US Terror Threat: Britain Turning 'Blind Eye' to Extremists, Warn American Analysts

American security and political experts are warning that jihadists
in Iraq and Syria will return to Europe with their newly-acquired
terror training

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Britain has been too relaxed about the threat to transatlantic flights from Islamist terrorists, a series of America-based security experts, political analysts and academics warn

The threat by terrorists to blow up airliners travelling to the United States has been ignored for too long by Britain, a series of American-based analysts have said.

American officials on Wednesday publicly demanded enhanced security for airports in Europe and the Middle East which have direct flights to the US. They did not say whether they had intelligence about a specific plot, but their actions suggested alarm, and a Homeland Security Department official said the request was "based on real-time intelligence".

On Friday, France announced that it was stepping up security checks at its airports, in response to the US warning.

But many American security and political experts said that Britain had turned a blind eye to the threat for too long.

"British governments have allowed indoctrination centres in mosques and cultural centres, they have turned a blind eye to recruitment operations and they have asserted the rights of those who want to impose sharia rule in their own areas," said Frank Gaffney, former assistant secretary of defence under President Ronald Reagan.

"They have embraced extremists who are just as determined to overthrow us by professed peaceful means as violent jihadists.

"This has inexorably led to a situation where any good jihadist calculates that it is time to wage violent struggle." » | Philip Sherwell, New York, David Millward in Maine and Harriet Alexander | Friday, July 04, 2014