UK failing to combat threat of extremism

London: Britain has the greatest number of extremists linked to Al Qaida of any Western country and poses a grave risk to international security, the US government believes.

Terrorist groups are using Britain as a base to plot attacks around the world, say officials.

American leaders believe the Government is failing to combat the threat of extremism among immigrants living in Britain.

"The UK has the greatest concentration of active Al Qaida supporters of any Western country," a senior US official told The Daily Telegraph. "As a result, no Western country has been more threatened than the UK, but the UK-based Al Qaida network poses not only a potent threat to Britain but to the rest of the world."

The disclosure of American fears will increase transatlantic tensions over the attempted terrorist attack on an airliner above Detroit last month.

Omar Farouq Abdul Muttalib, the would-be suicide bomber, has said his attack was inspired and directed by Al Qaida.
 
It has been claimed he was radicalised in London, where the Nigerian was a student between 2005 and 2008. British officials insist that he became a terrorist in Yemen.

Assimilation

American officials believe European immigrants are more likely than their counterparts in the United States to subscribe to extremist doctrines.

The US prides itself on "assimilating" all immigrant groups into mainstream culture, while European nations including Britain have pursued a policy of multiculturalism.

Critics say it leaves immigrants at risk of being alienated from wider society and susceptible to radical movements.

"The level of Al Qaida activity in Britain is becoming a major source of concern," said a senior State Department official. "The organisation's ability to use Britain as a base to plot terror attacks constitutes a serious threat to the security of Britain and other Western countries."

The failed Detroit attack has renewed attention on Britain's record in dealing with international terrorism.

Abdul Muttalib's attack was the second Al Qaida attempt to bring down a US-bound plane that could be linked to Britain. In 2001, Richard Reid, from London, tried to explode a bomb hidden in his shoe on a flight to Miami.

Among some US politicians and security experts, the British capital has been dubbed "Londonistan" because of the presence of so many radicals with connections to extremist preachers. British universities are a particular concern.

Abdul Muttalib was president of the Islamic Society at University College London between 2006 and 2007, while he was studying for an engineering degree.

In January 2007, Abdul Muttalib organised a "War on Terror Week" at the university. It included five days of lectures and discussions about Guantanamo Bay and allegations of torture.

Among his guests were two speakers from Cageprisoners, a London campaign group that has championed Anwar Al Awlaki, the Al Qaida cleric who has been blamed for radicalising Abdul Mutalib.

Radical preachers

UCL, together with many other British universities, has been accused of failing to stop radical preachers giving talks on campus for fear of being accused of Islamophobia.

Although the July 7 bombings in London in 2005 were the only fatal Al Qaida attacks in Britain, many other plots have been disrupted. In 2006, British police uncovered an Al Qaida plot to explode liquid bombs on transatlantic airliners, an operation that officers said could have killed thousands of people.

Jonathan Evans, the head of MI5, said in 2008 that his service was aware of around 2,000 radicalised immigrants in Britain who might be involved in terrorism plots. The Security Service has not updated that number since, but American officials believe it has risen.

US intelligence officers are also gravely concerned about the number of immigrants travelling to Yemen to become involved in extremist activity.

Yemen is emerging as a focus for international counter-terrorism, as intensive military activity forces Al Qaida to reduce its activity on the Afghan-Pakistan border.