Category: Uncategorized

Parsons Green Terrorism Incident, London

On By drdavidloweIn Islamic State, Parsons Green Terrorist Attack, Uncategorized

At 8.20 am (BST) on Friday 15th September 2017 an IED exploded on a London Underground train at Parsons Green station on the District Line injuring 29 people. Fortunately no one was killed or seriously injured. That may due in part to reports coming out that the IED was crudely made. This indicates it was constructed by a person with little or no experience or knowledge of explosives. Even though a timer was attached, again it was a basic, crude device. This has led to speculation as to whether Parsons Green was not the perceived target as Parsons Green has not been perceived as a location subject to a high risk of terrorist attacks as there are more likely high risk locations further down the District Line such as St. James Park, Westminster, Embankment or Temple.

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed the bomb attack is a terrorist incident. At the time of writing there is speculation as to who is responsible. This has not been helped by the US President, Donald Trump’s tweet earlier today saying, ‘Another attack in London by a loser terrorist. These are sick and demented people who were in the sights of Scotland Yard. Must be proactive.’ [My emphasis] There is no doubt that this incident has been committed by a person influenced by any form of extremist cause, not just an Islamist one.

I would be surprised if it was someone acting under the political cause of the extreme far right as it is not their style of attack, they tend to attack individuals (and it looks like they too are using vehicles as seen in Charlottesville, US and outside Finsbury Park mosque in London – allegedly). Also this type of attack could alienate any potential far right followers as the majority of victims would have been white UK citizens. Again, I think it is highly unlikely it is someone linked to dissident Irish republicanism such as the new IRA as dissident Irish republicans have never attempted this type of attack and during the Irish Troubles the Provisional IRA’s England Department gave coded warnings when targeting civilian targets. From what information that is released to date, I think this has been carried out by someone inspired by the Islamist narrative, potentially by Islamic State. It may seem strange the bomber did not stay with the device, looking to kill themselves in the explosion, but as we have seen in recent attacks in Europe like Barcelona last month, the terrorist escaped the scene. Recently the UK and other western states have suffered attacks by people inspired by the Islamist narrative who have not received any formal training at camps in the likes of Syria or Iraq, hence why we have seen low level attacks easy to carry out by using vehicles driven into crowds and knife attacks.

One source of information Islamic State is using to inspire individuals and recruit them to their cause is the online magazine Rumiyah (Islamic for Rome).The first issue was published in September 2016 and apart from containing propaganda outlining their military actions in countries where they are losing territory, Rumiyah encourages Muslims to carry out their military jihad in western countries like the UK. To aid them, Rumiyah contains articles advising on the best and most effective ways to carry out attacks like those we have recently witnessed.

It is important that if the Parsons Green station attack is another Islamic State inspired attack that all Muslims are not treated with disdain or seen as potential terrorists or terrorist sympathisers, as nothing is further from the truth and this would play into Islamic State’s hands in their propaganda war. I know of many Imams who have barred radicals from their mosques and members if the Muslim community who have passed on information to the police of suspected terrorist activity. It is worth noting that Islamic State do not just kill the kuffar who are Christians, they have killed more Muslims than any other group, Muslims Islamic State see as the murtaddin (Muslims who reject Islam). Those that Islamic State as murtaddin are not Muslims who have rejected Islam, they are Muslims who have rejected Islamic State as the evil group they are. Islamic State have carried out pogroms on many Muslims, killing literally thousands such as Shia Muslims and Kurdish Muslims who they see as apostates.

What can we do to help with these attacks? If you are suspicious of anything or have a feeling something is not right report it to the police or security or phone the anti-terrorist hotline 0800 555 111. The police will handle all information with sensitivity and it is better to be safe than sorry.

British soldiers suspected of being members of banned far right group

On By drdavidloweIn far right, terrorism and security consultancy, Uncategorized

It has been reported that four British Army solders have been arrested for allegedly plotting a terror attack and being members of a proscribed far right group, National Action. In December 2016 National Action became the first far right group to be proscribed among western states. By being proscribed, National Action is now a terrorist group in the UK.

Over the last few years there has been a rise in far right activity, not just in the UK but globally. In the US we have witnessed the rise in far right group activity leading to violent clashes such as that seen recently in Charlottesville where a car was driven into a crowd killing one person and injuring nineteen others. Whether this has been in response to Islamist groups’ activity is questionable. Far right groups have been active in western states over many years, it might just be that in the current climate where many have concerns of recent actions carried out by Islamist  groups that pose threats to personal safety in day-to-day activities far right groups feel more comfortable in being more able to express their ideology. Added to this we have seen a rise in the popularity of nationalist political parties. This was seen in the 2016 Dutch elections with Geert Wilders, the leader of the Party for Freedom who secured a significant rise in votes and seats in the Dutch Parliament and Marine le Pen, the leader of the National Front party in France who ran second to Macron in the 2016 French presidential elections. It could be argued that the popularity of the likes of Nigel Farage, the former leader of UKIP, who was one of the most strident in encouraging the UK electorate to vote leave in the 2016 EU referendum  with his message related to immigration and the slogan ‘We want our country back’ . It could be argued these political events along with Donald Trump winning the US 2015 presidential election with his xenophobic messages in the ‘Make American Great Again’ slogan have created a  safer environment where far right groups feel able to be more open and vocal in their message.

The threat and danger to life far right groups pose should not be underestimated. Recent examples in the UK include  Zak Davies who was radicalised online and a member of National Action was convicted of attempt murder in June 2015 when he tried to behead his victim, a Sikh, who Davies thought was a Muslim. In November 2016 Thomas Mair who was also radicalised to the far right narrative was convicted  of murder after killing a UK Member of Parliament, Jo Cox in June 2016. In June 2017 Darren Osbourne is allegedly suspected of being influenced by far right ideology when he allegedly drove a vehicle into worshippers who were leaving Finsbury Park Mosque in London, injuring eleven people.

As Islamist terror activity has been prominent both in actual attacks and in the media, it is understandable that other forms of extremism seem to have either been ignored or not recognised by many people. This is why working to help achieve the aims of the Prevent strategy is important. It is better to help people at a pre-criminal stage who are attracted by an extremist narrative and as such are being drawn towards terrorism. It is not perfect, but it is the best we have got. All forms of extremism, even non-violent extremism that glories violence are dangerous and must be differentiated from activism. For a more detailed analysis of this issue see my article in Studies in Conflict & Terrorism ‘Prevent Strategies: The Problems Associated in Defining Extremism: The Case of the United Kingdom’.

New IRA & car bombs

On By drdavidloweIn 32 County Sovereignty Movement, Uncategorized

Understandably with most of the high profile terrorist attacks being linked to the group Islamic State, most of us associate terrorism with Islamist groups, but the UK also has the threat dissident Irish republican groups pose to national security. As a result the terrorist threat level in Northern Ireland is severe from dissident republican groups, in particular the group, New IRA.

Thankfully not as potent a threat posed by the Provisional IRA (PIRA) during the Irish Troubles and certainly not having the same level of support as PIRA had, the New IRA are just as committed to carry out attacks. As such the PSNI have warned of the ‘new kind of under car bomb’ the group has developed. The New IRA were created in 2012 where  the Real IRA (RIRA) merged with other groups like Republican Action Against Drugs and disaffected former PIRA members, although Continuity IRA, who broke away from PIRA in 1986 are not part of New IRA.

RIRA were founded by former PIRA member Michel McKevitt and were responsible for the Omagh bombing in 1998 that killed 29 and had a period of high activity between 2009 – 2012 that including killing two soldiers at Massereene barracks in Antrim, killing PSNI officer Ronan Kerr and prison officer David Black.  During that time RIRA detonated a car bomb outside MI5 headquarters in Belfast and attempted to mortar bomb a PSNI station in Derry.

RIRA and now the New IRA are supported by the political ‘movement’ the 32 County Sovereignty Movement that was founded by Bernadette Sands-McKevitt, the sister of Bobby Sands and wife of RIRA founder Micheal McKevitt. There is also support for the 32CSM in Liverpool and Scotland (mainly Glasgow).

Clearly the New IRA would want to carry out an attack in Britain as RIRA wanted to in 2011 and is why the terrorist threat in Britain from dissident Irish republican groups was raised to substantial, but they currently do not appear to have that capability, but you cannot dismiss this threat. In my forthcoming book ‘Terrorism: Law & Policy’ that is coming out in late November 2017 I cover the threat the UK faced and currently faces from dissident Irish republican groups.

Maximum sentences for some terror offences too low in the UK?

On By drdavidloweIn Max Hill QC, terrorism law, Uncategorized

In an interview with the Press Association the UK’s Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, Max Hill QC, has said the maximum sentence for some of the UK’s terrorism offences may be too low. In saying this the example he gave was section 38B Terrorism Act 2000, which is an offence linked to an investigation as an expert witness I am currently assisting the police with.

Section 38B is an offence where a person does not inform the police when they believe someone is preparing acts of terrorism. The section applies where a person has information they know or believe might be of material assistance in preventing another person committing an act of terrorism or in securing the apprehension, prosecution or conviction of a person in the UK of an offence involving the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism (section 38B(1) Terrorism Act 2000). The offence is committed where the person does not disclose the information as soon as reasonably practicable (section 38B(2) Terrorism Act 2000). Proceedings for this offence can be treated as having been committed in any place where the person to be charged is or has at any time since he first knew or believed that the information might be of material assistance (section 38B(6) Terrorism Act 2000).

I have emphasised the term ‘believe’ as this widens the capability of the offence being committed. Just having a hunch that something is not right might be insufficient for a prosecution to succeed in relation to section 38B. For a successful prosecution there will have to be evidence the person charged actually had knowledge that an act of terrorism is being planned or prepared by another.

As Max Hill says, this is not about introducing further terrorism related legislation, it is about allowing the judiciary wider sentencing capability where evidence relating to acts of terrorism is present. As he points out, in the UK there are wider criminal offences related to firearms, knives, assaults and violence against persons that can be applied to acts of terrorism, but if it is proved to be terrorist related activity, this will be a sentencing factor the judiciary can apply. We have seen this in the UK in the murder trials of Lee Rigby and Jo Cox, where the respective defendants were tried for murder with terrorism being a sentencing factor that increased the minimum sentence they had to serve on being found guilty.

I agree with Max Hill, for offences like section 38B the maximum sentence is too low. This offence is likely to be triggered during an investigation following a terrorist attack victims have been killed or seriously injured. Along with the tragic results of terrorist attacks, the high volume of work investigators put into gathering evidence related to this offence does not justify the relatively light sentence a defendant can receive following conviction. I understand that for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service it is the successful conviction it is not the length of sentence that is of concern just the successful prosecution, but this is a maximum sentence and with other sentencing tariff issues that could be taken into account the sentence could be a lot lower that 5 years. I agree with Max Hill’s recommendation that a list or a schedule be provided to assist the judiciary which non-terrorist offences that may considered to have the terrorism aggravating factor considered in sentencing  defendant, with, maybe a consideration of amending some offences with a higher sentence.

Two men convicted of firearms smuggling in the UK

On By drdavidloweIn Uncategorized

Two men who smuggled an array for firearms and ammunition into the UK while on a tourist coach entering the UK from continental Europe were given lengthy prison sentences at Lewes Crown Court today. The firearms they smuggled included Czechoslovakian Skorpion automatic weapons. The concern is who they would have sold them to be it other organised crime groups or of even more concern if they were sold to persons involved in terrorism. The UK has strict firearms laws and if sold in the black market these weapons would have been sold for a high value. I discuss this on BBC Southeast Today (TV) this evening

Police confirm attack outside Buckingham Palace is a terrorist investigation

On By drdavidloweIn terrorist attack, Uncategorized

The attack by a male armed with a sword on three UK police officers close to Buckingham Palace just after half past eight yesterday evening has been confirmed by the Metropolitan Police to be a terrorist investigation. A 26 year old male from Luton, Bedfordshire was arrested after being retrained with the use of CS gas by police officers after he injured three police officers who, thankfully were not seriously injured.

While we have seen a number of incidents in Europe where attacks have taken place targeting civilians in public places over the last couple of years, the last being in Barcelona in August  this is not the first time in 2017 that police officers or the military have been targeted by terrorists. In April 2017 a male attacked a police bus parked up in the Champs-Elysees with an automatic weapon killing one officer and injuring two others. On the 9th August 2017 six French soldiers were inured in Paris when a vehicle was driven at speed into them and then drove off (with the suspected driver later stopped and shot on a motorway in northern France). Both of these incidents are  believed to have been terrorist attacks.

With the attacks on civilians carried out by Islamic State inspired terrorists who targeted what is termed as ‘soft targets’ such as restaurants, bars/pubs, theatres and other public venues, the military and the police are perceived as hard targets. What have seen in the likes of the attacks in London yesterday and the two mentioned above in Paris, the type of attack has been relatively easy to carry out and lacks sophistication. Along with other public venues or events likely to be targeted,  we are also likely to see similar types of attacks on the police and military in Europe in the coming years. In continental Europe as the police are routinely armed, such attacks will no doubt result in the attacker being killed as we saw with the two Paris attacks on the police and the military, but in Britain 93% of the police officers are not armed. As we have seen following the recent UK terrorist attacks, no doubt the attack outside Buckingham Palace will once more raise the question if more British police officer should be routinely armed. Being a retired English police officer who was proud of the fact that the vast majority of British police officers were not armed because they policed by consent of the public, even I am reluctantly coming to the conclusion that where officers are posted to locations identified as being a high risk of a terrorist attack should be armed in order to save their own lives. If the Metropolitan Police’s Constable Keith Palmer was armed when he tackled with the terrorist who drove into people on Westminster Bridge and then tried to enter the palace of Westminster that contains the UK’s Parliament, it might have saved his life.

It appears that the former UK security service (MI5) director, Lord Evans, is right and we will have to expect a number of these attacks in the coming years. This is of great concern and the question remains as to how  to stop individuals who are inspired by any form of an extremist narrative from carrying out an attack b driving a vehicle into a crowd of people or stabbing their victims in public places? Enhancing the sharing intelligence between policing agencies at international level is one way, as seen recently in Holland where following information passed on by the Spanish police to their Dutch counterparts resulted in the cancellation of a concert because of a suspected terrorist attack that resulted in a male being arrested by the Dutch police for preparing such an attack. On many occasions it is found that following an attack the police or the security services have some information on the attacker, but, due to the sheer volume of resources needed, it is impossible to have 24/7 observation on every person who is in an intelligence system. What can help is all of us being that bit more vigilant and if you suspect anything at all, no matter how minor you may perceive it, contact the police. In the UK we can do this by contacting the police on the Anti-Terrorism Hotline, 0800 789 321.

UK Prevent Strategy

On By drdavidloweIn Prevent, Uncategorized

In addition to the terrorist attacks in Spain last week, Europe has seen a number of similar attacks in the last 12 months ranging from Nice in July 2016, Berlin at Christmas 2016, four attacks in the UK, one in Stockholm, Sweden and in Finland last week. Apart from the bombing of the Manchester Arena in May 2017, all of these attacks had a similar method, that of driving vehicles into crowds and using sharply bladed instruments to stab victims.
Islamic State (Daesh) have claimed responsibility for all of these attacks, although it is questionable whether these attacks were carried out from direct orders from the group. It appears that Islamic State have learnt the lessons Al Qaeda faced when they were losing their strongholds in the likes of Afghanistan. Although Islamic State are losing control of the territory they have held since 2013 in Syria/Iraq, have lost the territory it held in Libya in 2016 and some of their cells have been seriously degraded, their narrative lives on. It is a narrative with a powerful ideology that is influencing individuals to carry out attacks. In addition to this, as with other states, Europe is also facing the prospect of some of their citizens who went to join IS in their self-proclaimed caliphate as foreign fighters are returning to their home state experienced in small arms fire and explosives. The question is how this narrative can be defeated.
The answer is it will be extremely difficult. In the UK the extreme far right group, National Action, was proscribed (that is classed as a terrorist group) and they follow the national socialist narrative from 1920’s Germany. Combatting a narrative is not a hopeless task and this is where the Prevent programme can help.
In essence Prevent is part of the UK’s CONTEST anti-terrorism policy. Its main aim is to help disenchanted and disaffected individuals who are vulnerable to being drawn to the extremist narrative that then influences them to carry out terrorist attacks. It is a pre-criminal stage where a number of agencies assist an individual showing them they do have a place in society and are valued. Where needed they are giving training, help with housing and they are supported with a mentor.
Prevent has many criticisms and in its original format Prevent was flawed as it only focused on violent extreme Islamism. As a result it alienated many Muslims who were seen as the suspect community and groups like Islamic State took advantage of this in their propaganda against western states. In 2011 the UK changed the approach of Prevent to include all forms of extremism and I found in my role with Merseyside Police’s Prevent team and with the current regional project I am involved with in the northwest of England (1002 nights), many individuals have been helped through Prevent. I agree with the UK’s Home Secretary, Amber Rudd that safeguarding people from becoming radicalised, either by the extreme right wing or Islamist extremists should not be a controversial aim and that Prevent has made a significant impact in preventing people being drawn into terrorism. It is to be welcomed that following the 2017 terrorist incidents in the UK the number of referrals to Prevent has doubled leading to Simon Cole, who leads Prevent in the National Police Chief’s Council, to say it was “encouraging” more people were contacting police about potential radicalisation adding:
‘But if we are to successfully stop vulnerable people from being drawn into violent extremism, then family members, friends and community leaders must trust us sooner with their concerns. Not only will that possibly stop another lethal terrorist attack from taking place, but it will also potentially prevent vulnerable people from being drawn into criminal activity from which there is no coming back.’
Prevent is not perfect, but no effective alternative has been suggested and Prevent is the best we have in the UK to help those being drawn towards terrorism. For a more comprehensive coverage, see my articles on Prevent in The New Jurist and Studies in Conflict & Terrorism.

Las Ramblas Van Driver Killed

On By drdavidloweIn Uncategorized

The Spanish police have now confirmed that the person they shot this evening in Barcelona is , the person suspected of being the van driver who drove into people in Las Ramblas on Thursday 17th August. The police were tipped off by a petrol station employee who recognised Abouyaaqoub as to his location and he was shot by the police who found him hiding in a nearby vineyard. This does not signal the end of the investigation, it is still ongoing as the Spanish police look for evidence to see if anyone else was involved in this Islamic State inspired terrorist cell. I will be discussing this tonight just after 23.10 hours (BST) on Al Jazeera.