After two car bombs were found in London and one has been driven into Glasgow airport, I won't do a full round up of the news, but I will make a few observations.
Clearly the people involved this time have not been successful, however many got away and they may well learn. We do need to find them.
There have been 3 vehicles involved. It is possible that they were all fitted out by the same team, and in the same place. This would be a lockup garage, possibly able to hold one, two or three cars at the same time. if you have recently rented such premises to someone be on the look out for odd comings and goings. If you have suspicions let the police know.
I have so far been pleased with the governments response. Serious but not scare mongering nor looking, so far, to drive through yet more silly measures on the back of this. This threat will not be beaten by the endless passing of yet more laws, but may be beaten by careful hard work.
I understand that one of the two arrested in the Glasgow Airport attack was wearing a suicide belt. He is currently critical in hospital. I suspect that is not the half of it, I suspect he is outraged at the maker of the belt.
The suspect device at the Glasgow hospital where the suspects were taken to may well have been the suicide belt that one of the suspects had.
Whilst we do need to raise our game in terms of public vigilance, security service action and budgets we should also put some numbers in perspective.
We have had less than 100 people killed by terrorists in the last 10 years. In that time over 300,000 have died in road accidents, roughly 150,000 have died of hospital acquired infections and millions have died of cancer.
You are very very unlikely to die in a terrorist attack so don't panic, and carry on.
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I found this piece in the Guardian, very interesting.
Particularly,
"..they also show that public safety relies not just on the police and security forces.."
and
"..for all the talk about the fracturing of British society into individuals concerned only for themselves, in moments of crisis people are still prepared to put aside their own safety."
I think the main thing missing from our ability to withstand terrorism, indeed thwart it, is the wholehearted support of the Muslim community. Unfortunately, incidents such as the Ricin plot that never was and the Forest Gate raid, have done an awful lot to lose support from that community.
There's a lot of work to be done there to drive an ideological wedge between the extremists and the majority.
Things like 90-day detention and more spooks are of little importance in comparison.
Timothy (likes zebras), There is an issue with the Muslim community and some cack handed stunts like Forest Gate do not help, neither will 90 detention without charge.
What will help is building up our covert intelligence services again.
If you go back and read some of my early articles on the war on terror I am a massive advocate of finding ways to cleave off the majority of Islamic opinion from the extremists and pointing out the Al Qada is trying to do the reverse.
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