THE TELEGRAPH: Admiral Sir Alan West, the man appointed to the Lords by Gordon Brown to oversee security in Britain, has made a comprehensive assessment of the terrorist threat currently facing us.
In the interview we publish today, he says the situation is worse than it was when Eliza Manningham Buller, who retired earlier this year as head of MI5, warned that there were at least 30 plots involving more than 100 dedicated terrorists.
He says most of the active terrorists are foreign, rather than home-grown, but they are bigoted, racist and utterly ruthless in their dedication to commit mass murder "in the name of God".
He believes that the threat can be countered, but that it will take "10 to 15 years" and require securing the co-operation of all Britain's different Muslim communities.
Like Gordon Brown, Sir Alan detests the phrase "war on terror", and has vowed not to use it. He thinks it is important to describe the terrorists as criminals, rather than to identify them by their religious affiliation. Muslims have to join this battle (more)
Mark Alexander
