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| Anti-terror chief warns of homegrown Breiviks | Anti-terror chief warns of homegrown Breiviks |
| (10 days later) | |
| More terror threats to the UK are coming from people who "self-radicalise" on the internet, like the Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik, the new head of one of the UK's busiest counter-terrorism commanders has warned. | More terror threats to the UK are coming from people who "self-radicalise" on the internet, like the Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik, the new head of one of the UK's busiest counter-terrorism commanders has warned. |
| Detective chief superintendent Tony Mole, who has just taken over running the North West Counter Terrorism Unit, said that al-Qaida had become a brand rather than a tangible terror outlet. | Detective chief superintendent Tony Mole, who has just taken over running the North West Counter Terrorism Unit, said that al-Qaida had become a brand rather than a tangible terror outlet. |
| In an interview with the Guardian, Mole said more would-be terrorists are schooling themselves online. With the official threat level to the UK at substantial – meaning there is a strong possibility of an attack – police needed help from the community, he said. | In an interview with the Guardian, Mole said more would-be terrorists are schooling themselves online. With the official threat level to the UK at substantial – meaning there is a strong possibility of an attack – police needed help from the community, he said. |
| The police can't be everywhere, Mole said, asking members of the public to help provide intelligence on potential threats. If people have a gut feeling that someone in their community has changed, they should call the confidential anti-terrorist hotline, he said. | The police can't be everywhere, Mole said, asking members of the public to help provide intelligence on potential threats. If people have a gut feeling that someone in their community has changed, they should call the confidential anti-terrorist hotline, he said. |
| Among warning signs he cited "travelling a lot, being vague about travel, having access to lots of different phones, buying chemicals, taking an interest in security, CCTV ... somebody who was happy one minute just living their normal life who gets very, very locked into something, changes their appearance. They may be a bit stronger in their views. You combine all that together, you get a gut feeling that that's not right." | Among warning signs he cited "travelling a lot, being vague about travel, having access to lots of different phones, buying chemicals, taking an interest in security, CCTV ... somebody who was happy one minute just living their normal life who gets very, very locked into something, changes their appearance. They may be a bit stronger in their views. You combine all that together, you get a gut feeling that that's not right." |
| He added: "If you know somebody well, you will notice changes in them. If you will see certain things you may think that's not right, that's out of character, that group of people have changed." | He added: "If you know somebody well, you will notice changes in them. If you will see certain things you may think that's not right, that's out of character, that group of people have changed." |
| Mole gave examples his officers had seen. "People going off to training camps and getting very fit and becoming very insular. People who were previously quite outward forming very small groups, not letting anyone else in, doing a lot of fitness training, disappearing, travelling and being very vague about it. You might think: 'That's strange.' Now, there might be a legitimate reason for that. They might have decided to form their own fitness club. We'll assess that. But it could be that they have been exposed to some kind of rhetoric." | Mole gave examples his officers had seen. "People going off to training camps and getting very fit and becoming very insular. People who were previously quite outward forming very small groups, not letting anyone else in, doing a lot of fitness training, disappearing, travelling and being very vague about it. You might think: 'That's strange.' Now, there might be a legitimate reason for that. They might have decided to form their own fitness club. We'll assess that. But it could be that they have been exposed to some kind of rhetoric." |
| He gave an example of Mohammed and Shasta Khan, a couple from Oldham who were jailed last year after being found guilty of planning a terrorist attack targeting Manchester's Jewish community . | He gave an example of Mohammed and Shasta Khan, a couple from Oldham who were jailed last year after being found guilty of planning a terrorist attack targeting Manchester's Jewish community . |
| Photographs taken on their honeymoon in 2010 showed the couple enjoying a western lifestyle, racing around the sea in Turkey on a jetski. Two years later he had grown a long beard and was wearing a floor length tunic and she was swathed in black. | Photographs taken on their honeymoon in 2010 showed the couple enjoying a western lifestyle, racing around the sea in Turkey on a jetski. Two years later he had grown a long beard and was wearing a floor length tunic and she was swathed in black. |
| There is no catch-all profile for terrorists, said Mole. "There's no template. The type of people I've seen, I mean, Mr and Mrs Khan - if you'd seen those holiday photographs, would you have thought they would be the sort who would go out and potentially attack?" When police arrested the couple, they found "vast" quantities of bleach and reduced sodium salt in their house and along with other household items, such as Christmas tree lights, which can be used to make bombs. Detectives had been tipped off by one of Shasta's brothers that Mohammed might be a "homegrown" terrorist. | There is no catch-all profile for terrorists, said Mole. "There's no template. The type of people I've seen, I mean, Mr and Mrs Khan - if you'd seen those holiday photographs, would you have thought they would be the sort who would go out and potentially attack?" When police arrested the couple, they found "vast" quantities of bleach and reduced sodium salt in their house and along with other household items, such as Christmas tree lights, which can be used to make bombs. Detectives had been tipped off by one of Shasta's brothers that Mohammed might be a "homegrown" terrorist. |
| He said that instability in the Middle East and Africa had a knock-on effect to communities in the UK. | He said that instability in the Middle East and Africa had a knock-on effect to communities in the UK. |
| "Global events do concern me because it has an impact on the community," he said. "We know for example that there are people are going out to Syria from the UK. What is happening when they are out in Syria? What baggage do they bring back? When they go there, whether to fight their own personal jihad or take money or whatever, who are they connected to? What are the feelings of frustration do they feel and pass on to their communities [back in the UK]? I don't know. This is about communities being aware. If you've got vulnerable people in the community and somebody's been exposed to that [and] they do go on a violent extremist path, that is of concern." | "Global events do concern me because it has an impact on the community," he said. "We know for example that there are people are going out to Syria from the UK. What is happening when they are out in Syria? What baggage do they bring back? When they go there, whether to fight their own personal jihad or take money or whatever, who are they connected to? What are the feelings of frustration do they feel and pass on to their communities [back in the UK]? I don't know. This is about communities being aware. If you've got vulnerable people in the community and somebody's been exposed to that [and] they do go on a violent extremist path, that is of concern." |
| Mole said his officers needed to better understand communities. "We need to understand what community tensions are," he said. "Finding those very small groups of people or lone actors who are slowly getting angry, moving towards violent extremism, who will go from flash to bang very quickly. Nobody saw that rightwing shooting coming in Norway, did they? It just happened. [Breivik] planned it almost by [himself], [he] planned it, executed it and went off and shot a load of schoolkids. Well, that's where our hotline can come in." | Mole said his officers needed to better understand communities. "We need to understand what community tensions are," he said. "Finding those very small groups of people or lone actors who are slowly getting angry, moving towards violent extremism, who will go from flash to bang very quickly. Nobody saw that rightwing shooting coming in Norway, did they? It just happened. [Breivik] planned it almost by [himself], [he] planned it, executed it and went off and shot a load of schoolkids. Well, that's where our hotline can come in." |
| Members of the public can report suspicious or unusual behaviour to the confidential anti-terrorist hotline on 0800 789 321. | Members of the public can report suspicious or unusual behaviour to the confidential anti-terrorist hotline on 0800 789 321. |
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