exposed by The Times just days after the July 7 bombings as selling ‘incendiary works’ glorifying suicide bombing and anti-Semitism…
The store was also revealed to sell a DVD, 21st Century CrUSAders, which shows injured and dead children in Iraq and the Palestinian territories, describes Britain as a “police state” and distorts Tony Blair’s face into that of Satan.
Footage of the 9/11 attacks is shown, with a poem that says: “Suddenly their storms arise to demolish their fortresses and proclaim to them we shall not stop our raids until you abandon our lands.”…
But in the July 23 Times article, the Maktabah shop owner, who declined to be named, said: “The books you have highlighted are easily available at 90 per cent of Islamic bookshops around the country…”
Update: Rusty’s heard of the Maktabah bookstore, too, and says they’ve been known to carry “exclusive” video of Osama Bin Laden.
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This is just the beginning.
right2bright on January 31, 2007 at 9:16 AM
So, uh, why aren’t you?
flipflop on January 31, 2007 at 9:19 AM
The articles mention a “Mr. Bigley” who was kidnapped and beheaded, and I didn’t remember the story. Google search turns up numerous articles; it happened in Iraq.
Being kidnapped and killed is Baghdad is different from being kidnapped off the streets of Birmingham, England, and killed on video, to make a political point.
Escalation, indeed.
rockhauler on January 31, 2007 at 9:37 AM
I’m sure this was just a simple misunderstanding and the peaceful, loving Muslims just wanted to “save” a poor soldier from the evil Bush/Blair war machine.
rayvet on January 31, 2007 at 9:44 AM
Not surprising in the least…
EnochCain on January 31, 2007 at 10:00 AM
Wake up Christians and Jews! What’s it take?
Dread Pirate Roberts VI on January 31, 2007 at 10:01 AM
Jolly good show Blokes (and Birds)!
Man, the Brits are kickin’ ass in this cat and mouse kind of police war. But couldn’t they have shot just one of ‘em?
And as FlipFlop said above … why are you not ALREADY askin’ your kids what they’re doin’, where and with whom??? You’re their parents, that’s what you’re SUPPOSSED to do! And as LightBrightRight says, it’s just beginning, but maybe also just the begining of parents doing their damn job.
Tony737 on January 31, 2007 at 10:07 AM
“Such raids were causing anxiety in the community”???
Dear God, I would sure hope so…
How does the civilized world fight insanity? Shall we medicate everyone?
Babs on January 31, 2007 at 10:26 AM
These are obviously just some misunderstood moderate moslems who are victims of islamophobia.
snicker…snicker ok, I couldn’t get through it a straight face.
Alden Pyle on January 31, 2007 at 10:28 AM
This is nothing but a serious breach of cultural sensitivity by the white men who rule Britain with an iron fist.
benrand on January 31, 2007 at 10:33 AM
So now I’ll wait for:
a) “Islam is a religion of peace”
b) “These are just a few extremists hijacking the religion”
c) “But, to be honest, we are a maligned minority.
d) “And it’s mostly because of the Yanks and the Jews”
Deny, deflect, and then go on the offensive. Straight out of the playbook.
Matticus Finch on January 31, 2007 at 10:38 AM
Good, old-fashioned British police work thwarts the terrorists once again.
Smart detectives with good intel: still the most effective tool in the fight against terrorism.
JaHerer22 on January 31, 2007 at 10:40 AM
Watchin’ the press briefing now. Seems to me like the terrorists are stuck in a quagmire and they need an exit plan.
Yup, good police work at home and a powerful military abroad.
Tony737 on January 31, 2007 at 10:46 AM
EXACLTY my thought…Wake The F UP!! It has already started.
shooter on January 31, 2007 at 10:59 AM
thank God they caught these buggers
Defector01 on January 31, 2007 at 11:18 AM
Doesn’t surprise me that soldiers have been targeted for assassination. Look at what the leftist/jihadist lovers in the United States has been doing at Walter Reed and Bethesda Naval Hospital for the last few years. It makes me sick.
gmaninatl on January 31, 2007 at 11:20 AM
I’m waiting to hear what foreign country it was that was feeding instructions to the wannabe beheaders. Let’s play a game and see how many degrees of separation this plot has from Saudi Arabia. 0 degrees, 1, 2?
I am also breathlessly waiting for the next steps of this rather familiar drama: The imams proclaim publicly that these are not True Muslims and so therefore their plot has nothing to do with Islam. Then the families swarm the court and say their boys are innocent victims of racism and Islamaphobia. Then the secret tapes of sermons in the mosques telling the Muslim faithful that the boys were good Muslims fighting jihad in the best tradition of Islam.
Sooner or later the Muslims are going to succeed in one of these bloody plots.
Tantor on January 31, 2007 at 11:22 AM
Just think how many of these are brewing in England. The UK is no stranger to terror and terrorists among them. The IRA and now the Jihadists.
d1carter on January 31, 2007 at 11:25 AM
Birmingham city center was evacuated for a bomb scare, in the summer of 2005, too. I wonder if that was a coincidence, just some locals getting nervous about the neighbors, or what?
Tanya on January 31, 2007 at 12:05 PM
They weren’t evangelical Christians?
What it’s going to take is getting the moronic Christian hating conservatives to wake the hell up and realize the boogyman isn’t a pastor. Anyone, ANYONE who follows the teachings of Muhammad and his call for world domination by force is the problem.
The most of the liberals will never figure it out. But to see the right isle anti-Jesus crowd protecting (moderate) Islam suggests ether some deep seated psychological problems or pure baseline stupidity.
Enjoy your Dhimmitude, the rest of us remember 9-11.
Timber Wolf on January 31, 2007 at 12:08 PM
Why wouldn’t this reach the level of teason?
Blaise on January 31, 2007 at 12:49 PM
Yeah who’d have guessed parenting involved bugging your kids about where they’re going and what they’re doing and generally keeping in touch with them?
taznar on January 31, 2007 at 2:35 PM
Good, old-fashioned British police work thwarts the terrorists once again.
Smart detectives with good intel: still the most effective tool in the fight against terrorism.
JaHerer22 on January 31, 2007 at 10:40 AM
Elementary my dear Watson !
sonnyspats1 on January 31, 2007 at 2:55 PM
Why aren’t they asking their kids where they are going? Perhaps their jihadi/ummah/anti-kufaar/anti-Jewish/anti-Western agendas are mostly similar, but it’s the kids who do the practical work, while the parents stay in the ‘theoretical’ realm?
WriterMom on January 31, 2007 at 3:19 PM
Looks like the target was an apostate:
Thank goodness this plot was intercepted. The propaganda value would have been quite unimaginable.
RushBaby on January 31, 2007 at 4:40 PM
For those that are wondering why the British Muslims aren’t watching their kids or knowing what they are up too, I leave you with a phrase. -Plausible Deniability-
- The Cat
MirCat on January 31, 2007 at 5:13 PM
WriterMom: “Why aren’t they asking their kids where they are going?”
Maybe they’re afraid they’ll tell them.
RushBaby: Thank goodness this plot was intercepted. The propaganda value would have been quite unimaginable.
Perhaps the British Muslims should be thanking Allah that the plot was defeated. You can imagine the scenario once the Muslims plotters published their beheading video on YouTube. After the usual rash of denials, there would be a sizeable chunk of Muslims who would support the act and the video, which would have been shown in mosques to recruit more jihadis. And the public opinion of Muslims would harden as it approached the breaking point.
Tantor on January 31, 2007 at 7:05 PM
A good reason to keep practicing Muslims out of any Western military. It is too dangerous.
For them, first, from their fellow co-Mohammedans; and for the armed services, secondly, since a true Muslim’s allegiance is never to anything but the ultimate triumph of Islam.
Not to an infidel army.
profitsbeard on February 1, 2007 at 1:26 AM
You know…………. enough is enough… this is what is happening in the United States, Republic of….
A long time ago, our Founding Fathers, of many Nations, including the United Sates of America, knew the importance, that when you create a new Nation, you instill in it, important ideals, customs, and laws, to ensure it’s survival…
Beginning with the education of our youth, that we live in a good nation, this is where we live, our forefathers defended us, and it’s your responsibilty to carry the torch of freedom and representative democracy. This experiment in a Repesentative Republic, with and educated, and informed populus could govern themselves.
This included a “Pledge of Alligence”, a true lesson of history, not “Multi-Culturlism”, or a revised lesson based on Liberal Idealism.
There is nothing wrong with teaching “Love of Country”.
There is nothing wrong with the teaching of the true story of how the Founing Fathers of the United States put everthing on the line, and for most of them, lost it, for this country.
Young minds, drilled day in and day out, with the schools of liberal teachers and the Media, “America is Evil”, “The United Kingdom is evil”….. “Religion is bad, unless it is for ……” I won’t even say it…
The final reaction is, it “takes it’s toll….”
Then……. when violence happens…….. “It’s not their fault….”
Enough, for this Blogger………
I have my son in a private School, learning “True American Hisory”, ..
God Bless America….. Spot ON..
PinkyBigglesworth on February 1, 2007 at 3:16 AM
Sorry… tired and pissed………….
God Bless the UK and the United States…..{and by the way, Australia, who has backed the US all the way since day 1}
…our fall back position to regroup is Australia, but that time…………..{static…..}………. boom,,,, boom…. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM.
PinkyBigglesworth on February 1, 2007 at 3:21 AM
“Allah……… are you there?”
“Allah………. are you there??”
“I was promised virgins, and it’s really hot here, and I see a lot of my friends and family showing up……”
“Allah…. are you there….”
PinkyBigglesworth on February 1, 2007 at 3:26 AM