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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| UK 'number one al-Qaeda target' | UK 'number one al-Qaeda target' |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Al-Qaeda has become more organised and sophisticated and has made Britain its top target, counter-terrorism officials have told the BBC. | Al-Qaeda has become more organised and sophisticated and has made Britain its top target, counter-terrorism officials have told the BBC. |
| Security sources say the situation has never been so grim, said BBC home affairs correspondent Margaret Gilmore. | Security sources say the situation has never been so grim, said BBC home affairs correspondent Margaret Gilmore. |
| They believe the network is now operating a cell structure in the UK - like the IRA did - and sees the 7 July bomb attacks "as just the beginning". | They believe the network is now operating a cell structure in the UK - like the IRA did - and sees the 7 July bomb attacks "as just the beginning". |
| Each cell has a leader, a quartermaster dealing with weapons, and volunteers. | Each cell has a leader, a quartermaster dealing with weapons, and volunteers. |
| University worry | University worry |
| According to our correspondent, each cell works on separate, different plots, with masterminds controlling several different cells. | According to our correspondent, each cell works on separate, different plots, with masterminds controlling several different cells. |
| Training is taking place in the UK and Pakistan. | Training is taking place in the UK and Pakistan. |
| It was thought that five years ago al-Qaeda was a number of "loosely-connected organisations" with common aims, but it is now more organised, she said. | It was thought that five years ago al-Qaeda was a number of "loosely-connected organisations" with common aims, but it is now more organised, she said. |
| It is no longer about looking for a needle in a haystack Crispin BlackSecurity analyst | |
| Security officials are concerned the group is targeting universities and the community, and are "less worried" about mosques, she added. | Security officials are concerned the group is targeting universities and the community, and are "less worried" about mosques, she added. |
| However, intelligence analyst Crispin Black said another attack in the UK "was not inevitable", citing the UK's "considerable successes against the IRA". | |
| He said the security services had a good idea about who they were dealing with, saying: "We still have that expertise and training present within our military forces and intelligence." | |
| "It is no longer about looking for a needle in a haystack. We have some pretty good clues and information on where we should be looking," he added. |